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Library & Information Science, Course 262: Resources for Young Adults.
Copyright, 2002 Dr. David Loertscher
Summer 2002

Course Outline

Prelude: Movies to see Summer, 2002:

Required:

  • Star Wars, Episode 2
  • Spiderman
  • Lord of the Rings
  • Harry Potter (DVD)

Highly recommended:

  • Men in Black II
  • Goldmember (Austin Powers)
  • Scooby-Doo
  • The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
  • Tadpole

 

Week 1: Out of Childhood: Books Too Good to Miss

Read:

  • Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard (2001 Newbery Award Winner)
  • Out of the Dust (98 Newbery Winner)

Read at least one of the following:

  • Peck, Richard A Year Down Yonder(2001 Newbery Winner) or its predicessor: Out of Chicago
  • Louis Sachar. Holes. (1999 Newbery Winner)
  • or: one of Christopher Paul Curtis' books: The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963./Bud, Not Buddy (2000 Newbery Award Winner)

     

Topic: Building a repertoire of the best in all forms of media - the good, the bad, the ugly (a book a day keeps the Bs away... plus other stuff)

Week 2: How It All Got Started

Read one:

  • Hinton. The Outsiders
  • Cormier. The Chocolate War (Robert Cormier passed away in Nov. 1999)

Topic: History of materials/media for young adults

Student Project: Robert Comier (w1cg.pdf)

Resources (w2 started.html)

 

Week 2a: The Juvenile Novel

 
  • Read three fiction books from "Best Books for Young Adults 1996-2002 as a part of the class mini-expert project. During the first class period, we will create the content analysis form to be used during this reading, so do not begin these books until after the first class meeting.
  • Read one of the following (either the girls book or the boys book)
    • Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. 2001 (girls book)
    • Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk (boys book)

Week 3: Teen Pop Culture

Read or experience:

  • any YA series book (Christopher Pike, Sweet Valley, etc. - check your local bookstore to see what is being currently stocked)
  • a graphic novel such as Maus; or "Oh My Goddess!(several in the series); or The Hobbit, illustrated by David Wenzel (Balantine Books); or Ranma 1/2 story and art by Rumiko Takahashi (Japanese); Talbot, Bryan. The Tale of One Bad Rat. (Dark Horse Books)
  • any cult movie of teens (a movie that teens see so many times they probably have the lyrics memorized - such as Rocky Horror Picture Show or now Matrix)
  • any popular video game such as Tony Hawk Pro Skater (series)
  • interview a player of Magic, Myst/Riven , Doom, or any other popular extended manual or computer game. (Dungeons and Dragons - the movie was released Jan. 2001 now on DVD)
  • any anime film or comic book based on an anime film
  • any pop Internet site for teen surfers
  • any romance book for teens
  • any occult, horror, or stalker fiction/film title
  • any popular movie for teens you haven't had a chance to see
  • teen music (see week 7)

Topic: The Popular Sub Culture - It's a Jungle Out There.

  • Knowing the stuff
  • Talking the talk - making connections
  • Bridging out to the better
  • The librarian as media advisor
  • The librarian as programming advisor (see Teen Programming Resources (w3d.html)
  • The world of occult, horror, and stalker fiction/film
  • The world of romance

Resources: (w3 trash.html) 

Week 4: It's Very Personal (fact and fiction)

Problem: What is this thing called adolescence? Do the materials written and produced for this group mirror reality and provide possibilities? How can professionals use these materials with teens in school and public libraries?

Read:

  • Read one:
    • For girls: Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001)
    • For boys: Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk (2001)

    • One of the following:

    • Oates, Joyce Carol. Big Mouth & Ugly Girl (Oats' first novel for teens - two misfits come of age)
    • Myers, Walter Dean. Monster (Steve is in big, big trouble and in court)
    • Chbosky, Stephen. the Perks of Being a Wallflower. (Passivity vs. passion)
    • Reynolds, Marilyn. Love Rules: True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High (A young woman's struggle with her sexual identity),
    • Smack by Melvin Burgess, Holt, 1998 (14-year-old Gemma and her boyfriend Tar try heroin and then become junkies, turning to prositution and theft to fund their habits - blunt sex and drugs),
    • American Pie 1 or 2 - the movies: Four teenagers vow to lose their virginity on Prom night and then go to college.

