AMCS Faculty

David Sanchez, AMCS Director

David A. Sánchez received his Ph.D. in Early Christianity and Christian Origins from Union Theological Seminary (New York City). He currently serves as the President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States and the Book Review Editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. His research interests include the analysis of Chicana/o religious murals, ancient and modern apocalyptic sects, and Latin-American burial practices. His publications include: From Patmos to the Barrio: Subverting Imperial Myths (Fortress Press, 2008); “Casting Stones at the Empire: De-Constructing Biblical Discourse through a Latino/a Lens,” in Semeia Studies" (2012); and "Minjung Theology and Postcolonialism,” in Reading Minjung Theology in the Twenty-First Century: Selected Writings by Ahn Byung-Mu and Modern Critical Responses (2013).

AMCS Fellows

James Bany
James A. Bany earned his B.A. in Sociology with minors in Religion and Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University and both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from University of California, Irvine. His research and teaching interests focus on immigration, race/ethnicity, social psychology, and qualitative methodology. His doctoral research examines identity and civic engagement in a multi-generational Latino civil rights organization in Southern California. Dr. Bany has co-authored an article on the appeal of Megachurches in Orange County and an article on the gendered nature of political participation outcomes for African Americans. He recently finished a project examining the role of gendered racial stereotypes in the dating preferences of college students. 

Brandon Seto
Brandon Seto earned his B.A. in History from Loyola Marymount University and both his M.A. and Ph.D. in U.S. Political History from UC Santa Barbara.  His research areas include U.S. Foreign Relations with East Asia and International History.  He is particularly interested in the influence of race and religion on the American foreign and domestic policy realms.

Anton Smith
Anton Smith earned his B.A. in Afro-American Studies and Classics from the University of Virginia and a M.A. in Afro-American Studies from UCLA.  He went on to receive a M.A. and Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity from the University of Southern California. His research examines how African American writers experience faith in a society that has historically devalued their humanity and intellectual abilities. Dr. Smith has taught courses in composition and African American literature at UCLA and Ethnic Studies at UC Riverside.

AMCS Lecturers

Danielle Borgia earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature with an emphasis in Feminist Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her interests in postcolonial and transnational feminisms, Latin American Studies, Hemispheric American Studies and Latino Studies have led to her current book project linking feminist subtexts in women-authored Gothic and Fantastic stories of the Americas.

Rana Sharif is completing her Ph.D. in Women's Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include Arab and Arab American racializations post 9/11, cross-cultural analysis of occupation and militerization, and the intersection of gender, race, class and power.