What does it mean to “come of age”? What rites of passage characterize our journey from childhood, through adolescence, to adulthood? As a college student, there’s no doubt you’re in the midst of an important rite of passage—but what is this rite of passage for, exactly? In this class, we’ll be considering questions like these through the lens of fairy tales, short stories, novels, and films. Over the course of the semester, you will critically examine how coming-of-age narratives work and form arguments about how such narratives interact and what they may have to tell us about the challenges of coming of age today.