Courses of Study

Title and description of the major: The Influence of Young Adult Literature in the Lives of Adolescents

Intended thematic sequence, minor or double major:  Interactive Media Studies  Co-Major with a concentration in Commercialization/Social Media Marketing

Course Number & Title	Credits	Semester
ENG 311 – Contemporary Fiction	3	Fall 2010
ENG 370 – Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory	3	Spring 2011
ENG 355 – American Literature from 1945 to Present	3	Spring 2011
ENG 320 – Intermediate Creative Writing Fiction	3	Spring 2011
PSY 374 – The Psychology of Language and Thought	3	Spring 2011
FSW 481 – Adolescent Development in Diverse Families	3	Fall 2012
EDL 334 – Youth Subculture, Popculture, and Nonformal Education	3	Fall 2012
EDT 423 – Literature and Other Media for Adolescents	3	Fall 2012
ENG 321 – The Literary Marketplace	3	Spring 2013
IMS 333 – Digital Entrepreneurship	3	Fall 2011
IMS 340 – Internship	3	Spring 2012
IMS 418 – Social Media Marketing	3	Spring 2012
IMS 407 – Interactive Business Communication	3	Spring 2012

You can picture my major as if it was a triangle where each point is feeding into one another:

The main idea behind my major focuses on YA literature and how it can influence the life of an adolescent during their transition to adulthood.  The third piece, social media marketing, is actually an essential part of the puzzle when it comes to an adolescent’s life.  YA literature not only influences the adolescent with the words in a book, but also through the communities it can foster.  Communities surrounding YA literature are being formed not only in person, but formed online via social media between teens, authors, and the publishing companies.