In order to better understand how young adult literature (YAL) is used in secondary English teacher education, this study examines course syllabi submitted by researchers recently published in "The ALAN Review." Using a framework built on Bakhtin's work, this article analyzes course objectives and goals for inherent social discourses to examine how syllabi establish practices to support student learning. The syllabi studied provided support for an understanding of how YAL fits into teacher education. The goal was to use Bakhtin's theories to analyze these syllabi to build a foundational understanding of how the discourses of education influence course design. Data were organized into four categories. The first examines the discourses of how YAL is used to teach English education methods. The second is to use YAL to understand discourses of critical education, social justice, and diversity. The third examines discourses on defining YAL and/or adolescence/adolescents. The fourth examines discourses on reflective practice. In the findings section, individual objectives and goals are analyzed so that an understanding of how these discourses meet at sites of tension allows for a discussion on how YAL is being used, and how might it be developed in the future.