Tanya Grace Velasquez, M.A.

I am a first-generation, Mexican and Chinese American college graduate and an Associate Teaching Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington Tacoma. My course content includes examining the production, re-production and function of racialized social systems, the history and experience of Asian Americans, critical multiculturalism in education, and intersectionality. I teach courses that introduce the use of the sociological imagination as a critical lens with which to read the world. I encourage students to think of their college degree as a tool for creating social change.

I am currently serving as a co-chair and board member for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges’ Cross Institutional Faculty of Color Mentoring Program. Our work is dedicated to faculty mentoring and caucus work as methods for enhancing faculty retention and supplementing professional development. Also, I work with the Office of Equity and Inclusion as a Director of Faculty Engagement and Racial Equity Initiatives to support trainings in anti-racist pedagogy and inclusive teaching.

My scholarly interests include: Interdisciplinary and Developmental models for Anti-racist Pedagogy and Assessment; Racial Formation Theory, Critical Race Theory; Asian American studies; and Intersectionality/Feminist theories in the 21st century.
I teach sociology courses that contribute to the Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies major and the Sociology minor, as well as several other majors.

My courses are designed to support developmental learning, critical thinking, and engagement with transformative knowledge. In my classes, students participate in frequent small group discussions, student led seminars, and activities that promote the application of theory to practice in real world scenarios. The following quote best summarizes my teaching philosophy:

"To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin." - bell hooks

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Faculty of Color Cross Institutional Mentorship Program
Association for Asian American Studies
American Sociological Association; Sections - Race and Ethnicity;
Race, Class and Gender; Teaching Sociology
National Association of Multicultural Education
Critical Ethnic Studies