Jason Ruiz

Jason Ruiz is a Professor and Chair of the Department of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He holds concurrent faculty appointments in Gender Studies, Institute for Latino Studies, Film, Television, and Theater, and related roles in Africana Studies. His research focuses on Latino Studies, race and representation, and popular culture. He authored *Americans in the Treasure House* (2014) and *Narcomedia* (2023), and leads the digital project *Latinx Murals of Pilsen*. Ruiz has received awards such as the Edmund P. Joyce Award (2016) and Charles B. Sheedy Award (2019) for teaching excellence.

Education: Ph.D. and B.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of Minnesota. His academic service includes editorial roles at *American Quarterly* and *Radical History Review*, and leadership in initiatives like the “RACE” speaker series and LGBTQ+ oral history projects.

Research spans Latinx media representation, drug war narratives, and transnational cultural history. His recent work critiques portrayals of figures like Pablo Escobar and explores the intersection of race, media, and power. Grants include funding from the Whiting Foundation ($50k) and Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies.

Awards highlight his commitment to teaching and public scholarship. Ruiz advises numerous senior theses on topics ranging from migrant communities to queer performance. He also mentors doctoral candidates and collaborates on digital humanities projects like the Pilsen mural archive.