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T and L 923

MLK Center, Ramseyer Hall
Wednesday 4.30-6.48 Winter 2008

Professor Anna O. Soter
Soter.1@osu.edu
The Ohio State University
229A Ramseyer Hall
292-8049 (O)
614-915-3139 (H)
614- 581-5932 (Cell)

Goals and Rationale for the course

Goals

The focus in this course is on developments in literary theory since the emergence of new criticism and an investigation of how these developments might be helpful in reconsidering our instructional approaches with a selection of young adult fiction. An underlying assumption will be that different texts invite readings from particular perspectives and that not all texts need or should be read from one uniform perspective. Literary interpretation is a form of "interpretive play" – although there are rules to the interpretive 'game,' those rules are fluid; and, there is no way one to reach the "end" of the game – that is, meaning is determined according to the nature of the interpretive lenses selected at any give point. Among the critical perspectives (or lenses) we will consider are: feminism, new historicism, rhetorical approaches, reader response criticism, psychological criticism, deconstruction and whether all criticism is really a variation of contextualized reader response. At the same time, we will also explore the multiple dimensions "reader response" makes possible. Readings will include specific YAL literature as well as critical texts that offer a range of critical perspectives and their applications. Whatever the critical perspectives, our starting point will always be the reader's response.
Specific goals or outcomes of this course are that students will:

• gain an understanding of the nature and purpose of literary theory in reading;
• gain an understanding of the role of literary theory in interpreting literature;
• understand key literary theories that have been selected for the course (e.g.., new criticism, reader response, cultural criticism, new historicism/cultural criticism, feminism, queer theory psychological criticism, rhetorical criticism) and how these connect
• with teaching "interpretation" in language arts and reading in the K-12 setting;
• be able to apply various of the above theories to reading selected young adult literature;
• through application, gain an appreciation for the ways in which multiple literary theories can enrich our reading of literary texts; gain an understanding of the relationships between the application of literary theories to reading in the K-12 setting and to the development of critical thinking among middle and high school students in particular.

Rationale

Young adult literature is very popular with many young readers but is not readily accepted as a valid source for the study of literature. When young adult novels are used in the classroom, they are either used thematically across several other subjects or if "treated" individually, are examined according to traditional categories such as subject, theme, characterization, style, point of view and plot (see the proliferation of study guides for a range of young adult novels in the current market). The novels in this course were chosen for several reasons: they are "good reads;" they represent the best in YAL; they lend themselves to some aspect of literary study; they represent a range of age-level interests in the middle and secondary school setting. As we explore these texts from a variety of critical perspectives, you will be asked to leave aside the idea that all rhetorical and stylistic features possible in a literary text should be considered. Rather, we will examine texts from the perspective that each text suggests its own scrutiny (although this scrutiny is influenced by the individual reader and his/her literary history). Although, for the purposes of this course, I have suggested a particular critical perspective for each text, I will be encouraging students taking the course to adopt their own.

Required Readings

Critical Readings:
Soter, A. Faust, M., & Rogers, (Eds.), (2008). Interpretive Play: Using critical perspectives Christopher-Gordon Moon, B.(1999). Literary Terms. NCTE/Chalkface Press. (Reference)

Young Adult Selections
Avi (1990). The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. NY Harper
Collier, J.L. & Collier, C. (1974). My Brother Sam Is Dead, NY Dell.
Crutcher, C. (2003). Stotan. NY: Harper.
Donnelly, J. (2004). A Northern Light.
Lester, J. Othello: A Novel by Shakespeare and Julius Lester. NY: Scholastic.
Myers, W.D. (1992) Somewhere in the Darkness. NY. HarperCollins.
Myers, W.D. (1999) Monster. NY: HarperCollins.
Satrapi, M. (2004). The Complete Persepolis. NY Pantheon.
Watson, L. (1995). Montana 1948. Washington, DC: Washington Square Press.

Course Packet (ZIP) Selections on literary theory. (will be available first day of classes on Jan 9 – ZIP will come to class – please bring check book or have credit card or cash available)

Suggested Additional Readings (see attached)

Course Requirements

Attendance/participation 20%* (Includes leading discussion)
Two Short Application Papers 40%* (see attachments for details)
Major Paper/Project of Choice 40%* (see attachments for details)

Assignments/Projects/Presentations

Attendance/Participation (20%) Attendance is required. If you cannot attend, please call and leave a message at 292-8049 or email me at Soter.1@osu.edu.

