Master's Degrees

Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies

Children’s and Young Adult Literature M.A.

The LRC Master’s Degree offers a focus area in children’s and young adult literature.  Students are required to take a research course and two core courses in language, literacy and culture and then select from courses offered within TLS. Our courses center on bringing a critical lens to youth literature through examining issues surrounding books and their use with readers. The courses are experiential, involving many interactions with books and engagements to connect readers with books. We are passionate about books and readers and a focus on diversity with the U.S. and globally.

Students in our programs have many opportunities to participate in projects and events in Worlds of Words, Center of Global Literacies and Literatures, and to interact with authors, illustrators, and publishers at the Tucson Festival of Books.

Core faculty include Desirée Cueto, Sybil Durand, and Kathy G. Short along with Carol Brochin and Leah Durán. 

Study children's and young adult literature to examine matters around books and involvement with readers.
Learn about outlook with books and connection between the literature and the readers with a focus within the U.S. and around the globe.
Gain experience with opportunities to interact with authors, illustrators, and publishers.

The LRC MA is a 32-unit program delivered in-person and online.  The LRC MA required core courses are:

  • TLS 576, Teacher Research (or alternative research course)
  • TLS 504, Language and Culture
  • TLS 505, Literacy and Culture

Sample Courses

Courses in Youth Literature Include:

  • Literature and Literacy for Young Children
  • Reading Children’s Literature as a Writer
  • Diverse Youth Literatures and Literacies
  • The Art of the Picturebook
  • Inviting Readers into Dialogue and Critical Literacy
  • Reading the World through Youth Literature
  • Anit-Colonial Perspectives in Young Adult Literature
  • Book Banning and the Politicization of Schools and Libraries
  • Gender and Sexuality in Youth Literature
  • Reader Response Theories
  • Critical Content Analysis of Text and Image
  • Special Topics courses

Contact Us

For inquiries about the program, please contact Graduate Program Coordinator Andrea Lauritzen.