Synopsis:
Course Objectives
Comparison and contrasting of the cultural environment of contemporary mass society with the contemporary library and information agencies
Examination of the reading interests and the programming role of agencies responsible for creation and distribution of reading materials
Examination of the cultural environment in which choices are made for selection of reading materials and collection development in libraries
Examination of one or more adult reading interest genres in depth
Examination of students' own reading interests and evaluation of how they may affect evaluation of patrons' interests and selection of materials
Evaluation of reading materials for adult library users
Use of materials in programming in a variety of settings, with an emphasis on the public library
Organization of the Course
Module I - Cultural Production, the Society, and the Consumption of Texts
Cultural Theory and Popular Culture
The Cultures of Reading, Reading as Social Practice
Reading Practices and Institutional Contexts
Publishers and the Literary Marketplace
The Structure of Genre
Module II - Reading Genres and Genre Readers
Mystery/Detective Fiction
Science Fiction, Fantasy
Romances
Westerns
Horror
Christian Reading
New Age
Comics
Emerging Genres
Module III - Programming and Collection Development
The Public Library (Readers’ Services; Genre Guides; Collection Development)
Reading Spaces and Reading Communities in Transition
Major Assignments
Rrequired Texts:
Alberto Manguel. 1996. A History of Reading. (Viking)Berger.
Arthur Asa. 1992. Popular Culture Genres: Theories and Texts. (Sage)
Tixier Herald, Diana, and Wayne Wiegand, eds. 2006. Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests. ( 6th ed.) (Libraries Unlimited)
Additional Texts:
George Dove. 1997. The Reader and the Detective (Bowling Green State University Press)
Camile Bacon-Smith. 1999. Science Fiction Culture. (University of Pennsylvania Press)
Janice Radway. 1991. Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature. Rev. ed. (University of North Carolina Press)
Jane Tompkins. 1993. West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns (Oxford University Press)
Noël Carroll. 1990. The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart ( Routledge)
Paul Heelas. 1997. The New Age Movement: Religion, Culture and Society in the Age of Postmodernity (Blackwell)
Matthew J. Pustz. 1999. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers (University Press of Mississippi)
Methods of Assessment
Reading Journal (includes Personal reading profile) | 20% |
Class Participation and Discussion | 20% |
Term Paper (historical analysis of genre) | 30% |
Term Paper (field study of readers) | 30% |
Bibliography
Andriani, Lynn. 2007. “Love for Sale,” PW. 254, no. 22 (May 28): 30-32
Atwood, Margaret. 2003. “A Book Lover's Tale: A Literary Life Raft on Iran's Fundamentalist Sea,” Amnesty Now (Fall): 4-7, 26.
Barnard, Anne. 2008. “From the Streets to the Libraries,” New York Times, October 23, 2008.
Bacon-Smith, Camille. 1999. Science Fiction Culture. (University of Pennsylvania Press)
Berger, Arthur Asa. 1992. Popular Culture Genres: Theories and Texts. (Sage)
Carroll, Noël. 1990. The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart ( Routledge)
Collins, Lauren. 2009. “Real Romance: How Nora Roberts Became America's Most Popular Novelist," The New Yorker, June 22.
Dove, George. 1997. The Reader and the Detective (Bowling Green State University Press)
Ellis, Leane M. 2007. “Genre Book Discussions,” Public Libraries 46, no. 2 (March/April 2007): 24-26
Garrison, Dee. 1979. Apostles of Culture: The Public Librarian and American Society, 1876-1920. (Libraries Unlimited) (Ch. 5: The Shift in Attitudes Toward Popular Fiction, pp. 88-101)
Gorham, Sarah. 2007. “Undefinable,” PW 254, no. 33 (Aug. 20): 74
Gutjahr, Paul C. 2002. “No Longer Left Behind: Amazon.com, Reader-Response, and the Changing Fortunes of the Christian Novel in America,” Book History 5: 209-236.
Heelas, Paul. 1997. The New Age Movement (Blackwell) Hilliard, Juli Cragg. 2007. “It's a Fantasy,” PW 254, no. 21 (May 21): S10.
Kirschenbaum, Matthew. 2007. "Reading Is Being Reimagined,” The Chronicle of Higher Education 54, issue 15 (Dec. 7): B20
Knight, Deborah, and McKnight, George 1997. “The Case of the Disappearing Enigma,” Philosophy and Literature 21.1
Luyt, Brendan. 2001. “Regulating Readers: The Social Origins of the Readers' Advisor in the United States,” Library Quarterly 71 (4:2001): 443-67.
Manguel, Alberto. 1996. A History of Reading. (Viking) McCloud, Scott. 1994. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. (Harper Collins) (selections) National Endowment for the Arts. 2007. “To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence.” Research Report #47. (http://www.nea.gov/research/ToRead.pdf)
Pustz, Matthew J. 1999. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers (University Press of Mississippi)
Radway, Janice. 1991. Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature. Rev. ed. (University of North Carolina Press)
Robbins, Sarah J. 2007. “Textually Promiscuous,” PW 254, no. 46 (Nov. 19): 23-24, 26-28.
Schollmeyer, Shawn. 2007. “Apocalypse Now? Summer Ecothrillers,” Library Journal 132, no. 11 (June 15): 113.
