I have over fifteen years experience teaching in higher education. I teach courses about ethnic and community archives, oral histories, documentary filmmaking, social media technologies, and Asian American studies.
COURSES TAUGHT
- “Bullied by Trump's Tweets? University Students on Edge,” UCLA Gender Studies Department. One of a limited number of pedagogically innovative freshmen Fiat Lux seminars on topical issues, vetted by both the UCLA Division of Social Sciences and the UCLA Undergraduate Initiatives Program in the 2016 – 2017 Academic year. The course examined social media in the Trump presidency and explored the risks faced by many students on campus through the Trump administration policies. Spring Qtr. 2017.
- “Documenting Multiethnic Communities,” UCLA Asian American Studies and Film Departments. A seminar course with media lab. 2002 – 2005 and 2007 Academic yr.
- “Video Ethnography and Documentary Workshop,” UCLA Asian American Studies Department. A seminar course with media production lab. Academic yr. 2003 – 2008 Academic yr.
- “Advance Video Ethnography and Documentary Workshop,” UCLA Asian American Studies Department. An advance seminar course with media production lab. 2003 – 2008 Academic yr.
Watch the students films produced in my classes on Vimeo.com | EthnoCommunications Trailer
course descriptions
Introduction to Creating Community Media: Documenting Multiethnic Communities
The continual development of digital media technologies have made it possible for previously neglected and submerged communities of color and minority groups to visually document issues about their migration, settlement, political commitments, cultural imaginaries, and artistic expressions. This course will introduce students to EthnoCommunications documentary strategies, community media-making, visual ethnography, and visual life history methodologies that allow diverse people to reclaim, represent, and promote their cultures, histories, and experiences. Through lectures, screenings, readings, hands-on digital media workshops, and visual media production, students will develop a critical understanding of social media documentation, which is an interdisciplinary field and multifaceted practice that interrogates and investigates the intersectional politics of race, class, identities, and ethnicities.
The continual development of digital media technologies have made it possible for previously neglected and submerged communities of color and minority groups to visually document issues about their migration, settlement, political commitments, cultural imaginaries, and artistic expressions. This course will introduce students to EthnoCommunications documentary strategies, community media-making, visual ethnography, and visual life history methodologies that allow diverse people to reclaim, represent, and promote their cultures, histories, and experiences. Through lectures, screenings, readings, hands-on digital media workshops, and visual media production, students will develop a critical understanding of social media documentation, which is an interdisciplinary field and multifaceted practice that interrogates and investigates the intersectional politics of race, class, identities, and ethnicities.
Video Ethnography and Documentary Workshop
The continual development of digital media technologies have made it possible for previously neglected and submerged communities of color and minority groups to visual document themselves: their migration stories, social concerns, political commitments, cultural practices, and artistic expressions. This course introduces students to EthnoCommunications documentation strategies, community media-making, visual ethnography, and video oral life history methodologies that gives diverse and difference people the knowledge and skills to visually reclaim, represent, and promote their histories, cultures, and experiences. Through lectures, screenings, readings, hands-on digital media workshops, and visual media production, students develop critical and creative expertise about social justice media-making and visual ethnography as they investigate and interrogate the intersectionalities of Asian American identities through documentary filmmaking.
Students learn visual ethnography and documentary film methods and techniques, and produce an 8-minute video documentary project. The course teaches students the skills and tools of digital video media-making, including: operating a video camera, using video and sound equipment, video editing, and sound design. It introduces students to cinematography, visual storytelling, and narrative structure.
The continual development of digital media technologies have made it possible for previously neglected and submerged communities of color and minority groups to visual document themselves: their migration stories, social concerns, political commitments, cultural practices, and artistic expressions. This course introduces students to EthnoCommunications documentation strategies, community media-making, visual ethnography, and video oral life history methodologies that gives diverse and difference people the knowledge and skills to visually reclaim, represent, and promote their histories, cultures, and experiences. Through lectures, screenings, readings, hands-on digital media workshops, and visual media production, students develop critical and creative expertise about social justice media-making and visual ethnography as they investigate and interrogate the intersectionalities of Asian American identities through documentary filmmaking.
Students learn visual ethnography and documentary film methods and techniques, and produce an 8-minute video documentary project. The course teaches students the skills and tools of digital video media-making, including: operating a video camera, using video and sound equipment, video editing, and sound design. It introduces students to cinematography, visual storytelling, and narrative structure.
Advance Video Ethnography and Documentary Filmmaking
The continual development of digital media technologies have made it possible for previously neglected and submerged communities of color and minority groups to visual document themselves: their migration stories, social concerns, political commitments, cultural practices, and artistic expressions. Advance Video Ethnography and Documentary Filmmaking builds on methodologies, skills, and techniques taught in Video Ethnography and Documentary Workshop. It teaches advanced EthnoCommunications documentation strategies, community media-making, visual ethnography, and video oral life history methodologies that allow diverse and difference people access to the knowledge and skills through which they can reclaim, represent, and promote their histories, cultures, and experiences.
