We will look at questions of gender, subjectivity and the formation of individual identity. How do narratives of youth reinforce or subvert dominant ideas of a ‘normal’ transition from childhood to adulthood? How do different narratives of masculine and feminine development write different ‘scripts’ for the lives of young men and women? We will also examine stories in their historical context, asking how the experience of youth and representations of young people have changed over time. In what ways is today’s ‘Generation Y’ different from previous generations? And how meaningful are generation stereotypes anyway? Finally, we will examine the relationship between consumer culture and youth. Is youth culture just a project marketed to and consumed by young people? If so, how can you construct an authentic personal identity?