Cho
Ph.D.Candidate

Monica's dissertation project focuses on the topic of madness in post-Korean War to contemporary literature. Her research centers on madness not only as a literary trope for a reflection on and solution for larger socio-political concerns, but also as a way of questioning the possibility of existence outside the existing system. In particular, Monica emphasizes the critical inquiry on the framework of madness from philosophical, psychiatric, and social traditions. Monica's areas of specialty are modern Korean literature and history, ecocriticism, feminist theory, gender and sexuality studies, and medical humanities.

Zachary Gottesman

Gottesman
Ph.D. Candidate

Zach Gottesman is interested in Korean popular culture, new media forms, and transnational culture flows in Japan and South Korea. He studies online and offline communities in order to understand how today's participatory media reflects contemporary South Korea and the larger world system.
 

Soojin Jeong

Jeong
Ph.D. Student

Soojin's research interests are communication studies, Asian-American studies, literary studies and gender studies in Korea and Japan.

Adam Miller

Miller
Ph.D. Student

Adam's research centers on gender and sexuality in contemporary Korean literature and film. He is particularly interested in exploring constructions and representations of masculinity in the post-democratization period through the present day. His research interests also include speculative fiction, poetry, and critical theory.

Sara Newsome

Newsome
Ph.D. Candidate

Sara is interested in the intersection of environmental and feminist activism with religion in modern Japanese literature, particularly the works of Setouchi Jakuchō and Ishimure Michiko.

Adam Reynolds

Reynolds
Ph.D. Candidate

Adam's main interest is contemporary Japanese literature and film, especially within the context of Japan’s postcolonial relations. He is currently exploring narratives dealing with the disruption of Okinawan culture and society by Japanese and American forces. Adam is also interested in humor theory, the connection between aesthetics and politics, Kyōgen plays, anime, and other popular Japanese art forms.

 

Sophie Wheeler

Wheeler
Ph.D. Student

Sophie's research interests are travel photography, ethnography, food studies, environmental politics, and multimedia storytelling.

Yee-Kwan (Vanessa) Wong

Wong
Ph.D. Student

Vanessa is interested in the social changes reflected in modern fiction from various Chinese communities, the literary connections and distinctions between Hong Kong and China, and the city’s position in the context of greater China.

Xiaoyang Yue

Yue
Ph.D. Student

Xiaoyang's research interests are Japanese literature and cinema and film studies.