A bit about Professor Villaraza

A little bit about me: 

Personal Identity: I identify as Filipina/x/o American or Pinay. I am involved in various projects globally, nationally, and in the Bay Area that address the experiences and histories of Filipina/x/os in the United States. My passion and purpose in life are guided by my commitment to serve my community and the desire to see all of my students find their own life purpose. I very much love what I do.

I recently became a mom and this new identity has challenged me to think about how I can continue in the advocacy and mentorship work that I do. My little one has taught me to slow down for a bit. But now that they* are here, it has become even more clear that  the work does not stop - can not stop - because they are now part of this world that we are shaping. They have challenged me to think about what sort of world I want to see for them, to build for them, to leave them. That's a scary thing to think about - but something for which we are all responsible. 

Profession: I am a historian by trade and training, but I am a storyteller at heart. History is not just censored write-ups and timelines we find in books and classrooms; it is the narratives shared through generations, the stories told and retold. It is the gossip whispered through the cracks in parchment, the rumors that plague mighty figures, the events of the past that destroy despots and dictators. History is a living, breathing, ever evolving moment - and it is an exciting thing to explore. It is, as my mentor and dear friend, the late Dr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, once (cheekily) said "History is tsismis (gossip) with footnotes." 

Education: I earned my PhD in History with a concentration in Southeast Asian Studies from Northern Illinois University (2017). I specialize in Philippine History, Race and Ethnicity in US History, US Immigration History, and Southeast Asian History. My interests as a cultural historian attend to questions of belonging, identity, nationalism, and power.  I also hold two master's degrees (education and history) and two bachelor's degrees (history and Asian American Studies). With these degrees comes responsibility - responsibility to help those who are coming up next carve their own path. I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors who came before me and helped me carve my path. It is now my turn to do the same for others. How can I help you?

Teaching philosophy and pedagogy (some may find this TLDR, but I encourage you to read this)

"Pedagogy" is a fancy way of saying "this how I teach."  I am a big believer in asking questions, exploring context and causation, and making connections. It goes without saying that in each of these processes I expect students to think critically. So in each class I teach I spend a lot of time asking questions and waiting. Waiting for students to make connections and watching for the light bulb, the "A-HA" moment that eventually shows up on a student's face. That is the reward for me - watching that knowledge grow and blossom.  

I like to say that I teach like a toddler because the greatest question to lead with is "WHY?" WHY did the Dust Bowl occur? WHY did the United States desire to expand? WHY did President Rodrigo Duterte want to pivot away from the US? WHY do the family dynamics of Filipinos change as a result of immigration? WHY is there a separation of indigenous art from nation-named (i.e. Philippine) art? Asking about the WHY of things allows me to see how deep your thinking goes about a certain piece of information. 

The other question(s) that I like to ask is a follow of to the WHY - "So What?" or "What does that have to do with now?" or "What does this have to do with me?" The follow up questions demonstrate to me how you connect to the information and make it your own. 

As such, I want to be clear about how I teach and engage history as a subject: education - and history specifically - is not objective. There is no such thing as objective information, no such thing as an absolute "right" answer when it comes to understanding the experience of a people, a community, a nation, a state. Basic things can be "right" or factual - WHEN something happened, WHO was involved, WHERE it took place. But the WHY and the SO WHAT often emerges from interpretation.  What we know - and how we've come to know it - has been filtered by those who write books, determine curriculum, show up on TV, hold power.  As such, my function as an educator has always been to articulate a perspective that may counter that power dynamic and shine light on the histories of marginalized and oppressed communities across the globe.  

It is also my responsibility to articulate how my existence and experience - as a woman of color, daughter of immigrants, descendant of colonized peoples - informs my process and perspectives. I do this to validate the reality that ALL of our experiences informs the fabric of the spaces we occupy, not just those of the victors. No one wins if there are communities among us who are marginalized and/or oppressed.  This is an ongoing learning process and dialogue. I have no problem with being wrong; I just wish more people in our world were able to accept their own fallibility (ability to be wrong) so that we could have more productive conversations. So as we move through this semester, I want you to think about your own perspectives and subjectivities. 

That being said, at the onset of each new semester, I promise all my students is that my own perspectives and political views will never interfere with how they are graded as long as the work submitted is well articulated, sources cited are valid and vetted, and that they are willing to listen and engage in reasonable and civil dialogue about other perspectives. If you haven't caught on yet, I identify- politically - as more progressive. However, that does not mean that I cannot critique the progressive part of the political spectrum. It also does not mean that I am closed off to having conversations with those on conservative part of the political spectrum. We are all adults, have a right to our perspectives; we just have to work on civil civic engagement. 

The final thing I hold on to is this: I am pretty confident many will not remember a good chunk of the information that is thrown at them throughout the semester (I always say 70%, but who knows). Dates, events, names, names of theories, etc - most of that will stay in one's brain for as long as necessary and then fall into the chasm of irrelevant information and eventually fade away (Like in "Inside Out" by Pixar - That moment where Riley's imaginary friend fades away after he and Joy fall into the pit...but I digress). People tend to retain what they find interesting; I call these "nerd nuggets." I hope you find some "nerd nuggets" as you move through these courses.

My fundamental hope is that students walk away from courses I teach with the following:  a) a greater sense of who they are as a learner, b) a greater sense of who they are as one living and participating in the daily grind of this country and this global society we live in, c) a greater sense of their responsibility to our collective experience as humans, and d) their role in making this planet we live on a bit more tolerable each day.

(* - I use the non-gendered pronoun "they" as a means of protecting my little one's privacy and identity for the time being)

Thank you for hanging on and reading to this point. Extra credit (5 points) to those who message me via Canvas with a short note about what you found most interesting about what was shared above.