Find Academic Supervisors

Hsiu-Chuang Deppman is a Professor of Chinese and Cinema and Media at Oberlin College, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds positions in both the East Asian Studies and Cinema and Media departments. Currently on leave for the 2024-25 academic year, her research focuses on film adaptation, Chinese cinema history, and comparative literature. She has published extensively, including books like Close-ups and Long Shots in Modern Chinese Cinemas (2021) and Adapted for the Screen (2010). Deppman earned her PhD (1999) and MA (1993) in Chinese Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a BA (1990) from National Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan. Her research interests span: Adaptation Studies History of Chinese Cinema Documentary and Media Studies Contemporary Chinese Fiction Comparative Literature Awarded the 2016-2017 Excellence in Teaching Award, she has also received grants and fellowships including the Fulbright Research Grant, Taiwan National Science Council Grant, and Freeman Foundation Grant for Asian Studies, among others. In addition to her research, Deppman teaches courses such as Contemporary East Asian Cinema and Intermediate Chinese I . Her work has been supported by the GLCA/Mellon New Directions Initiative and the Chiu Scholarly Exchange Program for Taiwan Studies. Her current project involves writing a book on Jia Zhangke’s cinema of reflection, reflecting her ongoing engagement with modern Chinese cinematic narratives.

• Adaptation Studies
• History of Chinese Cinema
• Chinese and Taiwanese Documentary
• +3 more

James Wicks serves as Professor of Media & Film Studies and Assistant Dean at Point Loma Nazarene University's School of Humanities, Arts, and Public Engagement. Teaching since 2009 and joining the Department of Communication Studies in 2021, he holds a Ph.D. in Film Studies with emphasis on Chinese Cinema from UC San Diego (2010). His academic career bridges administrative leadership with specialized instruction in narrative film, documentary production, and screenwriting. Dr. Wicks' educational background includes: Ph.D. in Film Studies (Cultural Studies section), University of California, San Diego, 2010 M.A., Oregon State University B.A., Oregon State University His research centers on Taiwan cinema history from the 1950s-1980s, exploring transnational representations, philosophical dimensions of martial arts films, and cultural identity. Additional interests include street culture in Hollywood, surf cinema history, and gender negotiation in early Taiwanese films. His methodological approach combines historical analysis with cultural studies frameworks. Publication trends reveal sustained focus on Taiwan cinema scholarship since 2010, with significant expansion into interdisciplinary urban studies (2019-2020) and contemporary director analyses (Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-Hsien). His 2022-2016 output demonstrates consistent engagement with Cold War-era cinematic narratives while incorporating newer interests in ecological representation and punk cinema aesthetics. Notable recognitions include: Excellence in Teaching Award (PLNU, 2019) Two PLNU RASP grants for film preservation (2018-2019) Taiwan Ministry of Education research grant (2011) Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation fellowship (2009-2010) As an active researcher, Dr. Wicks has secured substantial external funding for film preservation projects and maintains strong community engagement through the San Diego Asian Film Festival. His administrative role as Assistant Dean complements his scholarly work in media studies curriculum development. Through co-organization of the San Diego Asian Film Festival's Taiwan Showcase (2012) and UCSD Taiwan Film Festival (2009), he has built collaborative networks across academic and cultural institutions. His ongoing film reel preservation project demonstrates commitment to safeguarding historical cinematic materials.

• Film Studies
• Chinese Cinema
• Taiwan Film Studies
• +5 more

Yingjin Zhang is a Distinguished Professor of Modern Chinese Literature at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), affiliated with the School of Arts and Humanities. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Stanford University (1992). His research focuses on Chinese literature, comparative literature, cinema studies, visual culture, cultural history, and urban studies. Previously, he taught at Indiana University and served as President of the American Association of Chinese Comparative Literature. He has held prestigious fellowships including the Fulbright China Research Fellowship (2003-04) and has been a visiting professor at institutions like the University of Chicago and Nanjing University. Education: Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Stanford University (1992) M.A., University of Iowa (1987) Research Interests: Zhang’s work interrogates intersections between literature, cinema, and urbanization in modern China. He analyzes how cultural forms like documentary film and urban narratives reflect societal transformations, translocal identities, and global cultural flows. Notable themes include post-disaster epistemologies in Chinese reportage, the politics of space in Jia Zhangke’s films, and the reconfiguration of Shanghai’s cinematic legacy. His scholarship bridges comparative literature methodologies with empirical film and literary analysis. Awards & Fellowships: Fulbright China Research Fellowship (2003-04) National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellowship (1999) Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (Indiana University, 1996) Advising & Editorial Roles: Doctoral advisor for scholars now at institutions like Peking University and Texas A&M Editorial board member for journals including Journal of Chinese Cinemas and Prism: Theory and Modern Chinese Literature His transnational research collaborations and editorial work position him as a key figure in global Sinophone studies and Chinese cinema scholarship.

