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| Semester | fall semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Francesca Pierini (francesca.pierini@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar offers a thematic survey of young adult literature. It focuses on the current century, the flourishing of young adult narratives that emerged in the wake of the 'Harry Potter' Book Series (1997-2007), and the most recent trends the genre is exploring. "Unlike other types of popular romance, what defines young adult (YA) romance is its audience. This statement is obvious, but it also masks a complicated set of conventions and assumptions that reflect changing ideologies concerning our collective notion of 'teenagers' and what constitutes 'appropriate' reading material for them" (Allen 2021: 168). Matters get significantly more complicated if we take into consideration the recently discovered statistical fact according to which 55 per cent of YA readership is constituted by adults (Bowker Market Research, 2012). |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the semester, students will… • Be familiar with the definitions, development, and cultural significance of YA romance fiction • Be able to critically evaluate representative texts of the genre. • Have read YA romance novels and examined these, through writing and discussion, as literary and cultural texts in order to explore the complex relationship between popular YA romance literature and its readership. |
| Bibliography | Students will choose and read three novels out of the list below. In addition, they will read the secondary article or book chapter paired with each chosen novel and uploaded on ADAM by the instructor. 1. Han, Jenny. "To All the Boys I Loved Before". Simon & Schuster, 2014. 2. Green, John. (2012) "The Fault in Our Stars". UK: Penguin. 3. Donnelly, Jennifer. "Stepsister" or Donnelly, Jennifer. "Poisoned". Scholastic Press, 2019 and 2020. 4. Meyer, Stephenie. "Twilight". Little Brown and Co., 2005. 5. Collins, Suzanne. "The Hunger Games". New York: Scholastic, 2008. 6. M.T. Anderson et al. "Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All". Random/Schwartz & Wade, 2018. 7. Petrus, Junauda. "The Stars and the Blackness Between Them". Dutton Books, 2019. 8. Lo, Melinda. "Ash". Brown Books, 2009. 9. Albertalli, Becky. "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda". HarperCollins, 2015. 10. Hoover, Colleen. "It Ends with Us". Atria Books, 2016. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is for BA students on the advanced level. Students must have completed ALL three introductory modules (including the proseminar papers). |
| Course application | Please register via email to francesca.pierini@unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 22.09.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 29.09.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 06.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 13.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 20.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 27.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 03.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 10.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 17.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 24.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 01.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 08.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 15.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 22.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Students are required to write and e-mail the instructor, over the course of the seminar, 3 assignments (one page each) to communicate their opinions/impressions of the readings. Please choose 3 novels from the list, read them, and read the secondary literature that goes with it (one article or book chapter, all uploaded by the instructor on ADAM). In these assignments, each student should analyse/discuss their chosen narratives supporting their claims/line of reasoning in reference to the secondary texts that are paired with the novels. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |