"I believe in love at first sight. Fate, the universe, all of it. But not how you're thinking. I don't mean it in the "our souls were split and you're my other half forever and ever" sort of way. I just think you're meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path. Even on random Monday afternoons in July. Even at the post office."
-Arthur Seuss from "What If It's Us"
COURSE DESCRIPTION
There has been much recent interest in the figure of the queer adolescent, with many queer authors composing texts that investigate how young adult protagonists understand their burgeoning queerness. To that end, this course will examine the body of contemporary literature that we call Queer YA Literature. This means that our texts will feature teen/young adult characters whose gender or sexual identities fall under the umbrella of queerness, particularly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. All of the texts that we'll be reading are authored by individuals who similarly identify as queer. Are these queer authors successful in inserting their mature understandings of queerness into narratives of youth? How can narratives of youth and queerness be further complicated when we consider intersectional layers to identity, including race/ethnicity, gender, and class?
We will also be contesting the supposed simplicity of YA Lit by forming scholarly reading of the texts and connecting our texts to larger social and cultural topics pertinent to Queer Studies. We'll do this by engaging with different schools of Queer Theory, including theorizations of race/ethnicity, youth, temporality, and affect. We'll apply these models to our primary texts as to consider how Queer Theory can inform our readings.
There has been much recent interest in the figure of the queer adolescent, with many queer authors composing texts that investigate how young adult protagonists understand their burgeoning queerness. To that end, this course will examine the body of contemporary literature that we call Queer YA Literature. This means that our texts will feature teen/young adult characters whose gender or sexual identities fall under the umbrella of queerness, particularly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. All of the texts that we'll be reading are authored by individuals who similarly identify as queer. Are these queer authors successful in inserting their mature understandings of queerness into narratives of youth? How can narratives of youth and queerness be further complicated when we consider intersectional layers to identity, including race/ethnicity, gender, and class?
We will also be contesting the supposed simplicity of YA Lit by forming scholarly reading of the texts and connecting our texts to larger social and cultural topics pertinent to Queer Studies. We'll do this by engaging with different schools of Queer Theory, including theorizations of race/ethnicity, youth, temporality, and affect. We'll apply these models to our primary texts as to consider how Queer Theory can inform our readings.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this course, you will:
In this course, you will:
- use characters in queer YA literature to investigate how specific gender and sexual identities are performed
- apply critical theory to scrutinize the social and cultural issues that manifest in queer characters and texts
- examine how queer authors depict the figure of the queer adolescent
- investigate the intersectional relationships between queerness and other identifications, such as race, ethnicity, gender, and class
- explore how queerness as a rhetorical device deconstructs normative ideas of time, genre, and history
- produce both multimodal projects and essays that make a critical intervention in the study of Queer YA Literature
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will develop:
Students will develop:
- Skill in crafting a compelling thesis-driven essay, with substantiating evidence
- Skill in finding, analyzing, and utilizing secondary sources (including the appropriate methods of citation)
- Skill in writing grammatically, coherently, and persuasively
- Apply to explain and apply significant theoretical and critical approaches in the field of English studies
- Skill in critical reading, or the practice of identifying and interpreting the formal, rhetorical, and stylistic features of a text
- Ability to identify and compare key literary movements and genres
CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Given the collaborative nature of learning, I expect you to attend all class meetings and to be on time. Should you plan on being absent, reach out to me ahead of time so I can update you on what you'll be missing.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or are exposed to someone who has tested positive, I ask that you follow current Chapman and CDC guidelines regarding quarantine. If this happens, you have the option to attend class virtually via Zoom. However, this is not required, as I completely understand if you'd rather focus on recovering without the added pressure of class attendance. If you do wish to attend class virtually, you'll need to email me and let me know so I can open up a Zoom meeting in our classroom.
Class participation is a substantial part of your overall class grade. I will be grading your participation by taking into consideration both my own perceptions of your participation over the course of the semester and a self-evaluation that you will fill out at the end of the semester.
Given the collaborative nature of learning, I expect you to attend all class meetings and to be on time. Should you plan on being absent, reach out to me ahead of time so I can update you on what you'll be missing.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or are exposed to someone who has tested positive, I ask that you follow current Chapman and CDC guidelines regarding quarantine. If this happens, you have the option to attend class virtually via Zoom. However, this is not required, as I completely understand if you'd rather focus on recovering without the added pressure of class attendance. If you do wish to attend class virtually, you'll need to email me and let me know so I can open up a Zoom meeting in our classroom.
Class participation is a substantial part of your overall class grade. I will be grading your participation by taking into consideration both my own perceptions of your participation over the course of the semester and a self-evaluation that you will fill out at the end of the semester.
