معرفی
Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak is a Professor of Political Science and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College, where she teaches courses in comparative politics, international relations, and Asia-focused topics such as Asian Regionalism and Human Rights in Asian Contexts. She is affiliated with both the Department of Political Science and the Asian Studies program.
Education:
- B.A. in East Asian Studies and Political Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- M.A. in Political Science, University of Chicago
- Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Chicago
Her research centers on comparative immigration and citizenship regimes, with a focus on Japan, and rural sustainability. She explores how local sustainable practices in Japan can inform broader environmental policy through sociocultural and ecological modeling. Her work bridges political theory, empirical fieldwork, and digital scholarship.
Tegtmeyer Pak’s research is interdisciplinary and innovative, particularly her current project Pragmatic Utopians: Environmental Sustainability in Japan, which employs multimedia formats including mini-documentaries, interactive maps, photography, and curated data to examine sustainable living. This born-digital work reflects a trend toward digital ethnography and public-facing scholarship in political science and environmental studies.
Scientific Awards:
- Fulbright Research Grant
She has advised students and taught a broad curriculum integrating global democracies, immigration, and Asian contexts. Her academic service includes field research in Japan and a visiting fellowship at the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo. She has also secured external funding through competitive grants to support her research.
Tegtmeyer Pak leads a significant digital research initiative focused on environmental sustainability in Japan, combining narrative analysis with interactive media. This project functions as both a scholarly resource and a pedagogical tool, engaging students and researchers in sustainability practices through contextualized, localized case studies.