Read

  • Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul (any title from this series targeted at teens)..- browse through and read a few stories.
  • An engaging nonfiction title (any medium) dealing with personal problems of teens: sex, gangs, crime, drugs, religion, family, teen rights, beauty advice, health, teen issues. Examples:
    Directed at teens: (read one. Suggestions:)
    • Covey, Sean. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens : The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide
    • Wilkinson, Bruce. Prayer of Jabez for Teens.Multnomah Publishers, 2001
    • Hirschfelder, Arlene. Kick Buytts!: A Kid's action Guide to a Tobacco-Free America. Scarcrow, 2001
    • Goldstein, Mark A. and Myna Chandler Goldstein. Boys Into Men: Staying Healthy Through the Teen Years. Greenwood, 2000.
    • CQ Researcher on Teens in America. CQ Press, 2001
    • Grimbol, William R. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spirituality for Teens. Alpha Books, 2000.
    • Woods, Earl and the Tiger Woods Foundation. Start Something: You Can Make a Difference. Simon & Schuster, 2000.
    • Vizzini, Ned. teen Angst? Naah... Free Spirit Publishing, 2000
    • Johnson, Julie Tallard. The Thundering Years: Rituals and Sacred Wisdom for Teens. Bindu Books, 2001
    • Desetta, Al, ed. The Struggle to be Strong: True Stories by Teens About Overcoming Tough Times. Free Sprit Publishing, 2000.
    • McGraw, Jay. Life Strategies for Teens. Simon & Schuster, 2000
    • Packer, Alex J. Highs!: Over 150 Ways to Feel Really, Really Goodd...Without Alcohol or Other Drugs. Free Sprit Publishing, 2000
    • Williams, Terrie. Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens, with an Introduction by Queen Latifah. 2001.
    • Beroff, Art. and T.R. Adams. How To Be a Teenage Millionaire. Entrepreneur Press, 2000
    • Greene, Rebecca. The Teenagers' Guide to School Outside the Box. Free Spirit Press, 2001.
    • Morisette, Alanis. Conversations With God for Teens. Hampton Roads, 2001.
    • Wilson, Jacqueline. Girls in Love. Delecorte, 2002.
    • Jukes, Mavis. Guy Book: An Owner's Manual. Crown, 2002

     

    Directed at adults: (read one. Suggestions:)

    • • Horn, Wade F. and Carol Keough. New Teen Book: An Z to Z Guide for Parents of 9- to 16-Year Olds. (Merideth Corp. 1999).
    • Pollack, William. Real Boys. Owl Books, 1998.
    • Mary Pipher. Reviving Ophelia. (book or audiotape); or
    • Dave Pelzer A Child Called "It" (Health Communications Inc., 1995) or any of the "It" books; or
    • Geoffrey Canada's Reaching Up for Manhood (Becon Presss, 1998)
    • Dr. Laura Schlesinger. Parenthood by Proxy : Don't Have Them If You Won't Raise Them (book or audiotape) (2000)
    • Hersch, Patricia. A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence. Balantine Books, 1999.
    • Panzarine, Susan. A Parent's Guide to the Teen Years: Raising Your 11- to 14-Year-Old in the Age of Chat Rooms and Navel Rings. Facts on File, 2000.
    • Drowns, Robert W. and Karen M. Hess. Juvenile Justice. 3rd ed. Wadsworth, 2000.

