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Asian Studies Program College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies

Meet Us

Faculty

EunMi Cho, Ed.D.

Photo of EunMi Cho, Ed.D.
  • Location: Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, School Psychology and Deaf Studies, Eureka Hall 403
  • Phone: (916) 278-7547
  • Website
  • Specialty & Interests: Bilingual Special Education, research and teacher trainings on special education issues in Asian countries.

Joël Dubois, Th.D.

Photo of Joël Dubois, Th.D.
  • Location: Department of Humanities & Religious Studies, Mendocino Hall 2014
  • Phone: (916) 278-7267
  • Website
  • Specialty & Interests: Hinduism, Buddhism, Comparative Religions.

Jeffrey Dym, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Advisor

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  • Specialty & Interests: Modern Japanese Cultural History.

Greg Morae Kim-Ju, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Advisor

Photo of Greg Morae Kim-Ju, Ph.D.
  • Specialty & Interests: Korean national identity and civic engagement.

Kazue Masuyama, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: Japanese-language pedagogy, Language assessment, Educational technology, Professional development, Global education, Translation.

Sujatha Moni, Ph.D.

Photo of Sujatha Moni, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of Women's Studies, Amador Hall 560B
  • Phone: (916) 278-6696
  • Specialty & Interests: Women’s & Gender Studies, Postcolonial Studies, Drama & Performance theory, Literatures of India, South Asia, Psychoanalysis.

James DeShaw Rae, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Director & Advisor

Photo of James DeShaw Rae, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of Political Science, Tahoe Hall 3123
  • Phone: (916) 278-7866
  • Website
  • Specialty & Interests: Politics and Society of China and Southeast Asia, Nation-building in Southeast Asia. Research interests focus on human rights and international law, specifically efforts to promote peace and justice.

Raghuraman Trichur, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Vice-Director & Advisor

Photo of Raghuraman Trichur, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of Anthropology, Mendocino Hall 4012
  • Phone: (916) 278-7266
  • Specialty & Interests: South Asia, Political Economy, Colonialism, Nationalism, Globalization, Tourism and Violence.

Michael Vann, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: Imperialism and Colonization in Southeast Asia with an emphasis on France in Vietname, History of Race, World History, Film and History, History of Disease, History of Violence.

Kristina Sakamoto Vassil, Ph.D.

Photo of Kristina Sakamoto Vassil, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of World Languages & Literatures, Mariposa Hall 2063
  • Phone: (916) 278-6333
  • Specialty & Interests: Modern Japanese literature, prewar Japanese migration to the U.S., Asian American literature and culture, Japanese language pedagogy.

Young-Im Lee, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Advisor

Photo of Young-Im Lee, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of Political Sciences, Tahoe Hall 3008
  • Phone: (916) 278-7090
  • Specialty & Interests: Gender and elections in East Asia, South Korean politics.

June Hee Kwon, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Advisor

Photo of June Hee Kwon, Ph.D.
  • Specialty & Interests: Transnational migration and diaspora, Gendered labor & class formation, Peace & humanitarianism; North/South Korea, China & Japan, Postcolonial & post-Cold War East Asian interconnections.

Curtis Smith, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: Chinese intellectual history, Medieval Chinese literature, Chinese tea, Gu qin.

Amelia Ying Qin, Ph.D.

Photo of Amelia Ying Qin, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of Humanities & Religious Studies and Department of History, Mendocino Hall 2018
  • Phone: (916) 278-7483
  • Website
  • Specialty & Interests: Cultural and intellectual history of China, and of East Asia in general, as reflected in literature, historiography, art, and philosophical and religious practices.

Derek Lam, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: Contemporary philosophy of action and metaphysics, the nature of self-knowledge in Mencius and Nagarjuna’s philosophy’s relevance to contemporary metaphysics of personal identity.

Justin Wu, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Advisor

Photo of Justin Wu, Ph.D.
  • Location: Asian Studies Program, Tahoe Hall 3095
  • Phone: (916) 278-4440
  • Specialty & Interests: Modern history of East Asia, with focus on Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and Japan; nationalism and identity formation; social movement; global connections.

Nitika Sharma, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: South Asian Studies, Asian American Studies, Refugee Studies, Migration Studies.

