Teaching
In this section, you can find my teaching philosophy, the courses I taught, and feedback from my students. If you are interested in any of the syllabus contact me.
Teaching Philosophy
Four principles guide my teaching practice:
Principle One
Co-Construction of Knowledge
The co-construction of knowledge is facilitated through three methods. The first involves collectively designing sections of the syllabus. In each class, I encourage students to suggest changes to the content based on principles outlined at the beginning of the semester or quarter. Students can propose authors, topics, and methods at two designated points during the period. These proposals are then negotiated to cover the essential concepts of the field.
The second method entails constructing collective narratives and interpretations. At least half of our class time is dedicated to conversations, negotiations, debates, and discussions aimed at developing interpretations of authors, theories, or significant contributions within the field. I intentionally avoid imposing hierarchical narratives to encourage students to create a collective understanding. This approach includes formal debates, games, and contests where students defend points based on assigned readings. Depending on class size and topic, I organize at least two debates per semester or quarter.
The third method involves actively working to decolonize and diversify the syllabus. Academic disciplines inevitably reflect biases related to race, gender, geography, and class of knowledge producers. I strive to co-create syllabi that address historical inequalities. The goal is to decentralize and decolonize authors, methods, disciplines, and approaches, while critically examining our own perspectives.
The second method entails constructing collective narratives and interpretations. At least half of our class time is dedicated to conversations, negotiations, debates, and discussions aimed at developing interpretations of authors, theories, or significant contributions within the field. I intentionally avoid imposing hierarchical narratives to encourage students to create a collective understanding. This approach includes formal debates, games, and contests where students defend points based on assigned readings. Depending on class size and topic, I organize at least two debates per semester or quarter.
The third method involves actively working to decolonize and diversify the syllabus. Academic disciplines inevitably reflect biases related to race, gender, geography, and class of knowledge producers. I strive to co-create syllabi that address historical inequalities. The goal is to decentralize and decolonize authors, methods, disciplines, and approaches, while critically examining our own perspectives.
Student Feedback
“I really enjoyed the way that the content was conveyed. It was a very hands–on approach that we had to take as we would debate topics or propose solutions to real issues. The in–class activities that he designed were helpful for synthesizing the information he taught.”
UC Berkeley Undergrad
UC Berkeley Undergrad
“Professor Villacis is a great instructor. He was always trying to get student feedback and adjust the syllabus accordingly. The topics and readings were also really interesting as were the structured discussions and debates we had in class. He also is a great instructor for office hours connecting students to further resources.”
UC Berkeley Undergrad
UC Berkeley Undergrad
“I felt like he truly listened to student feedback and cared a lot about catering the class to how we learned. I also liked how every activity we did included high degrees of positionality. We almost never examined something in a vacuum; there were always outside social, economic, and political factors at play with everything we discussed. Certainly one of the best professors at Bowdoin.”
Bowdoin College Undergrad
Bowdoin College Undergrad
Principle Two
Amicable Environments
The second principle guiding my teaching is the building of enjoyable and friendly environments. I aim to foster and encourage conversations beyond formal interactions. Depending on the course level (undergraduate or graduate), I employ tools like “punch cards” to stimulate discussions during office hours or enhance interaction with teaching assistants.
The goal is to present the learning experience as approachable and inclusive. This approach is especially important to support the inclusion of students of color and those from underrepresented minorities who may not typically see professors as approachable mentors.
The goal is to present the learning experience as approachable and inclusive. This approach is especially important to support the inclusion of students of color and those from underrepresented minorities who may not typically see professors as approachable mentors.
Principle Three
Mixed Methods
I intentionally and explicitly avoid the exclusivity of quantitative or quantitative approaches. I allocate time and practical references to demonstrate that social scientists need to study the societies as they are, which implies their comprehension in its own complexity: a world where qualitative and quantitative narratives, tools, and epistemologies navigate together. The challenge is to find, collectively, the qualitative component of quantitative narratives and vice versa.
Principle Four
Critical Thinking
The principles converge within a comprehensive framework aimed at fostering critical thinking. This framework involves not only a thorough examination of commonly accepted assumptions but also the explicit recognition of the four roles of social scientists: professionals, policymakers, public intellectuals, and critical thinkers. Defining these roles contributes to co-constructing knowledge by challenging the legitimacy of moral viewpoints, dogmas, and the importance of public dialogue.