Squires, Claire. 2007. Marketing Literature: The Making of Contemporary Writing in Britain, Ch. 3: "Genre in the Marketplace," pp. 70-101; Ch. 5: "Crossovers," pp. 147-175. (Palgrave)
Storey, John. 1998. An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. (University of Georgia Press) (Ch. 1: What is Popular Culture? pp. 1-20; Ch. 6: Feminism, pp. 135-168).
Tompkins, Jane. 1993. West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns (Oxford University Press) Clive Thompson. 2009.
"The Future of Reading," The Economist, June 27.
Genre Guides and Additional Titles:
Bayard, Pierre. 2007. How to Talk about Books you Haven’t Read. (Bloombsbury)
Bleiler, Richard. 1999. Reference Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction (Libraries Unlimited)
Cords, Sarah Statz, and Robert Burgin. 2006. The Real Story: A Guide to Nonfiction Reading Interests. (Libraries Unlimited)
Cords, Sarah Statz, and Nancy Pearl. 2009. Now Read This III: A Guide to Mainstream Fiction (Libraries Unlimited)
Fisher, Allan. 1998. “Evangelical-Christian Publishing: Where It's Been and Where It's Going,” Publishing Research Quarterly 14 (Fall): 3-11.
Fonsecca, Anthony J, and Pulliam, June Michele. 2002. Hooked on Horror: A Guide to Reading Interests in Horror Fiction. 2nd ed. (Libraries Unlimited)
Fonsecca, Anthony J, and Pulliam, June Michele. 2009. Hooked on Horror III: A Guide to Reading Interests in Horror Fiction. (Libraries Unlimited)
Frolund, Tina. 2006. Genrefied Classics: A Guide to Reading Interests in Classic Literature. (Libraries Unlimited)
Gannon, Michael. 2004. Blood, Bedlam, Bullets, and Badguys: A Reader's Guide to Adventure/Suspense Fiction. (Libraries Unlimited)
Greenberg, Gerald S. 1996. Tabloid Journalism: An Annotated Bibliography of English-Language Sources. (Greenwood)
Heising, Willete L. 1996. Detective Women 2: A Reader's Guide and Checklist for Mystery Series Written by Women (Purple Moon Press)
Killheffer, Robert K.J. 1997. “Fantasy Charts New Realms,” PW (June 16): 34-40.
Herald, Diana Tixier. 1995. Fluent in Fantasy: A Guide to Reading Interests (Libraries Unlimited)
Herald, Diana Tixier, and Bonnie Kunzel. 2007. Fluent in Fantasy: The Next Generation (Libraries Unlimited)
Herald, Diana Tixier. 2006. Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests. Ed. Wayne Wiegand. 6th ed. (Libraries Unlimited)
Herald, Diana Tixier, and Bonnie Kunzel. 2002. Strictly Science Fiction: A Guide to Reading Interests. (Libraries Unlimited)
Hoffman, Frank. American Popular Culture: A Guide to the Reference Literature (Libraries Unlimited)
Hollands, Neil. 2007. Read on . . . Fantasy Fiction: Reading Lists for Every Taste (Libraries Unlimited)
Johnson, Sarah. 2005. Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre. (Libraries Unlimited)
Mort, John. 2006. Read the High Country: A Guide to Western Books and Films. (Libraries Unlimited)
Niebuhr, Gary Warren. 2003. Make Mine a Mystery: A Reader’s Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction. (Libraries Unlimited)
Niebuhr, Gary Warren. 2003. Caught Up In Crime: A Reader's Guide to Crime Fiction and Nonfiction (Libraries Unlimited)
Pawuk, Michael. 2006. Graphic Novels: A Genre Guide to Comic Books, Manga, and More. (Libraries Unlimited)
Pearl. Nancy. 2000. Now Read This: A Guide to Mainstream Fiction, 1978-1998 (Libraries Unlimited)
Pearl, Nancy. 2002. Now Read This II: A Guide to Mainstream Fiction, 1990-2001 (Libraries Unlimited)
Ramsdell, Kristin. 1998. Romance Fiction: A Handbook for Readers, Writers, and Librarians (Libraries Unlimited)
Regis, Pamela. 2007. A Natural History of the Romance Novel (U of Pennsylvania P)
Ross, Catherine Sheldrick, Lynne McKechnie, Paulette M. Rothbauer. 2005. Reading Matters: What the Research Reveals about Reading, Libraries, and Community. (Libraries Unlimited)
Rotschild, D. Aviva. 1995. Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics. (Libraries Unlimited)
Séllei, Nóra. 2006. “Bridget Jones and Hungarian Chick Lit.” In Chick Lit: The New Woman’s Fiction, pp. 173-188. Ed. Susanne Ferriss and Mallory Young (Routledge)
Swanson, Jean and Dean, James. 1998. Killer Books: A Reader's Guide to Exploring the Popular World of Mystery and Suspense (Berkeley Prime Crime)
Wendell, Sarah, and Candy Tan. 2009. Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels (Simon & Schuster)
Wiegand, Wayne A. 1997. “ Misreading LIS Education,” Library Journal (June 15): 36-38.
Social sites
Goodreads
BookMooch
BookSwim
LibraryThing
