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College of Arts and Humanities

René M. Rodríguez-Astacio

Assistant Professor

English | 559.278.4915 | Office: PB 440

renerodriguez@csufresno.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction - Literacies & English Language Arts (Children's and Adolescent Literature) from The Pennsylvania State University 
  • M.A. in English Education from Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez 
  • B.A. in English (Literature) from Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez

Courses Taught

  • ENGL 105 Textual Analysis
  • ENGL 133 Texts Teachers Teach
  • ENGL 169T Queer Teens on Screen
  • ENGL 193 Queer Latinx ID & Intersections in LGBTQ+ Young Adult Literature
  • ENGL 197 Senior Project in English Studies
  • ENGL 250T Studies in Children’s and Young Adult Literature
  • CI 161 Methods and Materials (English)
  • EHD 154B / 155B Final Student Teaching

Dr. René M. Rodríguez-Astacio joined the English faculty at Fresno State in 2021. He earned a doctorate degree in Curriculum Instruction focused on Literacies and English Language Arts from the Pennsylvania State University. His areas of expertise and research interests include English education, LGBTQIA+ topics in teacher education as well as the representation of Latinx and LGBTQIA+ populations and its intersections in children’s and young adult literature. His doctoral dissertation, “They’re here and they’re queer: Conversations about LGBT-themed books with pre-service teachers” centers the voices of pre-service teachers in a teaching methods course as they transact with literature and discuss the possibilities of LGBT-themed text in the English classroom. He is informed by critical multiculturalism, queer theory, LatCrit and critical content analysis. 


Dr. Rodríguez-Astacio’s work and interests are guided by his experiences and identity as a bilingual queer Puerto Rican. His passion for Latinx and queer themed adolescent literature and his background in queer literacies is guided towards building tools for students to explore the value of this literature in the teaching of English as a subject as well as an exploration of important themes using these texts. As a teacher educator, he hopes to inspire pre-service teachers to be become lifelong learners, educators and leaders that address the core foundations of English education in their communities but are also willing to continue their inquiries and put innovation at the forefront of their teaching. Currently he is part of NCTE’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Advisory Committee. He is also an elected board member of the Children's Literature Assembly of NCTE.
  • English Education
  • Children’s and Young Adult Literature
  • LGBTQIA+ topics in education
  • Latinx identity in multicultural children’s and young adult literature 
  • Superhero narratives
  • Queer Adolescents in Media
  • Popular culture in the English classroom
  • Critical Content Analysis

Rodriguez-Astacio, R., Hines, C.M., & Miller, C.H. (2024). Criticality and the Cowl: Teaching Black Superhero Narratives with DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults. The ALAN Review, 51(2), 11-19. 

Rodríguez-Astacio, R.,& Low, D. (2023). Using superhero graphic novels to foreground transitions in our teaching with upper elementary teachers. The Reading Teacher, 16 (5), 64-645. 

Miller, H.C., Hines, C., Rodríguez-Astacio, R. (2022). With Great Power Comes…Youth Empowerment? A Critical Content Analysis of Marvel’s Superhero Young Adult Literature. The ALAN Review, 50(1), 33-44.

Rodríguez-Astacio, R. (2022). Characterization and symbolism in superhero-themed graphic novels with You Brought Me the Ocean. In P. Greathouse & H.C. Miller (eds.), Queer Adolescent as a Complement to the English Language Arts Curriculum (2nd Edition). Rowman and Littlefield.

Yenika-Agbaw, V., Rodríguez-Astacio, R. (2020, Jan). From Representation to Inclusive Diversity: Reading to Understand the Nuances within Racial and/or Cultural Groups.  South Carolina English Teacher. https://user-23310503727.cld.bz/SCET-Journal-2020 

Gates, J., Ricks, P., Rodríguez-Astacio, R. (2020). Interrogating whiteness: A critical content analysis of notable picture books recommended by the National Council of Social Studies. In A. Hawkman & S. Shear (eds.), Marking the invisible: Articulating whiteness in social studies education.

Landauer, C., Logan, C., Rodríguez-Astacio, R. (2018). Some Nonfiction resources for engaging in critical conversations. In V. Yenika-Agbaw, L. Hudock, R. Lowery, Eds., Does nonfiction equate truth? Rethinking Disciplinary Boundaries Through Critical Literacy, 103-112. Rowman & Littlefield.

Colabucci, L., Day, D., Hadjioan, N., Rodriguez-Astacio, R., Napoli, M., Suzuki, T., Ward, B. (2017). Children’s books reviews: Our favorite books. The Dragon Lode, 35.2, 95-107.

Yenika-Agbaw, V., Hudock, L., Ricks, P., Rodríguez-Astacio, R. (2017). The Disenfranchised Learner.  Journal of Language & Literacy Education, 13.1, 216-220. http://jolle.coe.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/216-220_The-Disenfranchised-Learner.pdf