Michael Joseph Viola

Michael Joseph Viola serves as Professor and Director of the Ethnic Studies Program at Saint Mary's College of California within the School of Liberal Arts, concurrently teaching in the Justice, Community and Leadership program. His academic leadership spans institutional roles and national scholarly networks focused on critical ethnic studies and social justice.

Educational background includes:

• PhD in Education (Urban Schooling) from University of California, Los Angeles (2012)
• MPA and MA in International Studies from University of Oregon (2006)
• BS in Community and Regional Development with minor in Religious Studies from University of California, Davis (2001)

Viola's research anchors in critical pedagogy and critical race theory, examining Filipino/a American activism through feminist standpoint theory and transnational social movements. His interdisciplinary framework interrogates knowledge production in diasporic communities while advocating for decolonial approaches in education. Current scholarship emphasizes pandemic-era academic labor and racial neoliberalism in disaster response, bridging Philippine diaspora studies with contemporary social justice movements.

Recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on ethnic studies methodologies, with recurring themes in Filipino/a American solidarity movements, hip hop as critical pedagogy, and systemic racism in educational policy. The work shows methodological evolution toward participatory action research and community-engaged scholarship.

Award recognition includes:

• Critics’ Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association for co-edited volume 'Hip-Hop(e): The Cultural Practice and Critical Pedagogy of International Hip-Hop'

Viola actively contributes to academic service through memberships in the American Educational Research Association, Journal for Critical Educational Policy Studies, Critical Filipina/Filipino Studies Collective, and Association for Asian American Studies. His 2022 'Supporting Cultures of Humanization' workshop exemplifies commitment to dialogical teaching practices. Current course instruction spans EDUC First Year Advising Cohort, Introduction to Teaching Profession, and Justice, Community & Leadership programs.