Dr. Mora teaches courses on masculinities, youth cultures, education, immigration, violence, & social inequality
Courses | Publications | Presentations
Dr. Mora, who has taught at Oxy since 2006, received the The Linda and Tod Whilte Teaching Prize in 2014 and the Donald Loftsgordon Memorial Award for Outstanding Teacher in 2017. His current research projects focus on masculinities, education, youth cultures, and juvenile justice. He served on the Editorial Board of Gender & Society and is currently servicing as an Advisory Editor for Sociological Perspectives.
Courses
Sociology 370 Sociology of (Non) Violence
This course examines the social phenomenon of human violence. We first consider classical and contemporary sociological theories on violence and violent conflicts, and the main sociological definitions of violence used over the last century. We then turn to empirical studies that explore the social processes and societal structures that give rise to the various forms of violence, intrapersonal, interpersonal, familial, collective, political, and nonviolent movements presently observed throughout the world. Sociology 101 or permission of instructor.
Sociology 490 Senior Seminar in Sociology
Seminar is offered in conjunction with sociology majors' ongoing library research for the senior thesis. Seminar meetings will be devoted to discussion and critique of work in progress. Prerequisite: senior Sociology majors only. We strongly encourage students to have taken theory and methods before taking the senior seminar (always taught in the Fall).
Sociology 225 Masculinities
This course examines the construction and reproduction of masculinities, primarily in the United States. We explore the impact these gendered identities have on individual?s lives and social interactions. Consideration will be given to the intersection of ethnicity, race, class, age, sexual orientation, and gender, and the role of social institutions and inequities in the social construction of masculinities. Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
Sociology 315 Sociology of Education
This course uses different sociological perspectives to examine social aspects of schooling and educational institutions in the United States. Specifically, the course focuses on factors that may impede and/or facilitate learning such as social class, gender, race and ethnicity, teacher and parental expectations, and peers. Additionally, the role of education in the acculturation and assimilation process is considered, as are the ways in which schools ameliorate and/or replicate social inequalities. Prerequisite: Sociology 101 or permission of instructor.
Publications
Articles (Double-Blind Peer Reviewed)
Christianakis, M. & Mora R. 2016. (Re)writing Identities: Past, Present, and Future Narratives of Young People in Juvenile Detention Facilities. Life Writing, 1-16.
Mora, R. and Christianakis, M. 2015. Elite Discourse on Unaccompanied Minors and the U.S.-Mexico Border. iMex, 8: 87-99.
Christianakis, M., Fernandez, S., and Mora, R. 2014. Curricular and Pedagogical Intersectionalities. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 19(2): 95-100.
Mora, R. (2013). “Dicks are for chicks”: Latino Boys, Masculinity, and the Abjection of Homosexuality. Gender and Education, 25(3): 340-356.
Mora, R. & Christianakis, M. 2013. Feeding the School-to-Prison Pipeline: The Convergence of Neoliberalism, Conservatism, and Penal Populism. Journal of Educational Controversy, 7(1).
--- [Christianakis, M. & Mora, R. 2014. Educating, Not Criminalizing, Youth of Color: Challenging Neoliberal Agendas and Penal Populism. In P.L. Thomas, B. Porfilio, J. Gorlewski, & P.R. Carr (Eds.), Social Context Reform: A Pedagogy of Equity and Opportunity, pp. 128-147. Routledge. Revised & Adapted.]
Mora, R. 2012. “Do it for all your pubic hairs!”: Latino Boys, Masculinity, and Puberty. Gender and Society, 26(3): 433-460.
-- [Mora, R. 2015. Latino Boys, Masculinity, and Puberty. In C.J. Pascoe & T. Bridges (Eds.), Exploring Masculinities: Identity, Inequality, Continuity, and Change, pp. 235-244. Oxford University Press. Adapted.]
-- [Mora, R. 2015. Latino Boys, Masculinity, and Puberty. In V. Burr
(Ed.), Gender & Psychology, Volume 3, pp. 260-284. Routledge. Reprinted.]
