To read literature written for, by, and about young adults as aesthetic, intellectual, political, and creative endeavors, which is to say to read this literature as art and theory (rather than as strictly educational tools, cultural propaganda, or merchandise).
To write an original, cogent close-reading based analysis paper.
To think about the categories “young adult,” “adolescence,” and “childhood” as both shaping and shaped by notions of race, gender, class, and normative citizenship.
To imagine beyond the limits of these categories in order to consider the generative possibilities of being adolescent and monstrous.
To create a forum where we and others might potentially be able to continue and expand upon the discussions and explorations begun in this course.