Faculty & Lecturers
Professor
Email: douglas.carranza@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6487
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254D
Douglas Biography
Douglas Carranza is a Professor in the Department of Central American Studies at California State University, Northridge.
Douglas Carranza Mena received his Ph.D. in Social-Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has taught at California State University Northridge since 2001.
Prof. Carranza is interested in cultural and political issues, particularly in the rigors and conflicts of colonialism in the Central American region. His research agenda is to explore from an interdisciplinary perspective the concepts of space, citizenship, civil society, sovereignty and modes of governing to address Indigenous movements and transnational communities in Central America and in the United States. He has taught a variety of courses that address the Central American diaspora and migration, the contemporary revolutionary processes, modern historiography and identity formation, development, environment and its human impact.
Associate Professor
Email: nancy.perez@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-3585
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254C
Nancy's Biography
Nancy Perez received her B.A. and M.A. in Chicana/o Studies from Cal State Northridge, and her PhD in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. She has lectured in the Central American Studies Department here at CSUN since 2010 and was an Associate Professor at Cal Poly Humboldt in the Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department from 2018-2024.
Nancy’s research examines Central American and Mexican migration, transnational labor histories, contemporary social movements, critical environmental justice, and youth organizing from interdisciplinary perspectives. She is also passionate about ethnic studies and its future, particularly its role in transforming the university and empowering communities.
Associate Professor
Email: ignacio.sarmiento-panez@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6527
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254A
Ignacio's Biography
Dr. Ignacio Sarmiento grew up in Santiago, Chile. After obtaining his Licenciatura (BA) in History from Universidad Diego Portales in 2012, he moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he conducted graduate studies at the University of British Columbia. In 2013, he moved to New Orleans, where he obtained his MA (2015) and Ph.D. (2018) in Spanish from Tulane University. Before coming to CSUN, Dr. Sarmiento was Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American History at SUNY Fredonia, where he taught for six years.
Dr. Sarmiento's research focuses on contemporary Central American Literature and Culture, and the Central American diaspora. He is the author of the forthcoming book Specters of War. The Battle of Mourning in Postconflict Central America (University of Arizona Press, 2025), which analyzes conflicting mourning manifestation in postwar El Salvador and Guatemala. https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/specters-of-war
He also co-edited Central American Migration in the Twenty-First Century (University of Arizona Press, 2023) and (Re)Imaginar Centroamérica en el siglo XXI (Uruk editores, 2017). In 2022, he co-edited "(En)Visioning Central American Migrations: Views from the Diaspora," a special issue of the journal Label Me Latino/a.
Dr. Sarmiento has published articles in journals such as Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispanicos, Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies, Transmodernity, Romance Notes, and Istmo.
He loves teaching, reading, traveling, and playing water polo.
Lecturer
Email: edwin.aguilar@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-2736
Office location: Santa Susana 418
Edwin's Biography
Edwin was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Before arriving at CSUN, Edwin was a Teacher's Assistant at Panorama City elementary school, served as an elementary school Substitute Teacher for LAUSD, and worked as an SI Leader at CSUN during his last year of grad school.
Edwin earned his B.A. and M.A. in English with a focus on Creative Writing from CSUN. His primary genre of writing is poetry where he focuses on escapism and coping from past and present trauma, discovering more about his family's cultural identity, and his passion for raves and music festivals. He is also interested in queer inclusion and representation in adolescent and children's literature.
He is currently attempting to learn Yucatec Mayan from his grandmother.
Lecturer
Email: giovan.alonzi@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6485
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254F
Giovan's Biography
Giovan Alonzi's writing has appeared in 7x7.la, Entropy, PANK, VOLT, The Believer, & Full Stop. At CalArts, where he completed his MFA in Creative Writing, his thesis was awarded the Emi Kuriyama Memorial Thesis Award & he was named a 2018 REEF resident.
Primarily a poet, the concerns of his work have ranged from investigating the existential crises of systematic white supremacy (via nu-metal of the 00's and on) to collapsing tropes of genre-fiction into sudden vignettes driven by the sounds of family; kindness & its resulting impossibilities; & the infinite manifestations of Love as specters, shadows, & silence.
A 2nd-generation Angeleno, he grew up in Van Nuys playing sports & music before moving to San Francisco where he earned his B.A. in English Literature & worked, at different times, as a gymnastics instructor for children, a car-rental salesman, & a produce clerk. At San Francisco State University, he was academically & culturally influenced by its Ethnic Studies Department & its activist legacy. While taking classes in the department, he was also organizing with students against budget cuts that came to a head in 2009 in the CSU & UC systems. These experiences ignited in him an enduring concern for post-colonial literature from around the earth that continues to influence his pedagogy & creative work. He's been back in Los Angeles since 2015 and can't stop talking about it.
