Michael Berry, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures William M. Bodiford, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures Michelle Liu Carriger, Ph.D., Theater Torquil Duthie, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures Michael D. Emmerich, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures Andrea S. Goldman, Ph.D., History Christopher Hanscom, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures Katsuya Hirano, Ph.D., History Jennifer Jung-Kim, Ph.D., ex officio Kristopher Kersey, Ph.D., Art History Hui-Shu Lee, Ph.D., Art History Seiji Lippit, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures William Marotti, Ph.D., History Sean Metzger, Ph.D., Theater Kyeyoung Park, Ph.D., Anthropology, Asian American Studies Shu-mei Shih, Ph.D., Asian American Studies, Asian Languages & Cultures, Comparative Literature Michael F. Thies, Ph.D., Political Science Yinghui Wu, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures
Affiliated Faculty
Ursula Heise, Ph.D. Department of English Namhee Lee, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures Hongyin Tao, Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures C. Cindy Fan, Ph.D., Geography Richard Von Glahn, Ph.D., History Gail Kligman, Ph.D., Sociology
Students can click HERE for the list of the Affiliated Faculty who are eligible to serve on students' committees. Others might be added by request and department approval.
1st Year Students
Jennifer Fagan
B.A. in World Literature and Culture/Linguistics; a minor in Transnational Korean Studies, UC San Diego Hometown: Viejo, California
Jennifer is interested in studying South Korea's tradition and culture, particularly their cultural stories as well as how that manifests in their linguistic practices.
Taylor Kielman
International Affairs major; minors in Chinese and Asian Studies, Transylvania University (Lexington, KY) Hometown: Flemingsburg, KY
Taylor is interested in the relationship between Chinese culture and politics, specifically within the unique context of Hong Kong. She also plans to further her study of the Chinese language while at UCLA!
Brandon Munoz
B.A. in Languages and Literature - Japanese, UC Riverside Hometown: Helendale, CA
Brandon's research interest is in the influence westernization has had on gender roles and sexuality through the lens of Meiji Era and Post-war occupation literature.
Alexander Perez
B.A. in Literature and Theater Studies, Duke University Hometown: Tampa, FL
Alex's research interests include modern Japanese literature, film, and anime and how those works get adapted for Western audiences.
Taylor Shaw
B.A. in Political Science B.A. and Art History, Sweet Briar College Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Taylor's interest is in combining political science and art history. Through her research in her undergraduate career, she was able to delve specifically into the symbiotic nature of what is occurring politically in China through the lens of censorship in Chinese Contemporary art.
Ziqiao Shen
B.S in Business Administration, Tongji University and ESSEC Business School Hometown: Shanghai, China
Ziqiao is interested in gender studies including women in the workplace in contemporary China.
Xiaozhu Yang
B.A. in Translation, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Hometown: Hangzhou, China
Xiaozhu’s interests lie in pre-modern Chinese literature and intellectual history with special focus on fiction of Ming and Qing dynasties.
Rucheng Wang
B.A. in World History, Boston University Hometown: Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Rucheng is interested in the interconnection between Chinese historical and intellectual development. He has a special interest in Zhuangzi and Neo-Taoism which was reflected in the intellectual trend during Wei-Jin period.
Yifan Wang
B.S. in Accounting, Purdue University Hometown: Tianjin, China; Los Angeles, CA
Yifan is interested in Chinese Buddhism culture and history, Buddhist Canon, Buddhist texts, and translation
Continuing Students
Ruochen Cao
B.A. in Korean language & literature, and B.A. in Sociology, B.A., Peking University Social Science (with a concentration in sociology and history), M.A., University of Chicago Hometown: Hometown: Beijing, China
Ruochen is interested in the intersectional dynamics of gender, class, and race in the domain of labor and works in the context of contemporary East Asian society.
Kelly Dominguez Carmona Undergraduate: International Relations and Asian Studies at CSU Chico Hometown: Los Angeles, CA/ from Acapulco, Mexico Kelly is interested in the cultural and social history of Korean women, special concentration on post-WWII; feminism in modern Korea.
