Villanueva's research focuses on both ethnic studies and critical sports studies. The critical sports research examines nationhood, nationalism, and social justice. Ethnic studies research looks at race and nationalism, with an emphasis on Latinos in the United States. Villanueva examines the lynching of Mexicans in the Texas borderlands during the period from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, with particular interest in transnational perspectives on violence during the Mexican Revolution. The outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910 was an important event for both nations; it sparked a civil war among Mexicans, but it also led to hostilities between Anglos and Mexicans in the borderlands. Villanueva's current research examines the history of LGBTQ athletes in the sport of rodeo, and the formation of the International Gay Rodeo Association. Villanueva is currently writing an autoethnography on the International Gay Rodeo Association.
keywords
Borderlands, American West, Latina/o Studies, US History, Ethnic Studies, LGBTQIA+ Studies, Critical Sport Studies, Nationhood & Nationalism, Sports Law, Collective Violence, Cyberbullying, Autoethnography
ETHN 2001 - Foundations of Comparative Ethnic Studies: Race, Gender and Culture(s)
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Summer 2018
Introduction to the study of race, ethnicity and gender in the United States. Overview of concepts, theories and analytic frames that shape the interdisciplinary field of Ethnic Studies. Focuses on historic, institutional, legal and cultural issues that impact African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Chicanas and Chicanos, European Americans, Native Americans and Indigenous peoples in the U.S.
ETHN 3024 - Introduction to Critical Sports Studies
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Summer 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Summer 2020 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023
Learn to think in an informed and critical way about sports in society. Examine the socio-cultural significance of sports as it relates to topics such as youth, social class, race/ethnicity, gender, identity, and intercollegiate athletics. Readings, class discussions, videos, and guest speakers will help expand our understanding of this important social phenomenon.
ETHN 3101 - Selected Topics in Ethnic Studies
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2020
Intensive examination of a particular topic, theme, issue, or problem in ethnic studies as chosen by the instructor. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours on different topics. Recommended prerequisite: ETHN 2001.
ETHN 3701 - Gender, Sport and Culture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Summer 2021
Critically examines the experiences of girls and women in American sport from a psycho-socio-cultural perspective with a particular emphasis on the constructs of gender, race, class and sexuality and how these constructs both independently and collectively mediate the female sport experience. Explores theories and interpretive frameworks from sport studies, feminist studies, race studies, psychology and cultural studies. Recommended prerequisite: ETHN 3024.
ETHN 3704 - Athlete as a National Symbol: Nationhood/Nationalism, Sport
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Summer 2019 / Summer 2021 / Summer 2022 / Summer 2023
This is a global seminar that explores the nationalistic terrain of sport as a way to understand how athletes became a symbol of nationhood and how they are influenced by, and themselves influence, other aspects of society and culture. Using historical and contemporary examples, this course examines how race, gender, sexuality, economics and the media constructed the nationalistic world of sports today.
ETHN 3707 - Critical Study of Race and Ethnicity in Sports Films
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020 / Summer 2020 / Summer 2022
Examines how race/ethnicity, gender, identity, social class, and nationalism are represented in sport films. The films examined will follow historical social movements throughout the twentieth century, as well as socio-cultural topics today. Readings, class discussions, videos, and guest speakers will help expand our understanding of this important social phenomenon. Recommended prerequisite: ETHN 3024.
ETHN 4714 - Sport for Social Justice
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
Takes a look at the nuanced and controversial relationship between sport and peace. Although sport is heralded as a powerful tool for social good, drawing attention to causes such as conflict resolution, HIV prevention, environmental initiatives and improved international relationships, it also continues to reflect and reproduce social inequalities in ways commonly overlooked. Recommended prerequisite: ETHN 3024. Same as ETHN 5714.
ETHN 4961 - Honors Thesis 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019
Supervised original research project in the field of ethnic studies. The goal is to make substantial progress on a written honors thesis that will be orally defended and submitted to the Honors Program of the College of Arts and Sciences. Department enforced restriction: application and acceptance into the ETHN Honors Program.
ETHN 4971 - Honors Thesis 2
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
Supervised original research project in the field of ethnic studies. The goal is to complete progress on a written honors thesis that will be orally defended and submitted to the Honors Program of the College of Arts and Sciences. Department enforced prerequisite: application and acceptance into the ETHN Honors Program.
ETHN 5714 - Sport for Social Justice
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023
Takes a look at the nuanced and controversial relationship between sport and peace. Although sport is heralded as a powerful tool for social good, drawing attention to causes such as conflict resolution, HIV prevention, environmental initiatives and improved international relationships, it also continues to reflect and reproduce social inequalities in ways commonly overlooked. Same as ETHN 4714.
ETHN 6001 - Research Methods in Comparative Ethnic Studies
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Examines various humanistic and social science research methodologies and applies critical frameworks (including feminist, queer, Indigenous and decolonial theories) to research through an intersectional lens committed to analyzing race, class, gender and sexuality as interconnected, knowledge-producing systems of power. Examines how Ethnic Studies scholars can engage with social justice projects by producing knowledge in cutting edge ways.
ETHN 6101 - Topics: Specialized Comparative Studies
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2024
Focuses on a variety of advanced interdisciplinary studies. Themes include: Race and Sports, Critical Whiteness Studies, Race and Masculinity, Applied Community Engagement, Black Women in the Diaspora, US/Mexico Border Cultures, Criminalization and Latinas/os, Race, Violence and Film, and Cuba and Tourism. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Recommended requisite: ETHN coursework.
ETHN 6841 - Advanced Directed Readings in Ethnic Studies
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019 / Spring 2024
This is a graduate level directed readings course designed to expand student knowledge in a particular area of concentration with a broad interdisciplinary and comparative framework. These areas of concentration include work in Africana, American Indian, Asian American, Chicana and Chicano and Transnational/Hemispheric ethnic studies. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
