James
Blasingame, Jr.
Associate Professor
Ph.D.
University of Kansas
MA Drake University
BA University of Northern Iowa
Office: LL
218
(480) 965-6074
E-mail: james.blasingame@asu.edu
Interests:
English education: young adult literature, the teaching of writing, cowboy poetry.
Georgia What's New in Y.A. 2012
Adolescent Readers and the Making of Meaning
Native American Literature Books 2011
Using Six-Trait Mentor Text with Middle School Students - 2011
What's New In Young Adult Literature - Pinal Libraries - 2009
What's New In Young Adult Literature-TUHSD-2009
What's New In Young Adult Literature - Pinal County - 2009
So You Want to Write a Young Adult Novel (parts 1 and 2) 2009
What’s New and Might Fit You: Something for Everyone
Best Books of 2008/2009
Something for Everyone: What’s New and Might Fit You? Best Books of 2008/2009
With Dr. John Guenther, ASU |
With Christopher Paul Curtis at 2007 AETA Convention |
 With Vampires and Werewolves at the Eclipse Prom 2007 |
With Wizard, Cougar and Myra: Willow, AK, 2006
Dr. Blasingame focuses on young adult literature, secondary writing instruction, preparing pre-service teachers, and cowboy poetry. He is coeditor of The ALAN Review, a journal devoted entirely to young adult literature and sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English. He is also creates the Books for Adolescents pages of the Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, which is sponsored by the International Reading Association.
Dr. Blasingame has served as co-editor of NCTE’s The ALAN Review since 2003 and has created the Books for Adolescents pages of the International Reading Association’s Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy since 2002. He is the author of Books That Don’t Bore ‘Em: Young Adult Literature for Today’s Generation (Scholastic, 2007), Gary Paulsen (Teen Reads: Student Companions to Young Adult Literature) (Greenwood Press 2007), Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools (Pearson, Prentice-Hall 2004), and They Rhymed with Their Boots On: A Teacher’s Guide to Cowboy Poetry (The Writing Conference, 2000). He has also published over 60 interviews with poets and authors of young adult literature and over 100 book reviews in VOYA, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, The ALAN Review and English Journal. Dr. Blasingame creates the annual Honor List of young adult literature for English Journal along with Dr. Alleen Nilsen and Dr. Ken Donelson. He has given presentations performing cowboy poetry at the National Council of Teachers of English convention, the International Reading Association, and the Western States Conference on Rhetoric and Composition.
Dr. Blasingame is past president of the Arizona English Teachers’ Association and is the 2008 ASU Professor of the Year. He is the 2008 International Reading Association Arbuthnot Award winner for outstanding professor of children's and young adult literature. He was the recipient of the 2007 ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award for the Humanities and one of eleven ASU professors to be given the 2007 Arizona State University Parents’ Association Professor of the Year Special Recognition Award.
Before coming to ASU in 2000, Dr. Blasingame spent twenty-four years in secondary education including: three years in high school administration at Interstate 35 High School (Truro, Iowa), and Bishop Miege High School (Shawnee Mission, Kansas); eighteen years in English education at Girls and Boys Town High School (Boys Town, Nebraska); American Fork High School (American Fork, Utah); and Dowling High School (West Des Moines, Iowa). He also spent two years coaching college athletics at Western State College (Gunnison, Colorado) and Simpson College (Simpson, Iowa).
Teaching:
Dr.
Blasingame teaches the following courses:
ENG
480/598: Methods of Teaching English: Composition
This course focuses on the knowledge and skills needed to teach
writing at the middle and high school levels. Students will gain
a repertoire of instructional and evaluative techniques for teaching
the various modes of writing and for helping their students to improve
their written products. Students will practice using the Six-trait
approach for instruction and assessment, guiding writers through
a process model, creating a writers' workshop, using writing portfolios, teaching
writing across the curriculum, designing composition units and
integrating writing instruction with other language arts and other
disciplines. ENG 480 ties in closely with ENG 482 (Methods of Teaching
Language). Prerequisites: ENG 312 or ENG 314 or permission
from the instructor. A grade of at least "C" in this course is required
before students are permitted to student teach.
ENG
482/598: Methods of Teaching English: Language
This course focuses on the knowledge and techniques necessary to
teach language at the middle and high school levels. Students
will not only improve their understanding of English language
concepts and skills, but also develop a repertoire of instructional
techniques for teaching these concepts and skills in the secondary
classroom. Students will create lessons and practice-teach them
for assessment and improvement. Prerequisite: ENG 312, or 314,
or the permission of the instructor. A grade of at least "C" in this course is required in order for students to receive permission
to student teach.