IDENTIFYING HUMANITY THROUGH NARRATIVE: A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH TO YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE.

<p> </p> <p>Young Adult (YA) literature is a subject that is often unclear. There is no clear definition</p> <p>of what YA literature is. However, most YA literature has several things in common. First, it</p> <p>includes characters between the ages of 12 and 25. Second, it fits into the publication genre of</p> <p>YA literature. Third, it features diverse characters experiencing themes surrounding identity. It is</p> <p>this theme of identity on which this essay focuses. Narrowed down to the subject of narrative</p> <p>identity, we look at how the events of someone’s life makes up their personality and the</p> <p>correlation between narrative identity and YA literature. Narrative identity can be seen within</p> <p>novels, and it is also impacted by the stories we read. The text <em>Illuminae</em> by Jay Kristoff and</p> <p>Amie Kauffman is used to further examine this framework, alongside frameworks of</p> <p>posthumanism and technology. The ideas of technology, narrative identity, and YA literature are</p> <p>all combined in a representative assignment that is a podcast. This podcast assignment asks</p> <p>students to examine these intersections utilizing technology, and to use multimodality to</p> <p>communicate their findings. The essay concludes by discussing possible pitfalls, such as political</p> <p>climate, breadth of topics, and student preconceptions. However, it is concluded that YA is a</p> <p>vital part of literature and society that allows for an empathetic approach to how we interact with</p> <p>one another.</p>