A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor was recently featured in a HuffPost (formerly Huffington Post) article on why dystopian literature is taught in high schools and the resulting controversy. 

Judith Hayn, professor and interim associate dean of the UA Little Rock School of Education, was interviewed for Maddie Crum’s April 25 article, “How High School Teachers are using Dystopian Books to Explore the State of America Today.”

Hayn, who is a co-editor of the textbook “Teaching Young Adult Literature Today,” said teenagers are often drawn to dystopian novels, like “Divergent,” “The Hunger Games,” and “The Maze Runner,” because the books provide a safe space for teenagers to explore unusual scenarios.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, dystopian refers to an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives.

“Dystopian novels are very popular with teenagers, but they are difficult to include in a young adult curriculum,” Hayn said. “Dystopia allows teens to look to the future, but their role is safe because they are reading it in a book or watching a movie. They can vicariously make choices about the futures they might encounter in those types of plots.

The topic was raised by a new Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s 1984 science fiction novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Hayn said that dystopian novels allow high school students to discuss political issues without bringing up personal political views.

“I would hope that an English language arts teacher would be able to do that, say, ‘Do you see any contemporary issues in the world around you now?’ and lead the students to make some of those observations,” Hayn said in the article. “I think we have an obligation to include the political, so that students understand why we got to where we are now.”