FEMGEN 154: Young Adult Literature and the Global Future

Course Description

In this course, we'll read award-winning works of Young Adult literature by authors from countries outside of the US, considering their use of narrative to parse questions about nationalism and citizenship, migration and diaspora, and cultural identity. We'll analyze the connection between radical and experimental literary forms, which often find more breathing room in this genre than in traditional spheres, and the possibilities for new ways of understanding belonging. Finally, we'll explore the political repercussions of the YA publishing industry's #ownvoices movement as a metonym for broader cultural wars about censorship and freedom of expression.