ENGL 3104: Literature for Adolescents
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Critical study of literature intended for adolescent and preadolescent readers, as well as texts that deal with coming-of-age themes. Section information text: In this course, we'll critically examine American texts from the 'young adult' genre (where stories feature high school-age protagonists/audiences) as well as from the 'new adult' genre (which recount stories of college & university-age folk). We will read from many sub-genres including realistic fiction, memoir, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, myteries, and true crime, including, but not limited to: Madeleine L'Engle's Dragons in the Water (1976), a sci fi & fantasy novel that explores the adventures of a young boy from South Carolina who travels to Venezuela to discover his heritage, accompanied by the two eldest children of A Wrinkle in Time's Meg Murry; Cynthia Voigt's Tell Me If The Lovers Are Losers (1982), a realist novel that follows three young women roommates through their first year of college in the early 1980s; Angie Thomas's novel, On the Come Up (2019), about a high school girl's fight to become a battle rapper; and lawyer Bryan Stevenson's memoir Just Mercy [Adapted for Young Adults] (2018). We will also read Lev Grossman's The Magicians (2009), often described as Harry Potter in College and Ursula K LeGuin's seminal fantasy novel, A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), which offers an Indigenous/American vision for what a boarding high school for boy-wizards could look like, if not shaped by British imperialism. We'll also spend some time on films, as well as the discographies, particularly the lyrics, of your favorite musical artists, the voices that keep you company in your headphones, on your car speakers, and at the club, as you (& I) continue to navigate this complex process we call "adulting/growing up". Expect to read, discuss, and write about at least 10 YA/NA novel-length texts over the course of the semester. I have no objection to your consumption of texts via audio-book, if that is your preference.
Average GPA: 3.47
Grade distribution records: 1,441 students across 30 terms.
Grade distribution
| Grade | Students | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| A | 932 | 64.7% |
| B | 303 | 21.0% |
| C | 65 | 4.5% |
| D | 24 | 1.7% |
| F | 58 | 4.0% |
| W | 35 | 2.4% |
Based on 1,441 student grade records across 30 terms and 7 professors.
Instructors
- Valerie Bright 536 students, Average GPA 3.64
- Anita Moss 299 students, Average GPA 3.30
- Balaka Basu 291 students, Average GPA 3.57
- Monica Belus 224 students, Average GPA 3.06
- Mark West 35 students, Average GPA 3.97
- Dina Massachi 29 students, Average GPA 3.61
- Sarah Minslow 27 students, Average GPA 3.40