Robert D. Jiles

Robert D. Jiles is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies. He is also a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and an undergraduate alumnus of the CSU system. Currently, he is the faculty advisor for the Black Student Union where he enjoys working with students. Dr. Jiles earned a PhD in American Studies and a graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a master's degree in Africana Studies from Cornell University.

His research interests include African American history and culture, black queer studies, internet studies, and visual culture. An overall focus is on inter and intra group politics in black communities. His current work is a continuation of his dissertation research. It examines how black gay and bisexual men use internet technology to create and view visual images in web series and short films that represent their everyday lived experiences. The work further considers how their visual stories articulate broader notions of blackness and community. Dr. Jiles is also working on a research project about the working-class black community in Palm Springs California. The research focuses on processes of community building and acts of resilience as members of the community confronted racial discrimination.