Yvonne Medina
I am a Marion L. Brittain postdoctoral fellow in the Writing Communication Program at Georgia Institute of Technology. I earned my Ph.D. in English literature at the University of Florida where I specialized in children’s literature and critical disability studies. My dissertation, Disability and the Maturation Plot: Coming of Age for the Disabled Child Protagonist, explores how children’s authors emplot maturation around disability, often positioning disability as a catalyzing experience for individual growth. I examine disability and critique ability privileging in Anglophone children’s literature from the Victorian era into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in a wide range of children’s fiction and life writing from British, American, and Australian literary traditions. My other research areas include Francophone children’s literature, boyhood studies, and the Robinsonade tradition (castaway novels.)
I hold an M.A. from the University of Florida in English and a B.A. in English and French literature from Bryn Mawr College. I also have experience working in public and university libraries, translation, and early and primary education settings.
My research in critical disability studies informs my pedagogical approach which is responsive to the needs of varied learning styles and neurotypes. Transparency about expectations, universal accessibility, and a commitment to hearing from every student both in person and in online discussions promote this collaborative spirit. My background in translation informs the ways I teach diverse texts and authors, emphasizing the linguistic and cultural experimentation inherent in translated texts. I enjoy working with students to create a learning environment that promotes intellectual curiosity and equity.
Preferred pronouns: she/her
Alt Text: Photo of a white woman with brown hair. She is wearing a brown dress, smiling in front of a brick library with some trees.