ASSIGNMENTS, GRADES, AND DEADLINES
The late policy for assignments is as follows:
- Class Participation–10%
- Discussion Facilitation–20%
- Theorizing Adolescence Performance–20%
- Multimedia Project–20%
- Mock Conference Presentation–10%
- Mock Conference Paper–20%
The late policy for assignments is as follows:
- There is a 10-minute grace period for all assignments, meaning that it only counts as late if you turn it in more than 10 minutes past the deadline.
- Major projects and papers will be docked half of a letter grade if turned in late. They won't be accepted more than one week late.
- Since the Discussion Facilitations are Credit/No Credit, they cannot be made up.
COURSE FORMAT
Our class sessions will consist of various formats, including small-group sessions, student-led discussions, and mock conference panels. I don't expect to spend much time lecturing. I'd prefer that we all act as mutual participants in class discussions. I encourage you to actively participate and address your questions and comments to your peers, as their responses are just as valuable as my own. I fully believe in a classroom environment wherein we all act as mutual learners and teachers to one another.
Our class sessions will consist of various formats, including small-group sessions, student-led discussions, and mock conference panels. I don't expect to spend much time lecturing. I'd prefer that we all act as mutual participants in class discussions. I encourage you to actively participate and address your questions and comments to your peers, as their responses are just as valuable as my own. I fully believe in a classroom environment wherein we all act as mutual learners and teachers to one another.
COURSE VALUES
For many of us, the themes and identities that we're discussing are incredibly personal. As a result, it's likely that our discussions will contain strong opinions. I strongly believe in the pedagogical value of debate; feel free to disagree with each other and me, that's how we learn and develop. However, let's make sure we always assume positive intent, meaning that we are not trying to hurt each other. We are academic peers, equals who engage in educated, empathetic discussions. Although we're all coming from different places, by working collaboratively, even in disagreement, we can learn from each other. That being said, there is no space in our classroom for deliberate forms of hateful speech or actions, whether they be racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other form of personal hate. Any form of personal attack will be swiftly shut down. Remember to be respectful and open-minded, but don't be afraid to disagree with me or one of your colleagues. You can also ask questions, as asking questions and being open to the learning process are how we grow. If you ever need anything, you can always reach out to me.
For many of us, the themes and identities that we're discussing are incredibly personal. As a result, it's likely that our discussions will contain strong opinions. I strongly believe in the pedagogical value of debate; feel free to disagree with each other and me, that's how we learn and develop. However, let's make sure we always assume positive intent, meaning that we are not trying to hurt each other. We are academic peers, equals who engage in educated, empathetic discussions. Although we're all coming from different places, by working collaboratively, even in disagreement, we can learn from each other. That being said, there is no space in our classroom for deliberate forms of hateful speech or actions, whether they be racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other form of personal hate. Any form of personal attack will be swiftly shut down. Remember to be respectful and open-minded, but don't be afraid to disagree with me or one of your colleagues. You can also ask questions, as asking questions and being open to the learning process are how we grow. If you ever need anything, you can always reach out to me.
REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS
Albertalli, Becky & Adam Silvera. What If It's Us. HarperTeen, 2018.
Callender, Kacen. Felix Ever After. Balzer + Bray, 2020.
Fitzsimons, Isaac. The Passing Playbook. Dial Books, 2021.
McLemore, Anna-Marie. The Mirror Season. Feiwel & Friends, 2021.
McQuiston, Casey. One Last Stop. Griffin Publishers, 2021.
Silvera, Adam. More Happy Than Not. Soho Teen, 2016.
Thomas, Aiden. Cemetery Boys. Swoon Reads, 2020.
Albertalli, Becky & Adam Silvera. What If It's Us. HarperTeen, 2018.
Callender, Kacen. Felix Ever After. Balzer + Bray, 2020.
Fitzsimons, Isaac. The Passing Playbook. Dial Books, 2021.
McLemore, Anna-Marie. The Mirror Season. Feiwel & Friends, 2021.
McQuiston, Casey. One Last Stop. Griffin Publishers, 2021.
Silvera, Adam. More Happy Than Not. Soho Teen, 2016.
Thomas, Aiden. Cemetery Boys. Swoon Reads, 2020.
COURSE UNITS AND DESCRIPTIONS
Unit I–A Queer Meet Cute
Primary Text: What If It's Us (Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera)
Secondary Texts: Over the Rainbow: Queer Children's and Young Adult Literature (Michelle Ann Abate & Kenneth Kidd), The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century (Kathryn Bond Stockton)
Key Concepts: Gay Male Experience, Interracial Relationships, Queer Adolescence
Description: Moving away from the predominance of coming-out narratives, many contemporary texts have shifted to depicting relationships between already-out queer adolescents. In this unit, we will examine a text that offers a queer take on the "meet cute" trope often present within heteronormative romance media. We'll also begin to consider the figure of the Queer Adolescent in relation to texts from Queer Theory.
