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

1. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture
2. The Cultures of Reading, Reading as Social Practice
3. The Structure of Genre
4. Reading Practices and Institutional Contexts
5. Publishers and the Literary Marketplace

Module II - Reading Genres and Genre Readers

1. Mystery/Detective Fiction
2. Science Fiction, Fantasy
3. Romances
4. Westerns
5. Horror
6. Christian Reading
7. New Age
8. Comics
9. Tabloids

Module III - Programming and Collection Development

1. The Public Library (Reader's Advisory Services; Genre Guides; Collection Development)
2. 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)

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 (Blackwell)

Matthew J. Pustz. 1999. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers (University Press of Mississippi)

S. Elizabeth Bird. 1992. For Enquiring Minds: A Cultural Study of Supermarket Tabloids (University of Tennessee Press)

Methods of Assessment

Atwood, Margaret. 2003. "A Book Lover's Tale: A Literary Life Raft on Iran's Fundamentalist Sea," Amnesty Now (Fall): 4-7, 26.

Bacon-Smith, Camille. 1999. Science Fiction Culture. (University of Pennsylvania Press)

Berger. Arthur Asa. 1992. Popular Culture Genres: Theories and Texts. (Sage)

Bird, S. Elizabeth. 1992. For Enquiring Minds: A Cultural Study of Supermarket Tabloids (University of Tennessee Press)

Bleiler, Richard. 1999. Reference Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction (Libraries Unlimited)

Boyarin, Jonathan. 1993. The Ethnography of Reading. (University of California Press)

Carroll, Noël. 1990. The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart (Routledge)

Colton, Michael. 1999. "Cartooning for Christ," Brill's Content (November): 50-52.

Dove, George. 1997. The Reader and the Detective (Bowling Green State UniversityPress)

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)

Gannon, Michael. 2004. Blood, Bedlam, Bullets, and Badguys: A Reader's Guide to Adventure/Suspense Fiction. (Libraries Unlimited)

Garrett, Lynn. 1999. "Is Spirituality the New Religion," PW (August 30): 53-59.

Greenberg, Gerald S. 1996. Tabloid Journalism: An Annotated Bibliography of English-Language Sources. (Greenwood)

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.

Hall, Brian. 1999. "The Group," New York Times Book Review, June 6, 1999.

Heelas, Paul. 1997. The New Age Movement (Blackwell)

Heising, Willete L. 1996. Detective Women 2: A Reader's Guide and Checklist for Mystery Series Written by Women (Purple Moon Press)

Herald, Diana Tixier. 1995. Fluent in Fantasy: A Guide to Reading Interests (Libraries Unlimited)

Herald, Diana Tixier. 2006. Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests. Ed. By Wayne Wiegand. 6th ed. (Libraries Unlimited)

Hoffman, Frank. American Popular Culture: A Guide to the Reference Literature (Libraries Unlimited)

Johnson, Sarah. 2005. Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre. (Libraries Unlimited)

Killheffer, Robert K.J. 1997. "Fantasy Charts New Realms," PW (June 16): 34-40.

Knight, Deborah, and McKnight, George 1997. "The Case of the Disappearing Enigma," Philosophy and Literature 21.1

Kress, Michael. 1999. "So Slackers are Spiritual After All," PW (August 30): S10-S14.

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)

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)

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)

Ramsdell, Kristin. 1998. Romance Fiction: A Handbook for Readers, Writers, and Librarians (Libraries Unlimited)

Rosen, Judith. 1999. "Love is All Around You," PW (Nov. 8): 37-43.

Rotschild, D. Aviva. 1995. Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics. (Libraries Unlimited)

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).

Swanson, Jean and Dean, James. 1998. Killer Books: A Reader's Guide to Exploring thePopular World of Mystery and Suspense (Berkeley Prime Crime)

Tompkins, Jane. 1993. West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns (Oxford University Press)

"What to Look for in the Next Millenium," PW (June 14, 1999): 32-42.

Wiegand, Wayne A. 1997. "Misreading LIS Education," Library Journal (June 15, 1997): 36-38.

Wolk, Douglas. 2004. Graphic Novel Sales Rise Despite Shelf Space Squeeze. PW (Dec. 20, 2004)