IRES Faculty

Edward M. Olivos

Professor
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Critical and Sociocultural Studies in Education, Curriculum & Teaching, Curriculum and Teacher Education, Educational Foundations, IRES, Latinx
Phone: 541-346-2983
Office: Lokey Education 111
Research Interests: The Relationship Between Bicultural Parents and Schools, the Development of Bilingual Educators

Jeffrey Ostler

Professor of History Emeritus
History, IRES, Native American Studies
Phone: 541-346-1265
Research Interests: The History of the American West, with A Particular Focus On American Indian History

Priscilla Peña Ovalle

Associate Professor
Comics and Cartoon Studies, IRES, Cinema Studies
Phone: 541-346-0060
Office: 315 McKenzie Hall, 6223 University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403
Office Hours: By Appointment
Research Interests: Media Studies, Race/Ethnicity, Dance, Mainstream Popular Culture, Media Hairstyles

Laura Pulido

Professor
Geography, IRES, Latinx
Phone: 541-346-0918
Office Hours: Mondays 2-3 pm; Tuesdays 1-2 pm
Research Interests: Cultural Memory, Chicana/o Studies, Critical Human Geography, Environmental Justice

Arifa Raza

Assistant Professor
IRES
Research Interests: Immigration/crimmigration, Critical Race Theory, carceral studies, comparative ethnic studies, human trafficking

Yvette Saavedra

Associate Professor
WGSS Director of Graduate Studies
IRES, Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies
Office Hours: On Sabbatical: I am away from campus on sabbatical research leave for the 2025-2026 Academic Year. I am reviewing email less frequently and my response time will be slower than usual. Thank you for your patience. <br /> Office hours: Not available. If I serve as your undergraduate thesis advisor or am on your graduate committee and you need to meet with or contact me, please email me at YJS@uoregon.edu<br /> Director of Graduate Studies: In my absence, the position of Director of Graduate Studies for WGSS will be Dr. Yu-Fang Cho ( yufangc@uoregon.edu ), please direct all Grad Certificate, advising, and GE inquiries to her.
Research Interests: Chicanx History and Studies; Chicana Lesbian Feminist Theory; U.S.-Mexico Borderlands History and Studies; History of U.S. West; 19th and 20th century U.S History; California History; 19th and 20th century gender and sexuality in the U.S.

Leilani Sabzalian

Associate Professor
College of Education, Critical and Sociocultural Studies in Education, Curriculum & Teaching, Curriculum and Teacher Education, Educational Foundations, IRES, Sapsikwala Program
Phone: 541-346-1535
Research Interests: Indigenous Education, Native Feminisms, Curriculum Studies, Teacher Education, Elementary Social Studies Education

Irum Shiekh

Pro Tem Instructor
IRES
Phone: 541-346-0900

Cera Smith

Assistant Professor
Black Studies, IRES
Phone: 541-346-1343
Research Interests: U.S. Black Literatures (African American, Afro-Latinx, and other Black diasporic), Radical Protest Literatures of the U.S., Black Studies, Critical Race Theories, Affect Theory, Gender and Sexuality, Histories of Science and Medicine, Health Humanities

Lynn Stephen

Philip H. Knight Chair, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Anthropology
Co-Director of Graduate Studies (Anthropology), Graduate Faculty in Ethnic Studies, Participating Faculty in Latin American Studies, Women's and Gender Studies
Anthropology, CLLAS, Food Studies, IRES, Latinx, SAIL
Phone: 541-346-5168
Office: 316 Condon Hall, 1218 University Of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-1218
Office Hours: T/R 1:30 -2:30 in person in 316 Condon, or by appointment
Research Interests: Gender, Race and Ethnicity, Migration, Indigenous Peoples, Americas, Legal Pluralism, Social Memory, Testimony, Gender Violence

Jessica Vasquez-Tokos

Professor
IRES, Sociology
Phone: 541-346-5165
Office: 715 PLC, 1291 University Of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-1291
Office Hours: Spring 2025: By Appointment
Research Interests: Race and Ethnicity, Latinos/as/xs in the U.S., Family Life Course and Society, Qualitative Approaches

Sarah D. Wald

Associate Professor, Environmental Studies & English
English, Environmental Studies, Food Studies, IRES, Latinx
Phone: 541-346-1613
Office: PLC 443
Office Hours: Tues, 7pm-8pm (Zoom) <br /> Thur, 3:20pm-5:20pm (PLC 443 or Zoom)<br /> *3:20-3:45 reserved for in person meetings for ENVS 203 students (w/o appointment)<br /> <br /> Sign Up for Office Hours: https://goo.gl/ZUocxh<br />
Research Interests: Environmental Justice, Environmental Humanities, Asian American Literary and Cultural Studies, Latinx Literary and Cultural Studies, Food Studies, Farmworker Justice, Immigration/Migration, 20/21st Century US Literature, American Studies

Julie Weise

Associate Professor, Department of History
Digital Humanities, History, IRES, Latinx
Phone: 541-346-4833
Research Interests: Identity, Citizenship, Migration, Race, and Nations in the Americas and the world through the lens of history.