Biography: Jesus Garcia is a professor of Social Studies Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He joined the UNLV faculty in 2004. Prior to that he was Professor of Social Studies Education and Coordinator of the Masters with Initial Certification (secondary teacher education program) at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He also has taught at Sonoma State University, Texas A&M University, Indiana University, and the University of Illinois.

Dr. Garcia teaches courses in the areas of social studies methods and graduate courses in curriculum, pedagogy, and current issues in social studies. He is involved in the university's elementary and secondary teacher preparation programs and its graduate program in social studies education. His areas of interest include examining for the portrayal of societal groups in social studies materials, methods of implementing and assessing the effectiveness of multicultural education in secondary teacher education programs, and creating secondary social studies courses that are more interdisciplinary in nature.

Jesus is a member of the Southern Nevada Council for the Social Studies and the Past President of the National Council for the Social Studies.

He is co-author of three professional books: Field Experience: Strategies for Exploring Diversity in School, Social Studies for Children: A Guide to Basic Instruction, and Contexts of Teaching: Methods for Middle and High School Instruction and two middle school U.S. history textbooks: America's Past and Promise and Creating America.

Examples of his numerous articles in the areas of cultural diversity and social studies education include “Presidential Address - Democracy and Diversity: Social Studies in Action” (Social Education, Jan./Feb. 2005, pp.8-9+) and “Multicultural Education in Social Studies” (Social Education, Nov./Dec. 2002, pp. 246-248).

Dr. Garcia is a native Californian. He was raised in Northern California and attended college in the Bay Area. He taught high school in Fremont and the elementary grades in San Jose. He received his terminal degree from the University of California, Berkeley.