Trans Books for Teens

In this 12-week class, students will read three young adult books featuring transgender protagonists, engage in critical thought about gender identity, and discuss the implications of harmful misrepresentations in trans fiction for teens.

Carina Stopenski

24 total reviews for this teacher

1 review for this class

Completed by 1 learner

75 minutes

per class

Once per week

over 12 weeks

14-18

year olds

4-8

learners per class

per learner - per class

How does a “Multi-Day” course work?

Meets multiple times at scheduled times

Live video chats, recorded and monitored for safety and quality

Discussions via classroom forum and private messages with the teacher

Great for engaging projects and interacting with diverse classmates from other states and countries

How Outschool Works

Available Times

Pacific Time

Thu Jun 16

Jun 16 - Sep 8 (12 weeks)

Thursdays
10:15pm - 11:30pm

Outside 6am-10pm in your local time.

Enroll

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Description

Class Experience

In this class, learners will read three young adult books featuring transgender characters and will discuss the ways that trans characters are written in fiction. Students will have a chance to discuss the different stereotypes discussed in the books and the ways that gender shapes our perceptions of characters. Students will also discuss critical textual structures and the way that the shifting cultural climate can change our reactions to text depictions of transgender characters.

Week 1,...

Learners will develop advanced English and language arts skills through reading comprehension, critical thinking, and engagement with the source materials. Through the source materials, students will use theory and cultural concepts to discuss how transgender people are treated both in the media and in the real world. Learners will be encouraged to think empathetically about texts and to practice inclusivity of transgender people in their media consumption habits.

Both my undergraduate capstone and graduate thesis dealt with representations of transgender characters in literature. I have presented at conferences regarding transgender literature and have assisted in promoting transgender equity in several local organizations. As a non-binary trans person, I feel like I can bring a unique perspective to this material and can provide students with both academic insight as well as a more humanized approach to the texts.

Students will be anticipated to read between roughly 90-120 pages a week for weeks 1-9. I realize that it is a lot, but in order for the students to get the most out of the discussions and presentations in weeks 2-10, they need to read the books in full. After week 10, students will be assigned a final writing assignment of a minimum 5 page paper about one of the books read for class using critical concepts learned in the course. Students should use MLA citation style (which I can help with) and should reference the texts talked about in class. Students will have 2 weeks to write this paper, as it will be due on the last day of class.

In this class, students will read three books. Below, I will list them with their ISBNs so you can easily find them in your pubic library or local bookseller. If you cannot get access to these titles, please let me know before the class starts so I can come up with other arrangements for you!

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo (320 p.), ISBN: 9781250078414
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (288 p.), ISBN: 9780738732510
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin (352 p.), ISBN: 9780062382870

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Learner will be assessed in three forms: an informal update for parents regarding their learner's progress at the halfway point of the course, a formal assessment on their in-class discussion participation to be given at the end of the class, and written feedback directly on their final paper. There will not be tests/quizzes in this class, nor will there be formal letter grades, so discussion is to be expected in this course.

1 hour 15 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 2 - 4 hours per week outside of class.

Topics like bullying and dysphoria may be troubling for readers. There is a scene of sexual assault in the last section of Symptoms of Being Human, and I will issue a trigger warning the week prior so students can go in more prepared. If this material is triggering for your learner, please reach out to me so I can lesson plan accordingly to avoid in-depth discussion of the more problematic material.

Teacher

Carina Stopenski

🇺🇸

Lives in the United States

Literary Theorist, Creative Writer, Information Science Professional

24 total reviews

41 completed classes

About Me

Hi, all! I'm Carina (pronouns: they/them/theirs) and I'm so excited to spread the magic of the written word. I hold a BFA in Creative Writing with minor certifications in Gender Studies and Women's Leadership, an MSLS in Library and Information...