Jingjing Fan
Culture, Literature & the Arts B.A., University of Washington at Bothell Hometown: Shenzhen, China Jingjing is interested in Chinese contemporary literature and films (since 1919), exploring the boundaries of themes and beliefs while holding on the threads of morality and histories.
Ishani Ghosh
Global Studies major and Korean minor, UC Berkeley. Hometown: Pune, Maharashtra Ishani is interested in researching depictions of cultural misappropriation/appreciation, sexism, racism, and colorism in Korean media.
Yali He-Schaefer
George Fox University, Organizational Communications/TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Yali's interests primarily lie in studying contemporary Chinese social reforms and initiatives and how different parts of society are involved in such efforts, particularly Chinese women and ethnic minorities.
Gary Hejie Huang
Chemical Engineering and Comparative Literature major, UC Santa Barbara Hometown: Gunagzhou, China; Irvine, CA Gary's research areas include psychoanalysis of contemporary Chinese, Trauma Studies and Memory Studies, comparative analysis of literary changes under the democratic reform in the 1980s, and East Asian LGBTQ literature.
Julie Morris
B.M. in Flute Performance from Morehead State University; Flute Performance M.M., Longy School of Music of Bard College Hometown: Independence, KY Julie's research is focused on the transmission of ideas in Japan as seen in the ritual performance art of kagura and its impact in the ripples of society. In addition, she is interested in how instrumental kagura was in the dissemination and unification of political, social, and religious ideas surrounding these prefectures both in pre-modern and present day Japan.
Allison Robertson
Japanese major and Art History minor, UCLA Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Allison’s current research focuses on issues of gender, fear, and cruelty in supernatural setsuwa of the medieval period. Having spent much of her life as the lead guitarist in an all-female rock band, she is particularly interested in analyzing the notion of the public persona as it relates to perceptions and representations of gender and class in premodern Japanese literature.
Moe Sasakawa
Nagoya University/School of Letters Hometown: Fukuoka/Japan Moe’s interest lies in the human-animal intersectionality in modern and contemporary Japanese literature.
Luxiao Shi
Renmin University of China, Contemporary Chinese History Hometown: Beijing, China Luxiao is interested in the cultural and social history of modern China, with particular emphasis on the Mao era.
Qingyi Sun
B.A. degree in History at Fudan University. Hometown: Shanghai, China Qingyi is interested in the cultural history of 20th-century China, and her undergraduate thesis was focused on female hysteria in Shanghai during the 1930s and 1940s. After graduating from UCLA, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree. Besides studying, she finds joy in reading, singing, and dancing.
Jorge Torres Villalva
Political Science B.A., Davidson College Hometown: Hilton Head, SC Jorge's primary research interests lie in U.S.-China relations. He is fascinated by, and is constantly reflecting on, the relationship between communities, space and place, recorded history, identities, and institutional factors in East Asia.
Jiayin Yuan
Undergraduate school and major: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, B.A in Asian Studies, International Studies, and Psychology Hometown: Wuhan, China Jiayin's research focuses on premodern Japanese literature, particularly on war tales such as The Tale of the Heike. She's interested in exploring the question of how people imagine and understand the society and the world they inhabit, and in doing so how they use literature as a vehicle to justify or challenge the notion of authority in medieval Japan.
Jingyan Zhang
Undergraduate Degree and Institute: Linguistics B.A. and Comparative Literature B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara Hometown: Dongguan, Guangdong, China Jingyan's research interests lie in Chinese literature, trauma studies, memory studies, and Linguistics.
GRADUATE ADVISING
Yumi Kinoshita, Academic Advisor
Current and prospective students can contact the advising office as follows:
✉ Email: idpgrads@international.ucla.edu (UCLA students are asked to include UID in their emails)
Make a Zoom advising appointment
To schedule an in-person appointment please email idpgrads@international.ucla.edu
Bunche Hall, Room 10256 (10th floor)
Email us if you need accommodations for same day or outside office hours appointments.
Mailing Address: UCLA International Institute Academic Programs Office of Academic Advising 10256 Bunche Hall Los Angeles, CA 90095-1487
(310) 206-6571: Please note that because we are working remotely, we will take longer to respond to phone inquiries. We strongly suggest to send us an email or make an appointment for a zoom meeting.