Moving away from this model is an important step toward improving representation in the fantasy genre, and Tolliver’s research, which was mainly composed of internet searches and reading informational articles, was especially important for the target demographic of YA stories: young readers who, like herself, are eager to see themselves represented.

With guidance from her faculty mentor, Robert Sullivan, associate professor of communication studies, Hau analyzed documents from colleges in the United States as evidence for her argument, which connects political theory to the reality of discussing racism on campus.