• Chinese Literature
• Comparative Literature
• Cinema and Media Studies
• +3 more

Miles Maochun Yu is a Professor of East Asia and military/naval history at the United States Naval Academy, a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, and the Robert Alexander Mercer Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. His expertise spans China policy, military history, US-China relations, and geopolitical strategy, with a focus on historical precedents influencing modern conflicts. Doctorate in History, University of California, Berkeley Master’s Degree, Swarthmore College Bachelor’s Degree, Nankai University Yu’s research synthesizes military history and contemporary CCP behavior, analyzing ideological roots of Chinese aggression toward Taiwan, military technology evolution in US-China rivalry, and Cold War parallels. His work examines how historical events like the 1958 Quemoy-Matsu Crisis and 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War inform current strategic dynamics. His recent publications reveal trends in China’s strategic deception, post-CCP transition scenarios, and the role of AI in future military engagements. These works bridge historical analysis with policy recommendations, emphasizing ideological clarity in countering authoritarian regimes. Recipient of USNA Top Researcher Award US Navy Special Action Award US Navy Meritorious Service Awards As former China Policy Advisor to Secretary Mike Pompeo, Yu has shaped U.S. foreign policy discussions. He regularly consults governmental agencies, testifies before Congress, and serves as chief historian for military documentaries on the History and Discovery Channels.

• China
• Communism
• Military History
• +7 more

Sara Friedman is a Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, affiliated with the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Cornell University (2000), an M.A. from Cornell, and a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Yale. As Director of Graduate Studies in Anthropology, she oversees academic and research initiatives within the department. Her research examines intersections between intimate life and political/legal domains in China and Taiwan, focusing on state power, migration, gender, and non-heteronormative families. Current projects include comparative studies of LGBT family formation in Taiwan/China and middle-class Chinese families rejecting urban lifestyles for rural alternatives. These projects address legal reforms, kinship transformations, and evolving ideals of the 'good life.' Recent work includes publications on LGBT reproductive rights, cross-border migration sovereignty debates, and legal recognition struggles. Her books include *Exceptional States: Chinese Immigrants and Taiwanese Sovereignty* (2015) and *Intimate Politics: Marriage, the Market, and State Power in Southeastern China* (2006). Awards include a Fulbright Fellowship and a Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Grant. Her research bridges gender/sexuality studies, legal anthropology, and East Asian studies, emphasizing ethnographic engagement with marginalized communities. Current projects explore how state policies shape family structures and how non-traditional families navigate bureaucratic and social challenges in rapidly changing sociopolitical contexts.

• Gender and Sexuality Studies
• Sociocultural Anthropology
• Law and State Power
• +5 more

Ling Zhang is an Associate Professor of Cinema Studies at Purchase College, State University of New York, within the School of Film and Media Studies and the Department of Cinema and Television Studies. She earned her PhD from the University of Chicago and previously served as a visiting assistant professor at the institution during 2016–17 before joining the permanent faculty. Education: BA, Liaoning University (China) MA, Beijing Film Academy PhD, University of Chicago Ling Zhang's research centers on film sound theory, Chinese-language cinema and opera, cinema and mobility, representations of ruins in film, and the intersections between cinema and urban environments. Her interdisciplinary approach draws from media studies, cultural geography, and transnational film theory, with a strong focus on Chinese and East Asian cinematic traditions. While specific publication titles are not listed in the source text, her scholarly contributions appear in respected journals such as Journal of Chinese Cinemas , CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture , Asian Cinema , and others, covering topics like 1930s Chinese cinema, socialist road movies, and contemporary independent documentaries. This body of work reflects a sustained engagement with historical, aesthetic, and political dimensions of Chinese and Taiwanese cinema. Scientific Awards: No awards explicitly mentioned. Ling Zhang has a background as a documentary filmmaker and is recognized as an established Chinese film critic, having published a collection of film reviews and essays in Chinese (2011). She is currently translating Chinese film theory for the forthcoming anthology Chinese Film Theory and Criticism (edited by Jason McGrath), contributing to the global accessibility of non-Western film scholarship. No formal advising roles or grant funding are detailed in the provided text. Labs and Research Teams: No specific labs, research centers, or collaborative teams are mentioned in the available information.

