Steve Nava

About Me

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”

~ Paulo Freire

Biography

Born in a working-poor segregated neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas, I embraced my sociological imagination at an early age but would not discover the wisdom of the social sciences until after high school. I studied psychology and philosophy at St. Philips Community College, and transferred to the University of Texas, San Antonio earning a bachelor's degree in Mexican American/Chicanx Studies with an emphasis in sociology.  It was then that I began researching local (intersectional and decolonial) Chicanx-led social justice organizations that merged art and activism.  Being able to apply the sociological theories to life experiences was immensely enlightening and exciting to me as I learned about my self and society.  This energy carried me toward pursuing a Master's Degree in sociology and later my Ph.D.

Teaching

I most often teach SOC 1 Intro to Sociology, SOC 35 Sociology of Marriages, Families and Intimate Relationships, and SOC 14 Process of Social Research. In my courses I try my best to bring students into the mindset of the sociological imagination so we can make sense of the contradictions of social life and begin to connect personal biography to the social patterns that shape our lives.  

Classes I Teach

Winter 2025

CRN	Course	Sec.	Title
35642	SOC 1	01Y	Introduction to Sociology
35641	SOC 1	52Z	Introduction to Sociology
36201	SOC 1	53Z	Introduction to Sociology
36202	SOC 14	01Y	The Process of Social Research

Fall 2024

CRN	Course	Sec.	Title
26786	SOC 1	01Y	Introduction to Sociology
24150	SOC 1	02Y	Introduction to Sociology
28171	SOC 35	01Y	Marriage, Family, and Intimate Relationships