Sok Ju Kim

Dr. Sok Ju Kim is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Modern Languages at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), where he has taught Korean language, linguistics, and culture since 2014. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Kansas (2012), an MA in Linguistics from San Diego State University (2004), and a BA in English Language and Literature from Pusan National University (1985). His research focuses on syntactic representation in heritage and bilingual Korean speakers, combining experimental and empirical methods to bridge syntax and second language acquisition theories.

He has served as Coordinator of the Korean Program, faculty advisor for the Korean Culture Association, and Section Head of Critical Languages and International Studies. His awards include nominations for UTA’s College of Liberal Arts Teaching Award (2021) and Provost Teaching Award (2020). His teaching spans all Korean language levels and specialized courses in Korean linguistics and culture.

Key research contributions include studies on negative polarity items in heritage Korean, phonetic acquisition in L2 Korean, and syntactic variation in Mayan languages. He actively participates in professional organizations such as the American Association of Teachers of Korean and the Linguistic Society of America.