    • several issues of magazines aimed at teens

Topics:

Advocacy for Teenagers: A Librarian's Professional Responsibility

Adolescent Development:

  • Physical development
  • Emotional development
  • Social development
  • Spiritual development

 Censorship

Resources (w4 personal.html)

Week 5: Give Me Real History (but I might want it fictionalized)

Read and view one of the following movie/book tie-ins:

  • Pearl Harbor or 13 Days with accompanying screen version in the book stores or a book about the events (movies released 2001).
  • October Sky: a Memoir by Homer H. Hickam Jr. (Bantam, 1999) (also titled Rocket Boys: A memoir) and the movie October Sky - now in video stores. Hickam has also issued a second volume covering about the same time period titled The Coalwood Way. Volume three in the series A Sky of Stone: A Memoire is out.
  • Schindler's List (the movie) then read one book about the Holocaust such as: Opdyke, Irene Gut. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer. (Knopf, 1999), or Wareen, Andrea. Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps (Harper Collins, 20001); or tour the Holocaust Museum web site or the actual museum (a visit to Wash D.C. would be nice)

Read:

• Paulsen, Gary. Soldier's Heart, 1998.

• Patricia Polacco. Pink and Say (professor reads this in class)

• Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)

• Any historical fiction title or Western

Topics:

Bringing the Past Alive:

• Across time
• Across cultures
• Across the disciplines

Resources (w5 history.html)

Week 6: Give Me Real People

Read one more-serious biography written for teens or a person who teens would be required to read about. Examples:

• Strongly recommended: Armstrong, Lance: It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. 2001. The cycler who continues to with the Tour de France in spite of testicular cancer.

Or other samples:

  • Ali (the movie) and any biography of Muhamed Ali
  • Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: A Memoire. (Harper Collins, 2001). A reflection on his teen years.
  • Bruchac, Joseph. Sacajawea. (Harcourt, 2000) A dollar and now a biography of the most famous Indian woman.
  • Marrin, Albert. Tatan'ka Iyota'ke: Sitting Bull and His World. (Dutton, 2000) - a new look at the most famous Indian chief.
  • Lowry. Lois. Looking Back: A Book of Memories. (Delacorte, 1998) - growing up and now an author.
  • Bernstein, Sara Tuvel. The Seamstress (Putnam, 1997) - a Holocaust survivor
  • Corbett, Sara. Venus to the Hoop (Doubleday, 1997) - basketball gold in the Atlanta Olympics
  • Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (Villard, 1997); or, Boukreev, Anatoli. The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest. (St. Martins, 1997); or, Weathers, Beck and Stephen G. Michaud. Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest (Villard Books, 2000)

Read one Pop Biography:

• read one grocery store/newstand biography of a hot musician, sports hero, or other celebrity that teens are interested in this season.

Read:

• Cormier, Robert. Heroes. Delacorte Press, 1998

Topics:

• Appreciating the people of yesterday and today
• What is truth in biography?
• Heros and Celebrities
• Sports (in fact and fiction)
• Revisionist biography
• Biography in a multicultural/world community

Resources (w6 people.html)

Week 7: I Wish I Were a Scientist...

(the world of science and technology from research scientists to medicine to auto mechanics)

View/Interact/Read:

• A Beautiful Mind; or, Apollo 13 - the Movie

• NASA Web Site

• Any nonfiction pop-science book

Topic: The fascinating world of real science

• The development of readable science
• Who's persuading teens into the sciences?

Resources in Science

• Timeline of Scientists (w7a.html) a list of scientists young people might be interested in researching.

• Other resourses (w7 science.html)

 

Week 8: ...But I'll Take Science Fiction or Fantasy

Read/view:

• Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter IV (of course, you have already read the other three) and you must see the movie (Dec. 01 or DVD summer 02) or;
Philip Pullman. Golden Compass or one of its sequals (the third in the series is out).

• Lord of the Rings

• Spiderman (the movie and you have sampled the comics, right?)

Star Wars, Episode II

• any other science fiction or fantasy title enjoyed by teens

• any recent science fiction movie you haven't been able to see: A.I., Planet of the Apes; Jurassic Park III, John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, "Star Trek: Insurrection," or "Star Wars" 20th anniversary new version or "Mission ot Mars", "Contact", or "Lost Worlds" or "Lost in Space" or "Deep Impact" Ghost of Mars, The Imposter, K-Pax, Bones, 13 Ghosts, Time Machine (remake of the classic)

Resources:

• Science fiction: Professional articles (w8 scifi.html) and tools to help keep up.
• Fantasy: Professional articles (w8 fantasy.html) and tools to help keep up.

