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Sonya Alemán, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Sonya Alemán, Ph.D.

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Bio

Sonya M. Alemán, Ph.D. (she/her/ella) is an Associate Professor in the Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department and Mexican American Studies Program at the University of Texas, San Antonio. She has served as Director of UTSA’s Women’s Studies Institute since 2022. She received her BA from St. Mary’s University, an MA from the University of Texas, Austin, and a PhD from the University of Utah. A Chicana from south Texas, she studies mainstream media representations of communities of color, alternative media content produced by communities of color, and manifestations of race, racism, and whiteness in the media. In addition, she is invested in improving the educational experiences of students of color. She draws on critical race theory and Chicana feminism to inform both her scholarship and pedagogy. She developed and teaches Texas’ first class based on the life and career of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla. She served as Editor of Chicana/Latina Studies from 2017-2022. She is published in Critical Studies in Media Communication; Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies; Review of Research in Education; Race Ethnicity & Education; and International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.

 

Teaching

  • Selena
  • Intro to Chicano Studies
  • Latino Cultural Expressions

 

Research Interests

  • Race and Racism
  • Journalism Pedagogy
  • Latina/o Media and Communication Studies
  • Chicano student media; Educational Equity for Latino students
  • Critical Race Theory
  • Chicana Feminism
  • Chicano Studies

 

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Communication, University of Utah, 2009
  • M.A., Journalism, University of Texas, 1999 
  • B.A., English/Communications, St. Mary's University, 1995

 

Honors and Awards

Publications

  • Alemán, S.M. & Baéz, J. (2024). More than tortillas: The transgressive possibilities of the Chicano-centric Party of Five reboot in a racially dissonant television landscape.
  • Aztlán 49(1), 47-78. Alemán, S. M., Bahena, S., & Alemán, Jr., E. (2022). Chicana/o/x educational pipelines as critical race heuristics: Tools for pedagogy, politicization and praxis. Teachers College Record, 124(2), 33-59.
  • Alemán, S. M. (2018). Mapping Latina/o and Chicana intersectionality along educational frameworks of power. Review of Research in Education, 42(1), 177–202.
  • Alemán, S. M. & Alemán, Jr., E. (2016). Critical race media projects: Counterstories and praxis (re)claim Chicana/o experiences. Urban Education, 51(3), 287–314.