Participation: In the 2nd week of the class, you will be asked to sign up to lead a discussion related to one of the topics Weeks 4-10. Take a critical perspective related to the selected reading and present a critique of the novel/s using that perspective and/or raise questions related to that perspective and novel.

Short Papers (20% each/20% total)

Brief discussions of the characteristics of one or more critical perspectives and questions one might ask given a particular critical perspective to date, drawing on relevant readings and referencing a novel(s) read and discussed so far. These are meant to be analytical and an attempt to not only be able to describe your selected literary theory but also to apply theory to practice. You may choose to focus on one particular aspect of the novel.

Average Length: 3-4 pages (double-spaced). Do not exceed 4 pages. Use APA style for in-text and end-of text referencing.

Major Paper/Project (40%)

There are many possibilities but start early. Suggestions include:

• several novels by the same author from one critical perspective
• one of the novels in the course from several critical perspectives
• a study of an application of one or more of the critical perspectives in your own classroom with a novel you are using.
• an intensive critique/review of the readings referring to appropriate novels
• a profile of your own readings/reflections about the novels and our applications of various critical perspectives concluding with a reflective assessment of your growth as a critical reader throughout the course (be specific as you refer to the novels and perspectives applied). If you choose this project/paper, you might want to write reflective response to the novels as you read them and then again, review these AS we discuss them in class using the various critical approaches. Include any changes in your thinking following review in class.
• your own option. Please come and talk about this with me.

*****You should identify what your option (a-g) will be by Week 4.****

Course Schedule

*Note because of the WI Qtr OSU schedule commencing on Thursday, January 3rd, our first class will meet Wednesday, January 9.

*It's assumed that all of the novels and readings will be read prior to the class in which they are featured for discussion

Dates Topic(s) Readings /Discussant(s) Assignments Due Jan 9 (Wk 2) Introduction. Syllabus, literary selections overview; main developments in literary theory; Reader of Literature Profile – complete in class; review over the course of the quarter and hand in original and amended responses with final project end of the quarter.

Jan 16 (Wk 3)
The Novels – Possible Perspectives
Applying literary theories.
Narrators, Authors, and Readers - Positioning

Soter, A. O. The new literary theories and young adult literature: An overview. In Soter, A.O. (1999). (Course Pack)
Tyson, L. (2006). Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. (Course Pack)
Soter et al (2008). Part I Introduction (pp. 1-4)
Soter et al (2008). Chapter 1 (5-12).
Conventions and Criticism in Moon (pp. 33-38)

Jan 23 (Wk 4)
Outsider/Insider: Reader Response and Iser's Gap Theory
Myers' Somewhere in the Darkness and Monster.

Bressler (2007). Course Pack.
Tyson (2006). Reader Response Criticism (Course Pack)
Ward (Ch 6), in Soter et al (2008).
Panfil (Ch 4) in Soter et al (2008).
Beickelman (Ch 7) in Soter et al (2008)
Moon (p. 39-41; 70-73; 100-102; 122-123; 130-133);

Jan 30 (Wk5)
Rhetorical Criticism and Reliable/Unreliable Narrators: Crutcher's Stotan; Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Beickelman (Ch7) in Soter et al (2008). Wright (Ch 8) in Soter et al (2008) Moon (9-14; 42-45; 103-105; 111-113) Application Paper #1

Feb 6 (Wk6)
Deconstruction and New Historicism: Re-reading History and Historicized Fiction
Lester's Othello: The Novel
Collier's My Brother Sam is Dead

Appleman (2000). Course Pack.
Johnson & Ciancio in Soter et al (2008).
Peck (1989). Course Pack.
Moon (4-8; 42-45; 66-69; 82-94; 92-95; 118-125; 130-133; 142-145)

Feb 13 (Wk7)
Deconstruction, Feminism and Who and What Do we Believe
Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Donnelly's A Northern Light

Appleman (2000). Course Pack
Zumhagen in Soter et al (2008)
Green & LeBihan (1992). Course Pack.
Moon (57-60; 74-77; 82-84; 103-105; 110-113; 122-125. Application Paper #2

Feb 20
Cultural Criticism, and The Graphic Novel Satrapi's The Complete Persepolis