Student contributions:

• Bibliography of Works by Piers Anthony (w8c.html)

• Student project: (Aug 98) Loreen Schallon serves up an interesting web site on Time Travel. Lots of good links, too.

Week 9: Culture is a Matter of Taste..

(film, theater, dance, art, music, classic literature, poetry)

Read, view, or listen to:

• any classic literature and it's recent adaptation to film such as the Importance of Being Ernest, Gosford Park, Sense and Sensibility or Emma or The Crucible; or, Shakespeare in Love (movie), or any recent Shakespeare film/play (such as the movie Hamlet (2000) or "O" (Othello released Aug. 01) - this would be a good place to read your ebook since classics are usually free.

• any multimedia item of the art world such as an Internet site or videodisc of a art collection.

• any play / film adaptation of a play teens should know

• any book of poetry aimed at teens or a poet that teens have adopted.

• any concert or video concert of a group teens know or should know

• Top Ten on radio or most popular on MTV (listen to one hour)

Topics:

• Classical literature: See: Marjorie Lewis: Outstanding Books for the College Bound. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.
• Poetry
• Short stories
• Drama
• Movies.
• Humor (including TV such as Comedy Central, South Park, The Simpsons, The Tom Green Show)
• Music in the Teen World (Alternative, R & B, Rock, Rap, Light Rock, Country, Techno, Grunge)

Resources (w9 culture.html) 

Week 10...In a Multicultural World

Objective: To help budding professionals discover the wide variety of resources and programming strategies to promote inclusion in the modern American experience.

Read:

• Hesse, Karen. Witness. Scholastic, 2001. A small Vermont town finds itself under siege by the KuKlux Klan.

• Jeanne Wakastsuki Houston and James D. Houston. Farewell to Manzanar. (younger readers); or: David Guterson: Snow Falling on Cedars (older readers) (movie out now in video); or, Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Bat 6: A Novel. (Scholastic, 1999) (for grades 5-7); or, Gold, Alison Leslie. A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust. (Scholastic, 2000)

• any book for teens set in the culture of your own heritage

• any book for teens set in a culture other than your own heritage

Resources (w10 multiculture.html)

Topics:

• Multiculturalism or division by culture?
• Must we divide by race?
• Programming and educational experiences to promote multiculturalism

Week 11: Move Over, Adults, We're Interested in Your Stuff Too...

(Best sellers, Expose', Westerns, Romance, Mysteries, Espionage, Horror, Crime, Public Figures and Celebrities)

Read:

• Any book on the bestseller list, fact or fiction, hardback or paperback:
USA Today
Publishers Weekly
New York Times

• The blockbuster film of the Summer (Star Wars?)

Orther movies recommended: The Sum of All Fears; Moulan Rouge, Gosford Park

• any Stephen King

Topics:

• Adults - Professional Reading
• What are bestsellers, anyway?
• Media hype in the world of pop adult fare
• Genre-by-genre background

Week 12....But We're Not Sure We Like the World We've Inherited.

(War, Environment, Politics, Post modernism, Cultural Conflict, Values or Lack Thereof, Deconstructionism)

Read:

• any nonfiction adult book of interest to teens (See the Alex Awards done by YALSA for recommendations)

Topics: Is there anything of redeeming value in today's adult world for young adults?

Resources (w12 adultnonfiction.html)

Week 13: It's an Information Blitz: Becoming a Reference World Junkie in the World of Teens

Read:

• Peruse and bring to class any title or photocopied sample of a significant reference work of use to teens (see "Youth Services Recommended Reference Sources Compiled by the Youth Services Reference Evaluation Committee of the Suburban Library System, Burr Ridge, Illinois" published in JOYS, Spring, 1996)

• Peruse at least one Internet reference site or CD-ROM reference title that teens would use for reference.

• check out Blanche Woolls and David Loertscher's reference column for The Gale Group at <http://www.galegroup.com/reference/bandd/bandd.html>

Topics:

• The world of reference information for teens
• Being alert to authority, accuracy, and currency

Resources (w13 reference.html)

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This page was last revised on May, 2002