Sookja Cho

Sookja Cho is an Associate Professor of Korean and Comparative Literature at Arizona State University (ASU), affiliated with the School of International Letters and Cultures and the Center for Asian Research. Her academic career includes roles such as Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Chinese and Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and master’s and doctoral degrees in Chinese Language and Literature from Seoul National University.

Professor Cho’s research focuses on East Asian comparative literature, particularly Sino-Korean literature (hanmunhak), women and gender studies, premodern Korean literature, and diaspora. Her notable publications include Transforming Gender and Emotion: The Butterfly Lovers Story in China and Korea (2018) and The Tale of Cho Ung (2018). Current projects include organizing workshops on Sino-Korean literary exchange and diaspora studies.

She has received prestigious awards and fellowships from institutions such as the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the Korea Foundation, and the Academy of Korean Studies. Her teaching spans courses like Women of Korea and PreModern Korea in a Global Context, emphasizing comparative and world literature frameworks.

• Grants & Fellowships: James P. Geiss & Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation, Korea Institute at Harvard University.
• Recent Invited Talks: Stanford University (2023), Harvard University (2021), Seoul National University (2019).
• Current Projects: International workshop on Sinocentric Involution and Oscillation in Choson Korea.

Her research bridges premodern and contemporary themes, exploring cultural exchange, gender dynamics, and transnational narratives in East Asian literature.