My areas of interest in teaching include social, community and international development; qualitative inquiry and research methods; historical memory, oral history and social reconstruction, socio-cultural dimensions of violence; immigration and refugee issues; Latin American studies and participatory action research. One of my key responsibilities as a teacher is to ensure that the classroom is a democratic learning environment where every student is recognized as a unique learner. I teach in ways that include the experiential and socio-cultural dimensions of learning and that engage students with vital social issues faced in contemporary multicultural societies. I use teaching methodologies that are participatory, promote critical thinking skills and a creative exploration of the field.
I draw on my knowledge and experience as an applied (praxis) anthropologist and as popular educator in Latin and North America to stress the socio-cultural and political complexities of social development and social justice interventions. From an interdisciplinary perspective, I aim to strengthen students’ research and analytical skills and new kinds of theoretical understandings. My development of courses such as “Social/Community Development and Participatory Action Research” and “Community(ies): Approaches, Debates and Fields of Praxis” has have? fostered successful partnerships and knowledge creation between universities and community organizations. In teaching as well as in conducting research, I am committed to strengthening knowledge exchange about contemporary social problems between educational institutions in the South and the North.