-- [Mora, R. 2015. Latino Boys, Pubescence, and Masculinity. In Dorothy Hodgson (Ed.), The Gender, Culture, and Power Reader, pp. 171-179. Oxford University Press. Adapted]
Mora, R. 2011. “School is so boring”: High-Stakes Testing and Boredom at an Urban Middle School. Perspectives on Urban Education 9(1).
-- [Mora, R. 2013. Standardized Testing and Boredom at an Urban Middle School. In Joe Bower and P.L. Thomas (Eds.), De-testing and De-grading Schools: Authentic Alternatives to Accountability and Standardization, pp. 96-104. Peter Lang Publishing. Revised & Adapted.]
-- [Mora, R. 2016. B is for Boredom. In Joe Bower and P.L. Thomas (Eds.), De- testing and De-grading Schools: Authentic Alternatives to Accountability and Standardization, Revised Edition. Peter Lang Publishing. Revised & Adapted.]
Mora, R. & Christianakis, M. 2011. Charter Schools, Market Capitalism, and Obama’s Neoliberal Agenda. Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education, 4(1): 93-111.
-- [Christianakis, M. & Mora, R. 2015. Charter Schools & the Privatization of Public Schools. In P.R. Carr & B.J. Porfilio (Eds.), The Phenomenon of Obama and the Agenda for Education: Can Hope Still Audaciously Trump Neoliberalism?, 2nd ed., pp. 95-116. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Revised & Updated.]
-- [Mora, R. & Christianakis, M. 2013. Missing the Mark: Neoliberalism and the Unwarranted Rise of Charter Schools. In J. Gorlewski & B.J. Porfilio (Eds.), Left Behind in the Race to the Top: Realities of School Reform, pp. 85-102. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Revised, Updated.]
-- [Christianakis, M. & Mora R. 2011. Charting a New Course for Public Education through Charter Schools: Where is Obama Taking Us? In P.R. Carr & B.J. Porfilio (Eds.), The Phenomenon of Obama and the Agenda for Education: Can Hope Audaciously Trump Neoliberalism?, pp. 97-119. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Revised & Reprinted]
Mora, R. 2011. Abjection and the Cinematic Cholo: The Chicano Gang Stereotype in Sociohistoric Context. THYMOS: Journal of Boyhood Studies, 5(2): 124-137.
Book Chapters (Open Peer Reviewed)
Mora, R. & Christianakis, M. Forthcoming. College Men, Hypermasculinity, and Sexual Violence. In E. Morris & F. Oeur (Eds.), Unmasking Masculinities in the 21st Century. Sage Press.
Mora, R. & Christianakis, M. 2015. Fit to be T(r)ied: Lost Childhood and the Criminal Court. In N.E. Dowd (Ed.), A New Juvenile Justice: Total Reform for a Broken System, pp. 227-238. New York University Press.
Mora, R. & Christianakis, M. 2013. Local Education Foundations and the Private Subsidizing of Public Education. In C. Gorski & J. Landsman (Eds.), The Poverty and Education Reader: A Call for Equity in Many Voices, pp. 339-248. Stylus Press.
Mora, R., Christianakis, M., & Fernandez, S. (2013). College Curriculum as Counter Discourse: The California Immigration Semester at Occidental College. In E. Daniels and B. Porfilio (Eds.), Dangerous Counterstories in the Corporate Academy: Narrating for Understanding, Solidarity, Resistance, and Community in the Age of Neoliberalism, pp. 61-82. Information Age Publishing.
Christianakis, M. & Mora, R. 2012. Urban Latino Parents’ Narratives of Parent Involvement. In B. Gastic and R.R. Verdugo (Eds.), The Education of the Hispanic Population: Selected Essays, pp. 155-170. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Christianakis, M. & Mora, R. 2012. E pluribus unum: Elementary School Narratives and the Making of National Identity. In H. Hickman and B.J. Porfilio (Eds.), The New Politics of the Textbook: Challenging the Curricular Dominance of Textbooks, pp. 107-126. Sense Publishers.
-- [Christianakis, M. & Mora, R. 2014. E pluribus unum: Elementary School Narratives and the Making of National Identity. In Julia Hall (Ed.), Underprivileged School Children and the Assault on Dignity: Policy Challenges and Resistance, pp. 110-131. New York: Routledge. Reprinted].