Through lectures, screenings, readings, hands-on digital media workshops and visual media production, students develop advanced and refined critical and creative expertise about social justice media-making and visual ethnography as they investigate and interrogate the intersectionality of race, class, ethnicities, and identities in Asian American communities.
Students will learn advanced ethnography and documentary film methods and techniques as they make an 8-minute video documentary project or do advanced work on their Video Ethnography and Documentary Workshop documentary film project. The course teaches students the advanced skills and tools of digital video media-making, including: operating a video camera, using video and sound equipment, video editing, and sound design. It deepens the student's understanding of cinematography, visual storytelling, and narrative structure.
The continual development of digital media technologies have made it possible for previously neglected and submerged communities of color and minority groups to visual document themselves: their migration stories, social concerns, political commitments, cultural practices, and artistic expressions. Advance Video Ethnography and Documentary Filmmaking builds on methodologies, skills, and techniques taught in Video Ethnography and Documentary Workshop. It teaches advanced EthnoCommunications documentation strategies, community media-making, visual ethnography, and video oral life history methodologies that allow diverse and difference people access to the knowledge and skills through which they can reclaim, represent, and promote their histories, cultures, and experiences.
Through lectures, screenings, readings, hands-on digital media workshops and visual media production, students develop advanced and refined critical and creative expertise about social justice media-making and visual ethnography as they investigate and interrogate the intersectionality of race, class, ethnicities, and identities in Asian American communities.
Students will learn advanced ethnography and documentary film methods and techniques as they make an 8-minute video documentary project or do advanced work on their Video Ethnography and Documentary Workshop documentary film project. The course teaches students the advanced skills and tools of digital video media-making, including: operating a video camera, using video and sound equipment, video editing, and sound design. It deepens the student's understanding of cinematography, visual storytelling, and narrative structure.
Asian American Archives: The Logics, Politics, and Practices of Documenting Asian American Communities
This course uses lectures, readings, assignments, in-class discussions, and guest presentations to introduce students to Asian American archives as memory-keeping institutions: sites both real and imagined where Asian American communities document, collect, preserve, and represent their histories and experiences, creating collective identities, ethnic/racial solidarities, and cultural belonging. It considers Asian American archival institutions, community archives, and documentation projects. It encompasses the historical perspectives of the archives, critically examining the logics, politics, and practices of archiving Asian American arts, cultures, histories, and experiences. It investigates how politics and archival practices can intervene, effect, and affect the ways in which the archives of people of color and minority groups in the United States are captured, recorded, collected, preserved, and accessed. It also introduces the notion of the archives as a process and research method, in addition to being a physical place or material thing. Questions the course engages include:
This course uses lectures, readings, assignments, in-class discussions, and guest presentations to introduce students to Asian American archives as memory-keeping institutions: sites both real and imagined where Asian American communities document, collect, preserve, and represent their histories and experiences, creating collective identities, ethnic/racial solidarities, and cultural belonging. It considers Asian American archival institutions, community archives, and documentation projects. It encompasses the historical perspectives of the archives, critically examining the logics, politics, and practices of archiving Asian American arts, cultures, histories, and experiences. It investigates how politics and archival practices can intervene, effect, and affect the ways in which the archives of people of color and minority groups in the United States are captured, recorded, collected, preserved, and accessed. It also introduces the notion of the archives as a process and research method, in addition to being a physical place or material thing. Questions the course engages include:
- Which Asian American communities have established archives?
- What kinds of objects/materials do Asian American archives contain?
- How are Asian American histories, cultures, and experiences evidenced and informed through the archives and the objects/materials they contain?
- What kind of knowledge(s) about Asian Americans can be gathered and understood through the archives about them?
- Who creates the archives?
- How are archives created?
- What are the purposes of an archive?
Asian American Social Histories and Oral History Methods
This course examines Asian American activism and social history of the past 45 years, with emphasis on the Asian American Movement and the establishment of Asian American studies, research centers, and programs in the United States from 1960–1980. Course readings include: secondary literature and primary source materials from the UCLA Department of Special Collections, http://www.library.ucla.edu/special-collections, and Center for Oral History Research, http://www.library.ucla.edu/special-collections/at-this-location/centeroral-history-research. It introduces students to oral history methodologies and techniques. Students will conduct, transcribe, analyze, and edit oral history interviews. The course also introduces students to primary source research in Special Collections, oral history archives, and digital archives. They will learn the methodologies of primary sources research and apply those methods in their course assignments and exams.
This course examines Asian American activism and social history of the past 45 years, with emphasis on the Asian American Movement and the establishment of Asian American studies, research centers, and programs in the United States from 1960–1980. Course readings include: secondary literature and primary source materials from the UCLA Department of Special Collections, http://www.library.ucla.edu/special-collections, and Center for Oral History Research, http://www.library.ucla.edu/special-collections/at-this-location/centeroral-history-research. It introduces students to oral history methodologies and techniques. Students will conduct, transcribe, analyze, and edit oral history interviews. The course also introduces students to primary source research in Special Collections, oral history archives, and digital archives. They will learn the methodologies of primary sources research and apply those methods in their course assignments and exams.
