Alumni Ambassadors

Brian Klopotek

Brian Klopotek
Job title
Associate Professor and Department Head of the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies
Email
klopotek@uoregon.edu
Academic year
January 2018 - June 2018
Discipline
Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies
Project
Indian on Both Sides: Indigenous Identities, Race, and National Borders
Institution
University of Oregon
Countries
Mexico

Brian taught Native American studies classes (in English) for a semester as a US Studies Chair at Universidad de las Americas in Puebla (UDLAP), in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. He stayed another 4 weeks at UDLAP to teach a class (in Spanish) for an Indigenous youth leadership program primarily for Indigenous Mexican college students, sponsored by the US embassy. As a teaching fellow, Brian's goals were to teach about the US from Indigenous perspectives, to attain basic competence in understanding the national culture of Mexico, to connect with Indigenous students and scholars, and to improve his understanding of race and Indigeneity in Mexico from multiple perspectives. Brian accomplished all of these, and the connections he made keep him growing today. 

Ask Me About:

  • Indigenous studies abroad
  • Taking family abroad (4 teenage sons)
  • Teaching in Mexico
  • Being Native American in Mexico