Mora, R. & Christianakis, M. 2012. “No Free Rides, No Excuses”: Film Stereotypes of Urban Working Class Students. In M.K. Booker (Ed.), Blue Collar Pop Culture in Film, pp. 167-180. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger Press.
Christianakis, M. & Mora, R. 2012. Class and the Representation of Workers in Children’s Television. In M.K. Booker (Ed.), Blue Collar Pop Culture in Television, pp. 210-223. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger Press.
Mora, R. 2011. Life, Death, and Second Mothering: Mexican American Mothers, Gang Violence, and La Virgen de Guadalupe. In D.S. Silva (Ed.), Chicana/Latina Mothering, pp. 71-86. Demeter Press.
Invited Works (Non-Peer Reviewed)
Mora, R. 2012. The Cinematic Cholo in Havoc. iMex, 2: 66-72.
Encyclopedia Entries
Mora, R. 2014. Zoot Suit Riots. In A. Kindell and E. Demers (Eds.), Encyclopedia of American Populism: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 2, pp. 835-836. ABC-CLIO Publishing.
Mora, R. 2012. José Ángel Gutiérrez Martínez. In C. Tafolla and M.P. Cotera (Eds.), Great Lives from History: Latinos, pp. 436-437. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Mora, R. 2011. Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation. In L. Finley (Ed.), Encyclopedia of School Crime and Violence, pp. 101-104. ABC-CLIO Publishing.
Mora, R. 2011. Monitor the Future Survey. In L. Finley (Ed.), Encyclopedia of School Crime and Violence, pp. 291-292. ABC-CLIO Publishing.
Mora, R. 2011. Joaquín Murrieta. In K. Arnold (Ed.), Anti-Immigration in the United States: An Encyclopedia, pp. 349-351. ABC-CLIO Publishing.
Mora, R. 2011. Model Minority. In K. Arnold (Ed.), Anti-Immigration in the United States: A Encyclopedia, pp. 344-345. ABC-CLIO Publishing.
Book Reviews
Mora, R. Forthcoming. Gender and Migration by Caroline B. Brettell. Gender & Society.
Mora, R. Forthcoming. Latino Young Men and Boys in Search of Justice: Testimonies edited by Frank de Jesús Acosta and Henry A.J Ramos.Camino Real.
Mora, R. 2010. Review of The Woman in the Zoot Suit: Gender, Nationalism, and the Cultural Politics of Memory by Catherine S. Ramírez. Latino Studies, 8: 428-430.
Mora, R. 2010. Review of Erotic Journeys: Mexican Immigrants and their Sex Lives by Gloria González-López. Journal of Men’s Studies 18(1): 111-112.
Mora, R. 2009. Review of Being Normal Is The Only Way To Be by Wayne Martino and Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli. Journal of Men’s Studies 17(3): 259-260.
Mora, R. 2009. Review of Voices of African-American Teen Fathers: “I’m Doing What I Got to Do” by Angelia M. Paschal. Journal of Men’s Studies 17(3): 262-264.
Mora, R. 2009. Review of Dying to be Men: Youth, Masculinity, and Social Exclusion by Gary T. Barker. Journal of Men’s Studies 17(3): 264-266.
Essays, Commentaries, & Opinion-Editorials
Mora, R. 2013. My Tijuana Lost. In S. Cortez and S. Troncoso (Eds.), Our Lost Border: Essays on Life Amid the Narco-Violence, pp. 209-218. Arte Público Press.
Rocha, M., Zavala, S., & Mora, R. 2007. "'Know What I’m Saying?’: Getting to the Root of Interracial Gang Violence." The Undercurrent: Fresno's Paper for Arts, Entertainment, News & Political Analysis, 2(5):7.
Presentations
Conference Presentations
Mora, R. and Christianakis, M. 2015, April. (Re)Writing Identities: Past, Present, and Future Narratives of Young People in Juvenile Detention Facilities. Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Long Beach, CA.
