Ruth hernÁndez
lecturer of sociology
![Ruth Hernández Ruth Hernández](/cltl/featured/images/Hernandez-Nov2019.jpg)
Ruth Hernández
Ruth Marleen Hernández is a sociologist committed to enacting social change through
scholarship and teaching. Her research and teaching interests lie in the intersection
of gender, international migration, and Latinx communities. Her current research project
examines how Mexican migrant families create and maintain transnational ties via social
justice theater and other cultural performances.
In her classes, Professor Hernández draws on her experience as an activist and board
member for NGOs in Mexico and the U.S. to enrich classroom dialogue about social justice
issues, forging a bridge between academia and the broader community.
In the past, she has co-taught classes with social justice advocates from Mexico,
documentary filmmakers, and former students immersed in social justice efforts. At
Թϱ College, Professor Hernández has developed a course (SOC 251D Latinx Communities)
that gives students applied sociology skills. Together with the Saratoga Immigration
Coalition (SIC), her students have worked on programming to raise awareness about
the inequities Latinx migrants face in the local community. She continues this relationship
and plans to develop this aspect of her course further this coming spring.
Finally, Professor Hernández’s family history of migration – she was born in Guadalajara,
Mexico and migrated to Los Angeles, California at the age of one – as well as her
intersecting identities as a first-generation college graduate from a working-class
background, has impacted how she mentors students, particularly those from marginalized
backgrounds.