1. Introductory Questions What does it mean to come of age? At what point does one go from being a child to an adult? What events and experiences might cause someone to grow up? Can you think of any myths, fairy tales, books or films that could be described as “coming of age” stories?

3. Definition of Coming of Age com·ing of age (noun) Definition: 1. reaching adulthood: the reaching of the official age of adulthood and legal responsibility

4. Coming of Age Story Coming-of-age story. A type of story where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss of innocence.

6. Coming of Age Rituals in Religions What are some coming of age rituals associated with religion? Christianity?Hinduism? Judaism?Hermeticism? Ba’hai?Sikhism? Buddhism?Islam? Ifa?

7. Coming of Age Transformation Some of the shifts that take place are these: ignorance to knowledge innocence to experience false view of world to correct view idealism to realism immature responses to mature responses

8. Bildungsroman Class of novel derived from German literature that deals with the formative years of the main character, whose moral and psychological development is depicted. It typically ends on a positive note, with the hero's foolish mistakes and painful disappointments behind him and a life of usefulness ahead. It grew out of folklore tales in which a dunce goes out into the world seeking adventure. One of the earliest novelistic developments of the theme, Johann W. von Goethe's (1795–1832), remains a classic example.Johann W. von Goethe

9. Maturation…At Last