Mora, R. 2015, January. Breaking Out: Incarcerated & Previously Incarcerated Youth Find Hope. International Conference on the Geographies of Children Youth and Families. San Diego, CA.
Mora, R. 2014, October. (Re)Writing Identities: Past, Present, and Future Narratives of Young People in Juvenile Detention Facilities. Rutgers University. New Brunswick, NJ.
Christianakis, M., Fernández, S. & Mora, R. 2012, October. The California Immigration Semester at Occidental College. American Educational Studies Association, Annual Conference. Seattle, WA.
Christianakis, M. and Mora, R. 2011. (Re)Writing Identities: Past, Present, and Future Narratives of Youth in Juvenile Detention Facilities. Multiple Childhoods / Multidisciplinary Perspectives: Interrogating Normativity in Childhood Studies. Rutgers University, Camden, NJ. May 19 – 21 2011.
Mora, R. and M., Christianakis, M. 2011. Teen Motherhood: Controlling Images, Abjection, & Performativity. Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA. March 2011.
Mora, Richard. 2010. “Do it for all your public hairs!”: Latino Boys, Masculinity, and Puberty. Sociology of Children and Youth. Annual Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Oakland, CA. April 8 – April 11 2010.
Mora, R. 2007. Your Word is Your Currency: Conducting Ethical Ethnographic Research. Annual Pacific Sociological Association Meeting, Oakland, CA. March 29 – April 1 2007.
Mora, R. 2006. Latino Boys, Masculinity, and Puberty. American Men’s Studies Association, XIV. Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, April 7-9, 2006.
Mora, R. 2003. ‘Hey, What’s Going On in There?’: An Ethnography of Classroom Dynamics in an Urban Middle School. Education Across the Americas Conference. Teachers College, Columbia University. April 10-11, 2003.
Mora, R. 2001. Smile Now, Cry Later: Mothers of Victims of Gang-Related Violence Speak Out. Globalizing the Streets: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Youth, Social Control and Empowerment in the New Millennium Conference. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. May 2-5, 2001.
Invited Lectures & Presentations
Mora, R. 2014, October 23rd. Lecture. Students’ Peer Cultures in Schools. University of San Diego.
Mora, R. 2014, October 15th. Lecture. Dicks are for Chicks’: Latino Boys, Masculinity, and the Abjection of Homosexuality. The City College of New York.
Mora, R. 2013, May. Faculty Keynote Speaker. Latina/o Graduation Ceremony. Occidental College. Los Angeles, CA.
Mora, R. 2013, April. Panel—The Future of the Asian and Latino Communities: Immigration Reform in L.A. and Beyond. Occidental College. Los Angeles, CA.
Mora, R. 2013, March. Panel—How will L.A. Face its Post-Immigrant Future?" Zócalo Public Square. Los Angeles, CA.
Mora, R. & Fernández, S. 2013, March. California Immigration Semester at Occidental College. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain.
Mora, R. 2013, March. Latino Boys, Masculinity, and the Abjection of Homosexuality. Constructing New Masculinity Research Group. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain.
Mora, R. 2012, April. On Ideas, Life, and Death. Last Lecture Series. Occidental College. Los Angeles, CA.
Christianakis, M. and Mora, R. 2012. Diversity Day: Immigration. Polytechnic High School. Pasadena, CA.
Christianakis, M. and Mora, R. 2012. Children, Development, and the Textual Gun Dilemma. Art Center College of Design. Pasadena, CA.
Mora, R. 2009, May. Invited Lecturer. Teaching Education Program (TEP) Seminar, UCLA. Los Angeles, CA.
Mora, R. 2008, June. Invited Lecturer. Teaching Education Program (TEP) Seminar, UCLA. Los Angeles, CA.
Mora, R. 2008, May. Invited Lecturer. Teaching Education Program (TEP) Seminar, UCLA.
Mora, R. 2008, January. Keynote Speaker. Males to Men (M2M) Graduation Ceremony. Kauffman Scholars, Inc. Kansas City, MI.
Mora, R. 2007, December. Guest Speaker. Males to Men (M2M) Workshop. Kauffman Scholars, Inc. Kansas City, MI.