Unit I–A Queer Meet Cute
Primary Text: What If It's Us (Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera)
Secondary Texts: Over the Rainbow: Queer Children's and Young Adult Literature (Michelle Ann Abate & Kenneth Kidd), The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century (Kathryn Bond Stockton)
Key Concepts: Gay Male Experience, Interracial Relationships, Queer Adolescence
Description: Moving away from the predominance of coming-out narratives, many contemporary texts have shifted to depicting relationships between already-out queer adolescents. In this unit, we will examine a text that offers a queer take on the "meet cute" trope often present within heteronormative romance media. We'll also begin to consider the figure of the Queer Adolescent in relation to texts from Queer Theory.
Unit II–Out of Time
Primary Text: One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston)
Secondary Texts: In a Queer Time & Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives (Jack Halberstam), No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive (Lee Edelman)
Key Concepts: Lesbian Experience, Bisexual Experience, Queer Time
Description: In this unit, we'll be discussing the concept of queer temporality and question the relationship between bodies, sexualities, identities, and time. These relationships are similarly investigated in our novel, which is a prime example of the rising "time-traveling queer" trope. How do we experience the supposed linearity of time differently than cishet individuals? Of particular interest is the way that we queers understand our own sense of history. What does it mean for us to have a history or a future, particularly when we consider the genocide that was/is AIDS? How does this impact our contemporary relationship to queer history and time?
Primary Text: One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston)
Secondary Texts: In a Queer Time & Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives (Jack Halberstam), No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive (Lee Edelman)
Key Concepts: Lesbian Experience, Bisexual Experience, Queer Time
Description: In this unit, we'll be discussing the concept of queer temporality and question the relationship between bodies, sexualities, identities, and time. These relationships are similarly investigated in our novel, which is a prime example of the rising "time-traveling queer" trope. How do we experience the supposed linearity of time differently than cishet individuals? Of particular interest is the way that we queers understand our own sense of history. What does it mean for us to have a history or a future, particularly when we consider the genocide that was/is AIDS? How does this impact our contemporary relationship to queer history and time?
Unit III–How Trans is Queerness? How Queer is Trans*-ness?
Primary Text: The Passing Playbook (Isaac Fitzsimons)
Secondary Texts: Keywords for Transgender Studies (Transgender Studies Quarterly), "Is the Trans Child a Queer Child?" (Gabrielle Owen)
Key Concepts: Trans Adolescence, Trans Studies vs. Queer Studies
Description: In this unit, we'll engage with the nascent field of Transgender Studies and consider its relationship to Queer Studies. We'll put this consideration in context by using the case of our queer-trans protagonist to question the relationship between trans*-ness and queerness. We'll also use keyword essays to gain familiarity with pertinent topics in Transgender Studies, particular theorizations of adolescence and the phenomenon of "passing"
Primary Text: The Passing Playbook (Isaac Fitzsimons)
Secondary Texts: Keywords for Transgender Studies (Transgender Studies Quarterly), "Is the Trans Child a Queer Child?" (Gabrielle Owen)
Key Concepts: Trans Adolescence, Trans Studies vs. Queer Studies
Description: In this unit, we'll engage with the nascent field of Transgender Studies and consider its relationship to Queer Studies. We'll put this consideration in context by using the case of our queer-trans protagonist to question the relationship between trans*-ness and queerness. We'll also use keyword essays to gain familiarity with pertinent topics in Transgender Studies, particular theorizations of adolescence and the phenomenon of "passing"
Unit IV–Unhappy Queers
Primary Text: More Happy Than Not (Adam Silvera)
Secondary Texts: The Promise of Happiness (Sara Ahmed), "Feeling Brown, Feeling Down" (José Esteban Muñoz)
Key Concepts: Queerness and Latinidad, Queer Affect
Description: In this unit, we'll undertake affect theory and use it to theorize our primary text. Particular interest will be paid to negative affects and our difficult queer relationship with (un)happiness. We'll also consider affect from a racialized lens as to understand our joto protagonist from an intersectional perspective. We'll examine how negatory models, specifically Halberstam's "Queer Failure," can be used to question heteronormative, neoliberal ideals of success and positive affect.
