Dr. Mitch Avila, Associate Dean/Professor of Philosophy
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
California State University, Fullerton
Mitch Avila completed his PhD in feminist political philosophy at UC Santa Barbara in 1993 and originally came to Cal State Fullerton as full-time lecturer in 1998 after four years at Fresno State. He began as Assistant Professor in 2000 and advanced to Full Professor in 2010. His primary research focus concerns theories of international justice and human rights and their application to problems such as immigration, religious freedom, and the nature of international law. He has presented papers on human rights throughout the globe, including Iran, Turkey, India, and Poland. He has an additional research interest in aesthetics, especially the intersection of political philosophy with visual media such as film and photography. Dr. Avila has taught a wide variety of courses at Fullerton, ranging from Symbolic Logic to Aesthetics to Philosophy of Law. He is an advocate of experiential education and he has led classes in such diverse settings as Kings Canyon, Mt. Baldy, the Watts Towers, LACMA, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, The Getty Center, and the National Gallery in London. At Fullerton, Dr. Avila has served on numerous committees, including the University GE Committee, the Web Presence Committee, the HSS Dean's ad hoc Planning Committee, and countless search committees. He also chaired the Department of Philosophy during AY 09-10. Nationally, he is vice-chair of the American Philosophical Association's Committee on Hispanics.
His duties in the Dean's Office include overseeing the study abroad programs, the curriculum committee, department PPRs, university petition committees, grants and awards, and program development, along with other duties on request of the Dean.
