Three new faculty members in the department of ethnic studies at the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder are helping students prepare to live and work in a global community.
Lisa Sun-Hee Park, David Pellow and Kenneth Orona bring expertise in interdisciplinary teaching and research, with an emphasis on global issues and multiracial thought and experiences, to the Boulder campus.
"Professors Park, Pellow and Orona exemplify the new generation of scholars who work very comfortably and creatively in interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, comparative and collaborative ways," said Evelyn Hu-DeHart, professor and chair of the department of ethnic studies.
"We are very fortunate that they have chosen to begin their promising academic careers at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder. It is now our challenge as an institution to retain them."
Two of the new professors have joint appointments with other departments.
Park, an Asian American, is an assistant professor in women's studies and ethnic studies. She earned her doctorate in sociology at Northwestern and recently completed post-doctoral study at the University of California, San Francisco.
Park's research interests include international migration, Asian American families, immigrant women's labor and global political economy. She is excited to be at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder.
"The faculty in both ethnic and women's studies are very welcoming and are on the cutting edge of important and exciting research and teaching in global, comparative and interdisciplinary study. This feels like a good place for me to be," she said.
Pellow, an African American, is an assistant professor in sociology and ethnic studies. He also earned his doctorate from Northwestern. Pellow's research expertise includes social stratification, environmental justice studies and social movements.
He is teaching a course on environmental racism, an overview of literature that combines theory-building with student research projects. A graduate seminar that he also teaches is an in-depth exploration of theories in racial formation, with particular attention to racial dynamics in workplaces and communities in the United States.
"My job is to challenge students' worldviews, engage them in critical thinking about how social inequality and injustice in our society impact all of us and research and develop new ideas for transforming the world we live in," Pellow said.
Kenneth Orona, a Chicano and a ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder alumnus, is an ethnic studies instructor teaching "Introduction to Chicano History," "Rethinking Southwestern Studies" and "Race and Identity in Post-Colonial History."
Orona received his doctorate from Yale University and his areas of research are environmental, ethnic and cultural history. He earned a master's degree in history from ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder in 1993.
"Through my research I have seen how different ethnic groups interact with each other and the environment, and how they accommodate and conflict during change," Orona said.
"I hope to use the knowledge I've gained in my research to help students better understand the dynamics of ethnicity and identity and provide them with new ways of thinking about history."
All three of the new faculty have published widely and are recipients of awards, fellowships and grants.
The department of ethnic studies seeks to provide a cohesive framework for the study of ethnic and racial groups and to promote research and critical examination of culture, history and contemporary issues, including domestic and global interactions. Studies also include recognition and incorporation of multicultural definitions and values in the university curriculum.
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