Now in his second year as an assistant professor at Franklin & Marshall College, Dr. Mark Redondo Villegas is propelling students and colleagues to explore issues of race and identity.
Based in the department of American Studies, he also collaborates across disciplines with Latin American Studies, History, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Africana Studies.
The chair of American Studies, Dr. Carla Willard, refers to Villegas as a “dynamo presence,” who explores issues of racial groups and racial identity. “He tries to talk to people about the social construct of race,” says Willard. “That is a very challenging thing to do in a majority White institution where notions of race are assumed by the larger student body as something that you’re born with.”
Villegas teaches a variety of courses including “Hip Hop: The Global Politics of Culture”, “The Everyday Politics of Race: Food, Fashion, and Futurism”, “Introduction to Asian American Studies: War, Empire and Migration”, and “Gender and Race in Ethnic Studies Film.”
Students have responded enthusiastically to his courses, especially those who are interested in learning about their own origins.
“Certain students who take my classes want to know more about their own histories,” says Villegas. “I see my role in academia as jump-starting a conversation rather than the end-point of learning about refugees or learning about farm workers.”
