Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher, I invite students to see education as a creative tool for shaping the world they want to inhabit. My courses and pedagogical activities integrate conceptual reflection with real-world case studies and role-playing exercises, fostering a balance between theory and hands-on learning.

At Berkeley, I have also organized and led undergraduate and graduate mentorship programs for students from diverse backgrounds, including Berkeley Connect and the S&E Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Space.

My teaching strategies have been recognized with the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor (OGSI) Award.

Courses Taught

University of California, Berkeley

  • Gender and the Environment (TA)

  • Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment (TA)

  • Climate Justice (TA)

  • Teaching in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (TA)

  • American Environmental and Cultural History (TA)

  • Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems (TA)

  • Society, Environment, and Culture (TA)

  • Migration in the Contemporary World: California and Beyond (TA)

Universidad Javeriana (Colombia)

  • Territoriality and Regional Spatiality (Instructor of Record)

Universidad del Rosario (Colombia)

  • Directed Research Seminar (TA)

Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia)

  • Classical Thinkers in Social Sciences: Marx, Durkheim, Weber (TA) 

Qualitative Feedback from Student Evaluations

  • “Alejo has been the most engaged GSI I've had in my three years so far at Cal! His passion for and knowledge of critical environmental studies, as well as efforts to get to know students, made our discussion sections very fruitful and worthwhile.”

    UC Berkeley student, 2024

  • “It is clear that [Alejo] is very passionate about environmental justice and he approaches discussions with that energy. He asks deeper questions in section that show how connected EJ is to all parts of society, and that expand the scope of the class significantly”.

    UC Berkeley student, 2023

  • “Alejo is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the subject! I appreciate how he relates his own understandings and experiences to the course and encourages real–world thinking about many theoretical course concepts”

    UC Berkeley student, 2022

  • “Alejo created a very safe and comfortable learning environment and demonstrated what it means to be a good instructor. I found his interactive exercises to be engaging and creative and learned a number of strategies to improve my own teaching just by following his lead.”

    UC Berkeley student, 2021

  • “Alejo is an amazing GSI who ensured that all students felt confident to speak their thoughts and opinions on the subject material. Remarkably, he managed to encourage critical thinking and skill improvement without creating shame around mistakes or shortcomings. He is a really talented teacher!”

    UC Berkeley student, 2020

  • “Alejandro was very knowledgeable on the topics/ themes/ literature that we confronted in this course. He made sure our section was always engaging and often interjected and asked questions or explanations that offered great insight into the issue. It was also very easy to discuss questions about the readings and questions about assignments”

    UC Berkeley student, 2019