Primary Text: More Happy Than Not (Adam Silvera)
Secondary Texts: The Promise of Happiness (Sara Ahmed), "Feeling Brown, Feeling Down" (José Esteban Muñoz)
Key Concepts: Queerness and Latinidad, Queer Affect
Description: In this unit, we'll undertake affect theory and use it to theorize our primary text. Particular interest will be paid to negative affects and our difficult queer relationship with (un)happiness. We'll also consider affect from a racialized lens as to understand our joto protagonist from an intersectional perspective. We'll examine how negatory models, specifically Halberstam's "Queer Failure," can be used to question heteronormative, neoliberal ideals of success and positive affect.
Unit V–On Blackness and Trans*-ness
Primary Text: Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender)
Secondary Texts: "The Trans*-ness of Blackness, the Blackness of Trans*-ness" (Marquis Bey), Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology (E. Patrick Johnson & Mae G. Henderson)
Key Concepts: Blackness and Trans*-ness, Queer of Color Critique
Description: This unit will consider the relationship between blackness and trans*-ness, to borrow Bey's coinage. To this end, we'll engage with Black Queer Studies and it's nascent offspring, Black Trans Studies. We'll begin to make interventions in this field by considering how theorizations of blackness contribute to our thoughts on trans adolescence, building on thoughts from Unit III. We'll also discuss the variances in black trans experience by contrasting Felix with Spencer, our black trans protagonist from The Passing Playbook.
Primary Text: Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender)
Secondary Texts: "The Trans*-ness of Blackness, the Blackness of Trans*-ness" (Marquis Bey), Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology (E. Patrick Johnson & Mae G. Henderson)
Key Concepts: Blackness and Trans*-ness, Queer of Color Critique
Description: This unit will consider the relationship between blackness and trans*-ness, to borrow Bey's coinage. To this end, we'll engage with Black Queer Studies and it's nascent offspring, Black Trans Studies. We'll begin to make interventions in this field by considering how theorizations of blackness contribute to our thoughts on trans adolescence, building on thoughts from Unit III. We'll also discuss the variances in black trans experience by contrasting Felix with Spencer, our black trans protagonist from The Passing Playbook.
Unit VI–Magical Queerness
Primary Text: Cemetery Boys (Aiden Thomas)
Secondary Texts: Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity (José Esteban Muñoz), "From Romance to Magical Realism: Limits and Possibilities in Gay Adolescent Fiction" (Thomas Crisp)
Key Concepts: Queer Futurity, Magical Realism, Queerness and Latinidad
Description: In this unit, we'll reflect on how YA texts often queer genres and how this can drive readers to embrace nonnormative forms of thinking. Building on thoughts from Unit II, we'll put this text's usage of magical realism in relation to theorizations on queer temporality, particularly Muñoz's model of queer futurity. We'll also continue to theorize from an intersectional lens by continuing to consider the relationship between queerness and latinidad.
Primary Text: Cemetery Boys (Aiden Thomas)
Secondary Texts: Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity (José Esteban Muñoz), "From Romance to Magical Realism: Limits and Possibilities in Gay Adolescent Fiction" (Thomas Crisp)
Key Concepts: Queer Futurity, Magical Realism, Queerness and Latinidad
Description: In this unit, we'll reflect on how YA texts often queer genres and how this can drive readers to embrace nonnormative forms of thinking. Building on thoughts from Unit II, we'll put this text's usage of magical realism in relation to theorizations on queer temporality, particularly Muñoz's model of queer futurity. We'll also continue to theorize from an intersectional lens by continuing to consider the relationship between queerness and latinidad.
Unit VII–Making It Queer
Primary Text: The Mirror Season (Anna-Marie McLemore)
Secondary Texts: A Theory of Adaptation (Linda Hutcheon), "Queer(ing) Fairy Tales" (special issue of Marvels & Tales, Volume 29, Issue 1)
Key Concepts: Queer Adaptation, Sexual Assault
Description: In this unit, we'll consider "queer" in its usage as a verb and discuss how the practice of adaptation is used to create space for queerness within the mainstream literary canon. We'll read our primary text alongside its fairy tale basis, "The Snow Queen," and analyze the ramifications of queer retellings. We'll also explore the effects of sexual assault and rape culture within the queer community and how this is represented within the text.
Primary Text: The Mirror Season (Anna-Marie McLemore)
Secondary Texts: A Theory of Adaptation (Linda Hutcheon), "Queer(ing) Fairy Tales" (special issue of Marvels & Tales, Volume 29, Issue 1)
Key Concepts: Queer Adaptation, Sexual Assault
Description: In this unit, we'll consider "queer" in its usage as a verb and discuss how the practice of adaptation is used to create space for queerness within the mainstream literary canon. We'll read our primary text alongside its fairy tale basis, "The Snow Queen," and analyze the ramifications of queer retellings. We'll also explore the effects of sexual assault and rape culture within the queer community and how this is represented within the text.