Critical Reader Examines Children’s & Young Adult Texts
Children’s and young adult literature is at the heart of current debates about race, justice, and education. This summer, Marilisa Jiménez García, Associate Professor of Children’s and Young Adult Literary Cultures in Rutgers University–Camden’s Department of Childhood Studies, published Ethnic Studies and Youth Literature: A Critical Reader (SUNY Press) with coeditor Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez of LaGuardia Community College (CUNY).
The Department of Childhood Studies, which offers both a master’s degree and a Ph.D., connects students with faculty whose research examines how culture, policy, and systemic structures shape young people’s lives. Ethnic Studies and Youth Literature brings together contributions from women of color scholars and practitioners to apply ethnic studies frameworks to children’s and young adult texts. The essays address systemic racism, U.S. imperialism, and curriculum battles, showing how marginalized perspectives reshape understandings of genre, age, and knowledge production.
Jiménez García is also the author of Side by Side: U.S. Empire, Puerto Rico, and the Roots of American Youth Literature and Culture, which received the Children’s Literature Association Book Prize for monographs. Her latest publication adds to ongoing scholarship in the Department of Childhood Studies, which engages students in analyzing literature, media, and culture across disciplines.
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Interdisciplinary Insights: Rutgers-Camden’s Childhood Studies Programs
Rutgers University–Camden offers interdisciplinary M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Childhood Studies, focusing on the multifaceted experiences of children across various contexts. The M.A. program equips students with the skills to conduct research, influence social policy, and work with diverse child populations, leading to careers in public policy, social services, and education. The Ph.D. program immerses students in comprehensive theoretical and methodological training, preparing them for scholarly research and roles in academia, policy-making, and organizations dedicated to children’s welfare.
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