Course Stories, Episode #3: Literature for Young Adults: Expertise and Innovation Create a Buzz for YA

Dr. Sybil Durand is an assistant professor of English Education in the Department of English, where she teaches courses on young adult literature, methods of teaching English Language Arts, and methods of conducting research. Her research examines how students and teachers engage representations of youth of color in young adult literature, including multicultural, international, and postcolonial texts.

Dr. Gabriel Acevedo (Gabe) is an Assistant Professor in English Education in the English Department at Arizona State University. His identities as a Latinx, Bilingual, and Queer educator in Puerto Rico and the United States inform his research. He utilizes critical and social justice frameworks, along with qualitative methodologies, to interact with and understand the world around him. His research examines ares of Queer Young Adult Literature, Pop-Culture Pedagogies, and Queer/Latinx Identities all thorugh pedagogical lenses. 

Dr. James Blasingame focuses on young adult literature, Indigenous education, secondary writing instruction, preparing pre-service teachers, and cowboy poetry. He is the executive director of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English (ALAN). He has been president of ALAN (2010) and was co-editor of The ALAN Review, a journal devoted entirely to young adult literature and sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (2003-2009). He also created the Books for Adolescents pages of the Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy for 14 years, which is sponsored by the International Literacy Association.

Christine Moore is an Instructional Designer with EdPlus and is the lead designer for ASU Online’s English, Film and Media Studies, and International Affairs and Leadership programs. Her specialized projects include creative assessment application, new program development and immersive technologies. Christine also serves on ASU’s Military Affairs Council.

Dr. Kathleen Hicks is a principal lecturer and Director of Online Programs for the Department of English. She teaches courses in the MA in English program online, facilitates the development of online courses for the department’s five fully online programs, and supports other faculty who teach online courses.