Rachel Lim, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: Asian American Studies, Migration and Diaspora, Asia & the Americas, Comparative Race & Ethnicity, Korean/American Studies, Citizenship & Belonging, Global Religions.

Joyhanna Yoo Garza, Ph.D.

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  • Location: Department of Anthropology, Mendocino Hall 4022
  • Phone: (916) 278-6022
  • Specialty & Interests: Contemporary South Korea, popular culture, linguistic anthropology.

Yipaer Aierken, Ph.D.

Photo of Yipaer Aierken, Ph.D.
  • Office Hours: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
  • Specialty & Interests: Asian art, Buddhism and Daoism, Silk Road Studies.

Faculty Affiliates

Serge Lee, Ph.D.

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  • Location: Department of Social Work, Mariposa Hall 5031
  • Phone: (916) 278-5820
  • Specialty & Interests: Statistics, Research, International Social Work, Mental Health, Southeast Asian Cultures, Immigrants and Refugees, Child Welfare.

Qiaoming Amy Liu, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Advisor

Photo of Qiaoming Amy Liu, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of Sociology, Amador Hall 455D
  • Phone: (916) 278-7572
  • Specialty & Interests: Survey, Needs Assessment, Program Evaluations & Opinion Polls, Asian Studies & Asian American Studies, Race Relations, Family & Aging, Health & Mental Health, Public Policies.

Ravin Pan, Ph.D.

Photo of Ravin Pan, Ph.D.
  • Location: College of education, Lassen Hall 2200
  • Phone: (916) 278-3776
  • Specialty & Interests: Developmental Mathematics, Curriculum, and Mathematics Instruction.

Thien-Huong Ninh, Ph.D.

Photo of Thien-Huong Ninh, Ph.D.
  • Specialty & Interests: Religious Diasporas, East Asian Religions, Forced Migration, Race, Ethnicity, and Gender.

Min Min Thaw, Ph.D.

Photo of Min Min Thaw, Ph.D.
  • Specialty & Interests: Southeast Asian Economies, Development Economics, Microfinance & Credit, International Trade & Finance, International Banking, Politics & Economics of Myanmar/Burma.

Kikuko Omori, Ph.D.

Photo of Kikuko Omori, Ph.D.
  • Location: Department of Communication Studies, Mendocino Hall 5018
  • Phone: (916) 278-6782
  • Specialty & Interests: Intercultural communication, Japanese/Japanese Americans, social media, health communication, online education.

Eunyoung Ha, Ph.D.

Photo of Eunyoung Ha, Ph.D.
  • Location: Asian Studies Program, Amador Hall 452A
  • Phone: (916) 278-4396
  • Specialty & Interests: Asian studies and Korean politics; political economy, globalization, partisan politics, inequality, and political polarization.

Ahrum Chang, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: Public Service Delivery and Bureaucracy, South Korean Government Organizations, Asian Public Policy & Administration, Social Equity & Justice.

Rey Jeong, Ph.D.

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  • Specialty & Interests: Socially engaged art exploring Asian women’s visibility, displacement, and embodiment within diasporic contexts. Using installation art, media art, and community gatherings.

Emeritus Faculty

Pattaratorn Chirapravati, Ph.D.

Photo of Pattaratorn Chirapravati, Ph.D.
  • Specialty & Interests: Southeast Asian Art history, SEA history, the mainland SEA, Indian Art and Philosophy, Buddhist art. Research interests are on the political uses of religious icons.

Jay Bouton Crain, Ph.D.

Place holder image for faculty/staff member.
  • Location: Department of Anthropology, Mendocino Hall 4010
  • Phone: (916) 278-6452
  • Specialty & Interests: Social Anthropology (Borneo, Trobriand Islands), Medical Anthropology (Singapore, Java).

Lewis Robinson, Ph.D.

Place holder image for faculty/staff member.
  • Location: Department of World Languages & Literatures, Mariposa Hall 2051A
  • Phone: (916) 278-4998

Richard Shek, Ph.D.

Place holder image for faculty/staff member.
  • Location: Department of Humanities & Religious Studies, Mendocino Hall 2022
  • Phone: (916) 278-5331
  • Specialty & Interests: Chinese cultural and religious history, with a cross-disciplinary approach based on literature, philosophy, religion, and material culture.
Total Members: 33