Bresseler (2007). Course Pack.
Connors (Ch.10) in Soter et al (2008).
Ward (Ch 6) in Soter et al (2008).
Moon (4-8; 42-45; 66-69; 82-94; 92-95; 118-125; 130-133; 138-145; 142-145; 146-149)

Feb 27
Challenging "Norms"
Queer Theory and
Watson's Montana 1948

Bressler (2007). Course Pack.
Smith (Ch 11) in Soter et al (2008). 46-49; 70-73; 74-77; 82-84; 85-87; 110-113; 126-128;

Mar 5 (Wk 10)
Project Presentations
Blurring the Lines - and/or as Aesthetic Objects.

Faust et al (Ch. 3) in Soter et al (2008).
Moon (1-8; 19-23; 33-35; 36-38; 50-52; 66-69)) Write-ups of Final Projects Due

ZIP: Course Pack Readings (Required)

Appleman, D. (2000). Deconstruction: Postmodern theory and the postmodern high school student. Critical encounters in high school English: Teaching literary theory to adolescents (pp. 99-116). New York: Teachers College Press.

Bressler, C.E. (2007). Cultural Studies: Postcolonialism, African-American Criticism, and Queer Theory. In Bressler, C.E. Literary criticism: An introduction to theory and practice (pp. 233-269). New York: Pearson/Prentice-Hall.

Green, K., & LeBihan, J. (1992). Feminism, literature and criticism. In Green, K., & LeBihan, J. Critical theory and practice: A coursebook, (pp. 227-264). NY: Routledge.

Peck, D. (1989). "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?" The Chocolate War. In Peck, D. Novels of Initiation: A Guidebook for Teaching Literature to Adolescents (pp.30-41). New York: Teachers College Press.

Soter, A. O. (1999). The new literary theories and young adult literature: An overview. In Soter, A.O. Young adult literature and the new literary theories: Developing critical readers in middle school (pp.1-14). New York: Teachers College Press.

Tyson, L. (2006). Everything you want to know but were afraid to ask. In Tyson, L. Critical theory today: A use-friendly guide. 2nd Edition. (pp. 1-10). New York: Routledge.

Tyson, L. (2006). Reader-response criticism. In In Bressler, C.E. Literary criticism: An introduction to theory and practice (pp. 169-208).New York: Routledge..

Selective Additional Readings About Literary Theory and Young Adult Literature Books

Atkins, G.Douglas and Laura Morrow. (Eds.) Contemporary Literary Theory. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1989.
Bleitch, Vincent, B. Cultural Criticism, Literary Theory, Poststructuralism. New York: Columbia Unversity Press, 1992.
Kaplan, E. Ann. (Ed.). Postmodernism and its Discontents: Theories, Practices. New York: Verso, 1988.
Marshall, Donald, G. Contemporary Literary Theory: A Selective Bibliography. New York: Modern Language Association, 1993.
Monseau, Virginia and Gary M. Salvner (Eds.). Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann/Boynton Cook, 1992.
Moran, Charles and Elizabeth F.Penfield. (Eds.) Conversations: Contemporary Critical Theory and the Teaching of Literature. Urbana, Il: NCTE, 1990.
Peck, David. Novels of Initiation: A Guidebook for Teaching Literature to Young Adults. New York: Teachers College Press, 1989.
Phelan, James. Narrative as Rhetoric: Technique, Audiences, Ethics, Ideology. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Press, 1996.
Rabinowitz, Peter, J. Before Reading: Narrative Conventions and the Politics of Interpretation. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987.
Rogers, Theresa and Anna Soter. Reading Across Cultures: Teaching Literature in a Diverse Society. New York: Teachers College Press, 1997.
Stevens, Bonnie K., and Larry L. Stewart. A Guide to Literary Criticism and Research. 2nd edition. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1992.
Trimmer, Joseph and Tilly Warnock. Understanding Others: Cultural and Cross-cultural Studies and the Teaching of Literature. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1992.