• Film Sound Theory
• Chinese-language Cinema
• Chinese Opera in Film
• +9 more

Mia Yinxing Liu is Associate Professor in History of Art and Visual Culture at California College of the Arts, specializing in Chinese cinema, photography, and intermedial dialogues in modern Chinese visual culture. Her research examines how traditional Chinese aesthetics manifest in contemporary media, particularly exploring connections between ink painting traditions and modern photographic practices. Liu's scholarly contributions have been recognized through prestigious fellowships including the Getty Scholar award and Sydney China Fellowship. Her first book, 'The Literati Lens' (2019), received the Millard Meiss Publication Fund Award from the College Art Association. Notable awards: Getty Scholar (2020) Sydney China Fellow (2020) Millard Meiss Publication Fund Award (2019) Postdoctorate Fellowship at Yale University (2013) Education includes PhD in Art History from University of Chicago and previous academic positions at Yale University and Bates College.

• Chinese Cinema
• Photography History
• Intermedial Studies
• +2 more

Emily Sun is the Tow Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University. She also serves as Director of the Program in Comparative Literature and Translation Studies. Her research bridges British/European Romanticism, 19th-century literature, and Sino-Western literary relations, with a focus on politics/aesthetics intersections and psychoanalytic approaches. She teaches core courses like 'Introduction to Comparative Literature' and electives exploring narrative theory, mourning poetics, and translation. Education: B.A. in English/German from Amherst College (1993), Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Yale (2003). Recent publications include On the Horizon of World Literature (2021) and Succeeding King Lear (2010). She co-edited Cambridge Companion to Romanticism and World Literature and contributes to journals like Studies in Romanticism . Current projects explore listening's aesthetics in comparative literature. Professional service includes roles on MLA's Romanticism forum, Keats-Shelley Association, and editorial boards. She actively mentors students in thesis projects and interdisciplinary scholarship.

• British and European Romantic Literature
• 19th-Century Literature
• Comparative World Literature
• +4 more

Dr. Yifen Beus serves as Associate Academic Vice President for Faculty at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, where she holds a Professorship in the Department of Visual Arts and Communication within the Faculty of Arts & Letters. Her academic career spans over two decades at BYUH, progressing from Assistant to Associate to Full Professor while simultaneously holding significant administrative roles including Dean of Arts & Letters (2018-2021) and Department Chair positions. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature with Film Studies minor from Indiana University (2000), an M.A. in Theatre & Film from Brigham Young University (1989), and a B.A. in English from National Chengchi University, Taipei (1987). Her doctoral dissertation examined Schlegelian Irony in German and French Romantic Drama. Dr. Beus's research centers on the intersection of visual culture, postcolonial theory, and indigenous epistemologies, with particular focus on Pacific narrative cinemas. Her scholarly trajectory evolved from European romantic drama studies to contemporary investigations of mana as causal agent in Oceanic storytelling, cinematic migration tropes in Chinese film, and cross-cultural adaptations of Carmen narratives. She employs comparative frameworks analyzing Sinophone, Francophone, and Pacific cinematic traditions through lenses of cultural identity, globalization, and intertextuality. Her 15 most recent publications reveal a decisive turn toward Pacific indigenous cinema since 2016, with increasing emphasis on mana, talanoa storytelling, and decolonial frameworks. Earlier works examined Chinese diaspora cinema and African film festivals, demonstrating consistent methodological engagement with postcolonial theory and transnational narrative forms across all outputs. David O. McKay Lecturer (2023) Honors Professor of the Year (2014) Exemplary Faculty of the Year (2011) Multiple Faculty Research Grants (2003-2014) “Heart of Germany” Fellowship (1991) Dr. Beus has secured multiple Faculty Research Grants supporting her Pacific cinema studies and has directed significant study abroad programs in Cambodia, Shanghai, and Xian. Her administrative leadership extends to chairing the China Study Abroad Committee and serving on university-wide promotion, tenure, and scholarship committees. She actively mentors through student-centered film festivals and has presented teaching methodologies at international workshops including the National University of Singapore. Her scholarly ecosystem integrates language expertise (native Chinese, near-native English, fluent German/French) with professional affiliations in the New Zealand Studies Association, Society for Cinema and Media Studies, and Modern Language Association. Current work examines indigenous protest sites in Pacific cinema and dehistorying through visual narrative.

