COURSE DESCRIPTION AND REQUIRED TEXTS ...........

COMMUNICATION AND O BJECTIVES .................. 2

A SSIGNMENTS ........... 3-4

In adolescence, one of the primary concerns (both of adults and of adolescents themselves) is identity formation and maintenance. Because of this characteristic of adolescence itself, adolescent literature tends to emphasize issues of identity. In this course, we will explore identity as it is presented in both books and movies. We will explore questions of control, influence, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and self determination. As we move through the material we will also be considering the role of modality in communicating ideas about identity and the role of texts in both constructing and maintaining identities. Since this course is an online course, we will also be paying particular attention to the ways in which we construct our own online identities. In a regular classroom, some identity markers are visually available to others in the class but in an online environment, you have some control over what elements of your identity you choose to reveal, conceal, emphasize, or downplay.

Identity
IDS 121.19 is a reading- and writingintensive course that will demand students time, thoughtfulness, and engagement with the material. Just as mathematical competency requires more than knowing how to add and subtract, so too does the study of adolescent literature require more than knowing how to summarize a plot or describe a character. In

IDS 121.19: Texts and Contexts Summer 2013 Instructor: Elizabeth Williams
this course, students will hone critical thinking skills, improve close reading skills, develop analytical writing abilities, and expand knowledge of different genres in adolescent literature. Students will examine a variety of texts not only to increase awareness of the depth and breadth of adolescent literature but also to deepen understanding of diverse cultures and appreciation for varied viewpoints.

Required Texts:

Monster Thirteen Reasons Why A Cool Moonlight Locomotion

Walter Dean Myers Jay Asher Angela Johnson Jacqueline Woodson Neal Shusterman Meg Rosoff

*Additional Readings Available on Reggienet

Unwind How I Live Now

Virtual Office Hours: On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (from 7-8 pm), I will be available to speak with you via Skype or Google chat or in a phone conversation. If you are in the Bloomington/Normal area and would like to meet on campus, that is possible as well. If you want to schedule a time outside of the given times, please feel free to email or call me to set up an appointment.

Communication Expectations
What I expect from you and what you can expect from me.

T URNING THINGS I N :
Weekly Due Dates

Students should: check Reggienet, discussion boards and email account regularly (each day), post discussion board responses regularly in order to participate actively in small group discussions, make use of instructor office hours, include IDS 121 in the subject line of emails, and respond to email in a timely fashion (within 24-48 hours). As the instructor, I will: post course information and assignments in a timely fashion, check and re-

spond to discussion boards, update Reggienet regularly, hold virtual office hours, and respond to email in a timely fashion (within 24-48 hours).
Sunday (11:55)Initial leader discussion board posts and summary posts from the prior week. Monday(11:55)At least one discussion board post for each group member. Tues thru FridayContinue regular discussion board posting. Thursday(11:55)Weekly Quiz Friday(11:55)Weekly Synthesis Paper.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 405.820.5944 Skype:

Elizabeth.jettwilliams

*Components of Course Grades

Learning Objectives:

Reading Quizzes 10 pts (2.5 pts per week) Small Group Discussion Boards 20 pts (5 pts per week) Small Group Leader 10 pts Synthesis Papers 40 pts (10 pts per week) Multimodal Identity Project 20 pts

To think about, explore, and practice ideas about identity formation, construction, and maintenance in adolescent literature. To learn and practice using terms and concepts central to the study of literature. To become more attentive, active, and critical readers and writers To think independently, employing logic, interpretive skills, and analytical strategies To participate in discussion by considering others perspectives, asking productive questions, and articulating original ideas
Course Grading Scale: A= 90-100 B=80-89.4

C= 70-79.4

D=60-69.4

F=0-59.4

Discussion Boards

Each week, you will be responsible for carrying on a group discussion with a small group of your peers. Each small group will have at least one assigned leader for the week. Although an online discussion is fundamentally different than a face-to-face discussion, it can be equally productive if everyone participates.

Roles and Responsibilities

Discussion (5 pts/ week)
Your posts (which should be primarily paragraph-length responses) will be graded on thoroughness, clarity, thoughtfulness, and consideration of classmates ideas. Because each discussion is a week long, there is an expectation that you will check the discussion board on a daily basis and respond a minimum of six times per week. While I understand that your posts may evolve through the week as you complete more of the reading and watching, you are still expected to post early in the week and everyone in the group should have posted at least once by the end of day on Monday and will continue to post until the end of day Friday. See the weekly schedule for broad discussion topics and suggestions for what your group might want to pay attention to. Grading will be as follows (5=A, 4=B, 3=C, 2=D, 1=F and 0=incomplete).