Selected Articles About Young Adult Literature and Applications of Literary Theory

Blackburn, M. Exploring literacy performances and power dynamics in the loft: Queer youth reading the world and the word. Research in the Teaching of English, 37(4), 2003: 467-490.
Donelson, Kenneth, L., and Alleen P. Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults.5th edition.. Glenview, IL: Longman, 1997.
Doyle, Brian. "From Closed Conversation to Active Dialogue: Recent Books of Critical Theory." English Journal, 81, 7, 1992: 73-76.
Drazek, Juliet Morrow, Anna Soter and Bridgette Williams. "How Different Ends of the Critical Spectrum Speak to One Another." OJELA, 35, 2, 1994: 42-40.
Gebhard, Ann O. "The Emerging Self: Young Adult and Classic Novels of the Black Experience." English Journal, 82, 5, 1993: 50-54.
Obbink, Laura. "Feminist Theory in the Classsroom: Choices, Questions, Voices." English Journal, 81, 7, 1992: 38-43.
Power, C.O. Challenging the pluralism of our past: Presentism and the selective tradition in historical fiction written for young people. Research in the Teaching of English, 37(4), 2003: 425-466.
Samuels, Barbara. G. A National Survey to Determine the Status of the Young Adult Novel in the Secondary English Classroom, Grades 7-12. Unpublished Dissertation, University of Houston, 1982.
Samuels, Barbara, G., Rosemary O. Ingham and Hollis Lowery-Moore. "Bridging the Basics: The Young Adult Novel in a Back-to-Basics Society." The ALAN Review, 14, 2, 1987: 42-44.
Shannon, George. "Making a Home of One's Own: The Young in Cross-Cultural Literature." English Journal, 77, 5, 1988: 14-19.
Shuman, R. Baird. "The Past as Present: Reader Response and Literary Study. English Journal, 82,5: 1993: 30-32.
Small, Robert. "The Junior Novel and the Art of Literature. English Journal, 66, 7, 1977: 55-59.
Wilhelm, Jeffrey. "Literary Theorists, Hear My Cry!" English Journal, 81, 7, 1992: 50-56.

**Also consult other issues of English Journal (for reviews of YAL literature as well as commentaries and classroom applications); The Alan Review (for reviews and commentaries); Journal of Children's Literature (for commentaries, reviews and applications), FOCUS (for commentaries, reviews and applications); School Library Journal, Children's Literature in Education, Horn Book Magazine, Journal of Youth Services in Libraries, Library Quarterly, The Lion and the Unicorn, Journal of Popular Culture, Arizona English Bulletin ( for reviews and critical commentaries).

Dr. Anna Soter, Jan 9, 2008
TL923
Profile: Self as Reader of Literature

Respond briefly to the following questions and retain your responses for group discussions, your papers, for review across the quarter, revise as it becomes appropriate (but keep track of original responses) and hand in with final project.

1. Why do you read literature?

2. Identify the kinds of literature you prefer and why you prefer them.

3. Why do you want to (or have you wanted to) teach literature to others? What do you think students should know about literature and why?

4. In your view, what is the role of literary criticism in the study and appreciation of literature? How has criticism helped you in your study and appreciation of literature?

5. What "camp" would you identify yourself in the field of literary criticism? When did you first realize you had a preference for a particular form of literary criticism?

6. What kind of training did you receive in the reading of literature from a critical perspective?

7. What do you currently know about literary theory -- i.e., can you identify the main critical perspectives and apply them?

10. Why do you think there is still an emphasis on knowing plot, characterization, point of view etc. in the study of literature in schools? Based on your experience, what other elements are worth knowing about in the study of literature that are outside the traditional spectrum?

SOTER OSU
TL 923 Winter 2008

Sign-up for Leading Discussion
(2 per class session)
(Approximately 15 mins each)

*Identify the critical perspective adopted – you can develop questions which your might use to lead your presentation or choose one particular question that illustrates the perspective selected for the date on which you do your presentation and have the class explore the novel through that question. Make sure we understand why the question/s you chose is illustrative of the critical perspective. Have the class consider how that question and perspective changes the way we might have viewed characters, events, theme(s) in that novel from our original reading of it.

Jan 23 (Myers) ________________ ____________________

Jan 30 (Crutcher/Avi) ________________ ____________________

Feb 6 (Collier/Lester) ________________ ____________________

Feb 13 (Doyle/Donnelly) ________________ ____________________ (Possible Speaker* Sarah Ressler Wright)

Feb 20 (Satrapi) _________________ _____________________ *Speaker/Sean Connors

Feb 27 (Watson/Collier) _________________ _____________________