In addition to CSUN, he teaches writing composition at East Los Angeles College & has taught creative writing in various parts of Los Angeles - from Loyola Marymount University to Barry J. Nidorf juvenile hall through WriteGirl's 'Bold Ink Writers' program, as well as in other high schools & community centers.
Lecturer
Email: jocelyn.duarte@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6471
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254E
Jocelyn's Biography
Jocelyn Duarte is a dedicated educator and community advocate whose passion lies in empowering marginalized communities, particularly immigrants and women. Since the Spring of 2016, she has served as a part-time faculty member in the Central American and Transborder Studies Department, bringing her expertise and commitment to her teaching and research endeavors.
Her academic journey began with a strong foundation at California State University, Northridge, where she earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Central American Studies and Gender and Women's Studies. This interdisciplinary background laid the groundwork for her future pursuits, emphasizing both cultural understanding and social justice advocacy.
Driven by a desire to delve deeper into the complexities of the Central American diaspora, Jocelyn pursued a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. This advanced degree equipped her with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to explore issues such as transnational motherhood and the impact of technology on familial relationships across borders.
Her research interests extend beyond the academic realm, as she actively engages in community work aimed at addressing the needs of immigrant populations. Through her leadership as the Executive Director of the Salvadoran American Leadership Education Fund (SALEF), she plays a vital role in providing essential educational and legal services to immigrant communities, advocating for their rights and well-being.
At East Los Angeles Community College, Jocelyn continues to make a difference as an educator in the Chicana/o Studies Department. Her dedication to expanding access to education is evident through her efforts to bring Central American Studies courses to the Pico-Union area via Dual Enrollment programs, ensuring that students from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to explore their heritage and culture within an academic setting.
Jocelyn Duarte's journey is characterized by a steadfast commitment to social justice, education, and community empowerment. Through her teaching, research, and community activism, she continues to be a driving force for positive change, inspiring others to join her in creating a more equitable and inclusive society. She is presently working towards a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at California State University Los Angeles.
Lecturer
Email: shahrazad.encinias@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6485
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254F
Shahrazad Biography
Shahrazad Encinias recently joined the Central American Studies Department as part-time faculty.
The San Diego native joins the department from the Sonoran Desert where she spent the past few years teaching and reporting. Her passion for truth and justice have allowed her to report and explore all over Southern California, the U.S.-Mexico region, Delaware, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. She's a freelance journalist and wanderlust.
Education is another passion. Her style of reporting falls into the category of social journalism. Social consciousness runs through her veins and is inculcated into her reporting and academia. Her thesis, "La Lucha Por Un Espacio: Guatemalan Journalists Fighting Against Censorship and Violence," is a clear example of her dedication to make a difference. This was a pioneer study where she traveled to the country and conducted interviews with journalists, faced hardships such as mistrust that she was C.I.A. (because she's from the U.S.), intimidation, and a little bit of fear, yet managed to succeed. It was journalism applied to academia at its finest.
She holds a dual M.A. in Journalism and Latin American Studies from the University of Arizona. In addition, she holds a B.A. in Central American Studies with a minor in Spanish Language Journalism from California State University, Northridge.
Lecturer
Email: stephanie.lemus@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6471
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254E
Stephanie Biography
Dr. Stephanie Lemus grew up in the Pico-Union/Westlake area of Los Angeles with her Salvadoran immigrant mother and her two siblings. She attended California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where she double-majored in Anthropology and Central American Studies, with a minor in African-American Studies.
After graduating from CSUN, she earned a Master's Degree in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) where her primary research focused on the community of the Salvadoran diaspora in Los Angeles. In 2021, Stephanie earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California (USC) Rossier School of Education. She has worked with various non-profit organizations and groups for the past 15 years in community outreach, education, advocacy, healthcare, workforce development and public health.
Currently, Stephanie is an adjunct professor at CSUN's Central American Studies Department, Chicana/o Studies in the Los Angeles Community College District, and Ethnic Studies at Orange Coast Community College. She serves as a Community Advisory Board Member of the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Steering Committee, also as President of the Southern California Association of Latin American Studies (SCALAS), and Vice-President of Paving the Road to Success a 501c3 organization that provides intervention/prevention and re-entry services to youth/young adults, families and communities.
Lecturer
Email: susana.marcelo@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6485
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254F
Lecturer
Email: claudia.e.perez@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6485
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254F
Elizabeth's Biography
Dr. Perez obtained her PhD from the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology, CIESAS - Occidente in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2015 and also, she obtained a master's degree in Spanish at CSUN in 2021 with distinction.
She has worked for more than 22 years in the ethnographic field developing investigations in different topics such as Transnational Migration Diaspora, Family, Gender, Sexuality and Generation in some cities and rural areas with indigenous and mestizo people in Mexico, Guatemala and Southern California.