• Indigenous Storytelling
• Pacific Cinema
• Postcolonial Film Studies
• +6 more

Yuwen Hsiung serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Purdue University's School of Languages and Cultures, teaching Chinese Studies and contributing to the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program. Educational background includes: B.A. in English with minor in Education from National Chengchi University (Taiwan) Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Purdue University Her research examines Sinophone cultural production through visual analysis, ecocriticism, and transnational frameworks, with emphasis on Taiwanese cinema's spatial strategies. Teaching focuses on Chinese literature, philosophy, and language pedagogy integration. Recent work analyzes cinematic landscapes in Seediq Bale and Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above to challenge urban verticalism. Her publications demonstrate concentrated expertise in Taiwanese visual culture and environmental film theory within East Asian studies. Scientific awards: None documented. Advising and grants: No information available regarding student supervision or research funding. Previous teaching appointments include Swarthmore College and Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan.

• Sinophone Cultural Production
• Taiwanese Cinema Studies
• Chinese Language Pedagogy
• +3 more

Marc L. Moskowitz is Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology at the University of South Carolina's College of Arts and Sciences. His research explores popular culture in Chinese-speaking Asia, focusing on gender, media, and visual anthropology. Moskowitz investigates cultural expressions through film, music, and digital media, examining how traditions transform in modern contexts. His ethnographic documentaries analyze Taiwanese funeral practices and the cultural significance of Weiqi in China. Publications include studies on internet video culture, Mandopop music, and gender representations. Moskowitz has received ACLS-NEH, Fulbright, and Chiang Ching-Kuo awards for his cross-cultural research.

• Chinese Popular Culture
• Gender Studies
• Visual Anthropology
• +3 more

Mia Yinxing Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins University, affiliated with the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences. She holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and specializes in modern and contemporary Chinese art, cinema, and media culture. Her research explores the interplay between traditional and modern media, diaspora, and political contexts in Chinese artistic practices. Education: PhD in History of Art, University of Chicago Her current research focuses on intermedial dialogues between photography and ink painting in 20th-century China, exemplified by her book manuscript on Lang Jingshan and Zhang Daqian. She has been awarded the Taiwan Fellow (2017) and Getty Scholar (2021). Her work bridges global and local perspectives, analyzing diasporic communities and transregional exchanges in modern Chinese art. Key Projects: The Literati Lenses (2019): Examines cinematic representations of landscape and censorship in Mao-era China. In-progress documentary Les Ombres Chinoises , exploring rural shadow theater traditions. Awards & Recognition: Taiwan Fellow (2017) Getty Scholar (2021) Grants & Affiliations: Supported by institutions including the Getty Research Institute. Guest curator at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates art history, cultural studies, and film analysis, with future projects addressing women’s voices in cinema and the concept of shadow in Chinese art.

• Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art
• Cinema Studies
• Media Culture
• +3 more

Thomas (Tom) Moran is a Professor of Chinese at Middlebury College since 1994, holding a Ph.D. in modern Chinese literature from Cornell University. He currently chairs the Greenberg-Starr Department of Chinese (his fifth term since 2001) and has previously led East Asian Studies and the Literature Program. His research focuses on modern Chinese fiction, nature literature, and cinema, with notable works including Dictionary of Literary Biography: Chinese Poets Since 1949 (2021) and ecocritical analyses of Gao Xingjian's writings. Moran has secured grants from the Fulbright Senior Scholar Program and the Blakemore Foundation. He teaches courses on Chinese language, literature, and film, including First Year Seminars on cultural themes like 'Fate, Filial Piety, and Passion.' His translations of contemporary Chinese works, such as Ning Ken's Tibetan Sky (forthcoming 2024), bridge cultural divides. Moran collaborates with Chinese artists to foster cross-cultural exchange and volunteers in Vermont's ecological monitoring programs. Education: Ph.D. in Modern Chinese Literature (Cornell University), B.A. in Journalism, English, and Education (Syracuse University) Grants: Committee for Scholarly Communication with China, National Library of Taiwan, Fulbright Research extends to Sinophone minority literature and environmental studies. He directs Middlebury's C.V. Starr School in China and mentors students through senior thesis programs. Married to artist Rebecca Purdum, Moran resides in Ripton, Vermont, contributing to both academic and environmental communities.

• Modern Chinese Fiction
• Chinese Nature and Landscape Literature
• Chinese Cinema
• +3 more