Javier Gonzalez-Meeks
Assistant Professor of History
Grossmont College
javier.gonzalezmeeks@gcccd.edu
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Hi scholars! Welcome to my website. In the course browser you will find pages to the various History courses I teach along with a liquid syllabus. The liquid syllabus is mobile-friendly and can easily be accessed from your smartphone. I encourage you to bookmark this site on your phone so it's easy to find and reference when you need it. There is also a page focused on my grading philosophy and recorded presentations.
All my courses offer Free OER Textbooks.
What is OER? It means Open Educational Resource. I will provide free on-line accessible textbooks or articles for our class to read instead of spending $$$ on a textbook.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
I am a social and cultural historian, so we are going to be looking at the experiences of people in the past, based on social categories (race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc.), and how these categories intersect. We are going to learn about these experiences through primary sources and analyze the way power operated/operates in society. Historical trends and cause and effect will be the focus, rather than memorizing dates, military battles, and “Great Men” of history. Recognizing bias, evaluating arguments and evidence, and interpreting sources are all part of the work we will be doing. Finally, making connections between your lives and experiences and those of people in the past are vital to understanding society today and your place within it.
ABOUT ME
I have been teaching for 9 years at various campuses around San Diego but Grossmont College is my new home which I love. I teach both sections of World History (Early and Modern) and Comparative History of the Americas (Early and Modern). Occasionally I will teach both sections of USA History.
I am from the Los Angeles area and moved to San Diego when I went to grad school at SDSU. Before that, I attended and played football at Cerritos College (3-Time Strawberry Bowl Championship Teams '98 - '00). I transferred to CSU Long Beach majoring in Communication Studies while working several jobs (Security Guard, Film Production Assistant, Barnes & Noble, Food Server). Eventually I graduated with a BA and continued my education at CSU Long Beach in the Religious Studies Graduate Program. My research focused on Ancient Mediterranean Religion with a focus on the History and Literature Early Christianity under the supervision of Dr. F. Stanley Jones. My wife and I moved down to San Diego and we both continued our education in the Graduate History Department at San Diego State University. My background in Syriac/Aramaic language allowed me to continue my research in that ancient language in researching the life of Byzantine Empress Theodora from the Syriac sources. My Master's Thesis "Negotiating Bodies: Empress Theodora and al-Khayzuran" focused on how ancient author's represented women in power in Late Antiquity. My MA advisor and mentor Dr. Elizabeth Pollard would also help guide my pedagogy in teaching Early World History while I was her Graduate Teaching Assistant. I also researched Medieval European History with Dr. Matt Kuefler. While studying Medieval Spanish History I analyzed the construction of masculinity the kings of Aragon found in the Chronicle of San Juan de la Pena. My wife is a Latin American specialist and it is from her that I picked up more of an interest in Latin American history.
My wife and I have two young boys, who keep us very busy.
While I know juggling work, school, and kids is rough but it is worth it and I hope to see you soon!
My Academic Background
My Academic Background
AA Cerritos College
BA CSU Long Beach, Communications Studies
MA CSU Long Beach, Religious Studies
MA SDSU, History
Courses I Teach
Courses I Teach
History 100 Early World (Fall & Spring)
History 101 Modern World (Fall & Spring
History 115A History of the Americas (Fall)
History 115B History of the Americas (Spring)
History 108 Early History of the USA (Fall)
History 109 Modern History of the USA (Spring)
Contact Me!
Contact Me!
Email: javier.gonzalezmeeks@gcccd.edu
Twitter: @Javier_History
IG: prof_gonzalezmeeks
SDICCA Mentor
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