Lecturer
Email: christian.reyes@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6485
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254F
Christian Biography
Christian has over 10 years of teaching experience in classrooms around the world. He earned his Ph.D. from the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies where his research focused on how U.S.-born children of Central American immigrants create networks of belonging on social media.
In addition to being a lecturer with the Department of Central American and Transborder Studies, Christian is also an Instructional Designer with Faculty Development, where he supports programming promoting inclusive and equitable teaching strategies that support CSUN students of all backgrounds and abilities.
A proud native of Chicago, he currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
Lecturer
Email: freya.rojo@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6471
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254E
Freya's Biography
Freya Rojo has been a part time faculty with the Department of Central American and Transborder Studies since Fall 2008. Her research interests are on the history of colonial América, transpacific history, immigrant communities and the use of social media, music as an instrument of liberation, sports and society and multi-media production for social change. She holds a MA in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, and a BA in Communication Sciences from Universidad de las Americas-Puebla, Mexico. Currently she is a PhD student of Modern History of América at University of Salamanca, Spain.
Lecturer
Email: lizbeth.ruiztorres@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6471
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254E
Lizbeth Biography
Lizbeth Ruiz-Torres has been part time faculty with the Central American Studies Department since Fall 2016.
She has a passion in working with immigrant communities and is a Spanish translator for the KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) non-profit organization. She advocates to change law, policy, and practices to improve the protection of unaccompanied children in the United States, in order to build stronger regional protection framework throughout Central America and Mexico.
Lizbeth holds an M.A. in Human Development with a concentration in Leadership in Education and Human Services from Pacific Oaks College. In addition, an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University and a B.A. in Child & Adolescent Development with a Minor in Child Care Administration from CSUN.
Lecturer
Email: jasmin.tobar@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6471
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254E
Jasmin's Biography
Jasmin Tobar was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA to Salvadoran immigrant parents. By growing up in an immigrant community, Jasmin learned at a young age how to advocate for immigration justice; as she learned how many of the families in her neighborhood fled the US-backed civil wars of Central America. Learning about her family's fight for liberation inspired her to become a community organizer. Jasmin has been a part of grassroots movements since the 2006 immigration mobilization when she was a senior in high school. Jasmin has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with an emphasis in Global Studies and Human Rights from mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles. She received her Masters of Science in Social Work at Columbia University, School of Social Work.
During her time in New York City, she worked at the Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center where she worked as a psychotherapist intern with recently arrived immigrant families and youth experiencing the trauma of migration, intergenerational trauma, and collective trauma. Jasmin's research focuses on historical memory, oral history traditions and healing in the Central American community. She is the co-founder of the Central American Healing Collective which aims to bring forth healing through ancestral practices, narrative approaches, historical memory, oral histories, and clinical-therapeutic methods. She also currently works for the Salvadoran-American Leadership and Educational Fund and organizes around immigration justice, education policy, and works with unaccompanied minors and their families.
Lecturer
Email: karina.zelaya@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-6471
Office location: Jerome Richfield 254E
Karina Biography
Dr. Karina Zelaya, is a Salvadoran immigrant who arrived in Los Angeles in the early nineteen nineties. She earned a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She holds a M.A. in Spanish (Literature) and a PhD in Spanish focused on Central American- Salvadoran literature and cultural production from the University of California, Davis.
Dr Zelaya’s teaching career expands over two decades. She has taught at the high school, college and at the graduate level. Throughout the years teaching, she has developed, adapted, and incorporated various methods, new technologies and strategies to teach courses in Spanish language, culture and literature as well as first year university writing. Overall Dr. Zelaya’s teaching philosophy is rooted in principles of accessibility and commitment to ignite critical thinking. It is defined by the practice of engaged pedagogy. She is committed to making knowledge accessible to her students, and to provide them with the analytical skills necessary to succeed in academia, always guiding and encouraging students to critical reflection and to participate in group discussions flavored with passion, motivation and drive to excel.
As a researcher, Dr. Zelaya has developed a strong track record in collaboration and research in the international realm for her work related to Central American Studies, cultural production, literature, and cultural identity as well as “gestion cultural” or community outreach. Her research focuses on various forms of cultural production- literature, painting, and political essays to understand the definitions, adoption and reconstitution of a given individual and, or collective cultural and national identity. Her earlier work focused on literary representations of popular myth and cultural identity in El Salvador. This work led to various international conference presentations and to the publication of articles in reputable peer-reviewed Central American journals like Istmo and Revista Estudios as well as U.S. a chapter published in the MLA Series in Pedagogy. In addition to research articles, she has co-edited with Keith Moser a collection of essays published as a book in The Metaphor of the Monster (Bloomsbury Press, 2020), and guest edited and coordinated the ninth volume issue of the Californian literary studies journal, Brújula, 2012. This issued focused on The Origins of Central American Narrative Literature, and it remains to this date one of the very few comprehensive collections published on the subject.