Vargas, Lucila

Julian W. Scheer Term Professor
Director, Latino Journalism and Media at Carolina (Latijam)

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
M.A., University of Texas at Austin
Licenciatura en Filosofia, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua

Vargas holds a licenciatura in philosophy from the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua. She received a master’s degree in Latin American Studies and a Ph.D. in Development and International Communication from the University of Texas at Austin.  

Her work on social justice and “difference,” especially race, ethnicity, class and gender, has appeared in numerous domestic and international journals and anthologies and is used in classrooms around the country. Her book “Latina Teens, Migration, and Popular Culture” (2009) is an ethnography of Latina young women who live in North Carolina; it addresses questions about the relationship among migrancy, identity and popular culture. Vargas’ interest in critical pedagogies and the politics of the classroom led her to edit “Women Faculty of Color in the White Classroom: Narratives on the Pedagogical Implications of Teacher Diversity” (2002). In “Social Uses and Radio Practices: The Use of Participatory Radio by Ethnic Minorities in Mexico” (1995), Vargas looks at the role of participatory media in the social reproduction of highly stratified communities.

Vargas directs Latino Journalism and Media at Carolina (Latijam) — a project that combines engaged scholarship with critical pedagogies. It aims to contribute to fair and competent reporting and public communication about Latino life in North Carolina and beyond. Its bilingual website — latijam.jomc.unc.edu — is a platform where UNC students and faculty disseminate their research and news stories on North Carolina Latinos. For the general public, the website functions as a clearinghouse of scholarly resources on Latina/o journalism and media. Its annual Regional Directory of Latino Media is the only free-of-charge, publicly available database of Spanish-language print publications, radio and television stations in North Carolina and its region.

Latijam also offers UNC and high school students opportunities for service-learning and community engagement through Radio Latijam. As an after-school program for Latino youth, Radio Latijam produces a Spanish-language radio show for and by Latino youth. It airs Fridays from 5-6 p.m. on Carrboro’s community station WCOM LPFM 103.5 and streams live on wcomfm.org.

Office phone: 919.962.2366
Office location: Carroll 359
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Latijam website: latijam.jomc.unc.edu