Beth Younger

Associate Professor of English

beth.younger@drake.edu

A Southern California native, I earned my undergraduate degree in English from Humboldt State University in Northern California. I then moved to the deep south where I completed my Ph.D. at Louisiana State University. My research interests focus on popular culture, young adult literature, feminist theory, and women's studies.

I have an ongoing obsession with horror films, which began when my brother forced me (at age 12) to watch George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Along with my love of zombies and powerful women in horror films, I am continually intrigued by the amorphous classification(s) of cultural productions as either "high" or "low" forms of art. Is it "literature" or "fiction" or a "trashy novel?" Interrogation of these troublesome labels is an ongoing preoccupation. In my courses I incorporate an interdisciplinary focus with emphases on critical thinking, close reading, and feminist critical theories.