Dr. Palaita teaches courses in other fields such as Ethnic Studies, Diversity and Social Justice, and Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies.
Below you'll find a viewable curriculum vitae (CV)/resume of some of the work in academia that I've been engaged in to give you a better idea of my own preparation for the courses I teach. If you see something in my CV that interests you or have questions about, please feel free to send me a message.
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EDUCATION:
H.S. Diploma Cum Laude, Waipahu High School (1997)
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Geography, University of Washington, Seattle (2003)
Master of Arts (MA), Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley (2005)
Leadership Certificate, National Association of Pacific American Leadership Institute, Honolulu, HI (2006)
Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley (2015)
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DOCTORAL (Ph.D.) DISSERTATION:
Title: “VASA (Ocean)-The Space that is Sacred: Pacific Islanders in Higher Education”
Abstract: “Vasa (Ocean)—The Space that is Sacred: Pacific Islanders in Higher Education,” investigates how Pacific Islander students across three college campuses—City College of San Francisco, University of Washington, Seattle, and the University of California, Berkeley—change their schools and educational experience through the use of their indigenous cultures and cultural practices (ocean). Creating a voice for an often invisible community in higher education, students “talk-story” about the challenges and triumphs of their journey in higher education while questioning the politics of knowledge production, identity constructions, indigenous cultural practices, community formations, and inclusion in their schools. The project illustrates how these Pacific Islander movements are critiques of diversity in post-secondary educational institutions and also explores students’ engagement with contemporary colonization as a way of understanding their personal lives, their families and communities, and their worlds.
Dissertation Committee: Patricia Penn Hilden, Ph.D. (chair), Michael Omi, Ph.D. (member), Rick C. Bonus, Ph.D. (member), Waldo Martin, Ph.D. (outside member/Department of History), Toeutu Fa'aleva, Ph.D. (Advisory)
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PUBLICATIONS
Palaita, David G., et al. “Matamai: The Vasa (Ocean) in Us: A Collection of short stories, poems, works of art, and music by students Pacific Islander Studies.” Achiote Press. Berkeley, CA. 2011.
Palaita, David G. et al. “Matamai 2: Intersecting Knowledge across the Diaspora.” Ala Press. Honolulu, HI. 2013
Palaita, David G. et al. “Matamai 3: We Are Ocean: Celebrating Pacific Islands Studies.” Ala Press. Honolulu, HI. (forthcoming)
Palaita, David G., Michael Tuncap, William Ta'ufo'ou. “Famalaoan ki Moana: Pacific Islander Women in Higher Education.” University of California, Berkeley. 2007.
Dr. Palaita's Curriculum Vitae (CV)/Resume