Leader (one week 10):

The leader is responsible for initiating, monitoring, and encouraging the conversation for the week. As a leader, you should post first and your post should help establish how you want to take up the discussion topic for the week. During the week, you should monitor the conversation and use your postings to encourage others to expand or elaborate on their ideas. Additionally, the leader for the week will summarize the conversations from the small group and post them in a forum that everyone in the class can see. The grade associated with being the leader will be based on how the leader encourages group discussion and how well the leader summarizes and communicates the information to the rest of the class. The leader will create an initial post to be posted by 11:59 pm on Sundays. In some cases, you may have two leaders; each will fulfill the leader assignment individually.

Just a tip
Think about sharing ideas that you are afraid might be wrong. Sometimes the best conversations (and the best learning) come from the mistakes we make and you might be surprised when you are right after all. Additionally, interpretation of literature is subjective and we should each have a unique opinion. The key to being right is to support your opinion with evidence.

Netiquette: Especially when communicating online, be considerate of others ideas. Remember that sometimes words can be misinterpreted, so ask questions when you would like clarification from a classmate or the instructor. Emoticonscan help to make your tone friendly. Although a few typos and less-than-perfect writing are understandable, avoid using abbreviations that are text-message-like, and dont write in all capital letters (its like shouting). Contribute frequently throughout the entire session, but dont take over; be sensitive to others who wish to share their ideas as well.

Assignments
Synthesis Papers (10 pts/week)
Each week you will complete a short paper that synthesizes (not summarizes) the readings for the week. After reading several books, watching movies and participating in discussion boards, your task is to organize some of the information around a theme or a question, make generalizations, and then present information (quotes and examples) in a logical way to support your argument. Remind yourself that a synthesis is NOT a summary, a comparison or a review. Rather a synthesis is a result of an integration of what you heard/read and your ability to use this learning to develop and support a key thesis, idea, or argument. These synthesis papers should be no less than 3 pages and they should be fairly formal in style. That is, I expect that they should avoid text speak or other informal language conventions (although contractions and the use of I are perfectly acceptable) and they should be relatively free of errors. Please see the Synthesis Paper Guidelines in the Resources and Materials folder on Reggienet for more information.
Quizzes (2.5 pts/ week) Each week, you will complete a quiz that poses questions about the assigned reading (both literature and background reading) and watching. These quizzes are intended not only to evaluate your understanding of assigned readings but also to allow you to develop your analytical thinking skills. Questions may ask you to demonstrate your understanding of material, to apply literary theories, to interpret passages, to respond personally, etc. Of course, you will be able to access the texts and your notes during the quiz but each quiz will be timed so it will be in your best interest to complete the reading and watching prior to accessing the quiz. Each quiz will be available on Reggienet preceding that weeks material (on Saturdays at 11:59) and should be turned in no later than Thursday at 11:59 pm.

Multimodal Identity Project(20 pts) As the capstone to our study together, the identity project is a hybrid project that asks you to both express your own identity and demonstrate your ability to critically analyze influential factors (be they genetic, cultural, societal, etc.) on your chosen expression. Please see the Mulitmodal Identity Project Guidelines in the Resources and Materials Folder on Reggienet.

Pacing & Schedule

IDS 121.19 is a highly structured course that does not allow for an individually-determined schedule. Certainly, you may read ahead if you choose; however, because interaction with classmates through discussion board postings is an essential component of the class, the pacing is structured to support that interaction. Further, lectures, quizzes, and other assignments will be made available as the course progresses (i.e., they will not all be posted at the start of the course). Once posted, however, lectures and other documents will remain available to you throughout the

FYI
*The schedule details the final deadlines for assignments; however, it is up to you to manage your time wisely. Falling behind in a reading- and writing-intensive course (especially during a fast-paced summer section that moves at quadruple the pace of a regular section) can be detrimental to a students ability to succeed.*

Academic Integrity ISUs Code of Conduct states that Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. A students placement of his or her name on any academic exercise shall be regarded as assurance that the work is the result of the students own thought, effort, and study. This excerpt on academic dishonesty can be found in the Student Code of Conduct: http:// www.deanofstudents.ilstu.edu/about_us/crr.shtml

Students with Disabilities: Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 309.438.5853 (voice) or 309.438.8620 (TTY).