blog navigation

Asian American Studies

blog posts

  • Asian American Studies Faculty Ranked as Excellent - Fall 2019

    Congratulations to these AAS faculty members and teaching assistants who were ranked as excellent by their students in the Fall 2019 semester! Results are based off of end-of-semester ICES reviews.

    • Simon Boonsripaisal (TA) - AAS 100
    • Fiona Ngo - AAS 120
    • A. Naomi Paik - AAS 200, AAS 370
    • Doo Jae Park (TA) - AAS 100
    • Michael Uhall (TA) - AAS 100
  • AAS Announces Betty Sung Undergraduate Award

    The Department of Asian American Studies is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for a new departmental award. The Betty Lee Sung Undergraduate Award honors outstanding undergraduate majors or minors in Asian American Studies who have demonstrated excellent scholarship in Asian American Studies, and who have shown leadership in promoting the understanding of Asian American issues on campus or in the community.

    This award has been made possible by a generous grant from Dr. Betty Lee Sung, a University of Illinois alumna and influential scholar in Asian American Studies. She is Professor Emeritus of the City University of New York. She has authored numerous books on Chinese Americans and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Asian American Studies in 2017.

    Nominations for the award may be made by any member of the campus community. Students may also nominate themselves. The deadline for nominations is March 30, 2020.

    For more information and application requirements, visit the Awards page on our website.

  • Interview with AAS Student Rubab Hyder

  • Upcoming Special Issue of Amerasia Journal to be Co-Edited by AAS Assistant Professor Lila Sharif

    Amerasia Journal has issued a call for papers for a special issue, entitled “Critical Refugee Studies.” The issue will be co-edited by Illinois AAS Assistant Professor Lila Sharif and UC San Diego Professor Yen Le Espiritu.

    Full details of the issue and submission requirements can be found here. Paper submissions are due by June 1, 2020.

  • Professor Yoon K. Pak named President of the History of Education Society

    Dr. Yoon K. Pak, Professor of Asian American Studies and Head of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL) has been elected the 2019-2020 President of the History of Education Society.

  • Spring 2020 USMC Courses

    Courses in AAS that fulfill the US Minority Cultures General Education Requirement in Spring 2020.

  • AAS Spring 2020 Courses

    AAS Course List - Spring 2020

  • AAS Professor Naomi Paik's CAS Abolition Initiative

    This Fall and Spring, AAS Professor Naomi Paik and GWS Professor Toby Beauchamp are spearheading the Abolition initiative in CAS, involving a series of talks in the fall and a graduate seminar course in the spring.

  • ATLAS Implements New ATLAS Share Program

    Technology has become an important part of today's classroom and learning environment.  24/7 access to computer technology can play a part in student classroom success. To help ensure every LAS student has access to a base level of technology ATLAS has set aside a limited number of loaner computers that may be checked out to LAS students.

    ATLAS Share is an initiative to provide long term loaner computers to LAS students who do not have their own computer.  Computers will be network ready and come with campus licensed software and virus protection as well as a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.  Students with ATLAS Share computers will have access to the ATLAS Help Desk should hardware support be needed during the life of the loan.  Computers and all accompanying equipment will be due to ATLAS at the end of the loan period.

    Follow this link to apply for an ATLAS Share computer!

  • Asian American Studies Faculty Ranked as Excellent - Spring 2019

    Congratulations to these AAS faculty members and TAs who were ranked as excellent by their students in the Spring 2019 semester!

    • Maryam Kashani — AAS 365

    • Sang Lee (TA) — AAS 100

    • Fiona Ngo — AAS 315

    • Junaid Rana — AAS 300

    • Merin Thomas (TA) — AAS 100

    These results were based on end-of-semester ICES review forms.

  • Professor Maryam Kashani Awarded 2019-2021 Unit for Criticism Junior Fellowship

  • Congratulations to AAS Associate Professor Maryam Kashani, 2019 Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow.

    The Department of Asian American Studies is pleased to announce that AAS Assistant Professor Maryam Kashani has been awarded the 2019 Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Academy of Education.

  • AAS Fall 2019 Course List

    View the course list for Fall 2019 now!

  • Christine Lyke Receives LAS Staff Award

    On March 4, 2019, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences presented AAS Admin Aide Christine Lyke with one of three Staff Awards in recognition of her hard work and commitment to the Department of Asian American Studies and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In presenting her award, the college cited Christine's "positive and creative" methods of keeping departmental operations running smoothly, her dedication to furthering her learning through voluntary trainings such as transgender allyship training and auditing courses in Asian American Studies, and her constant indispensable support of students and faculty in the Department. We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to our wonderful administrative aide.

  • Call for AAS Teaching Assistants/Graduate Instructors

    The Department of Asian American Studies is currently accepting applications for seven graduate assistantships, to commence next semester. The positions available are as follows: • Four teaching assistantships at 50% time for the 2019-2020 academic year • Two teaching assistantships at 25% time for the Fall 2019 semester • One graduate instructor at 50% time for the Fall 2019 semester

  • AAS Admin Aide Christine Lyke Awarded LAS Staff Award

    Please join us in congratulating our fabulous administrative aide Christine Lyke, who has been named one of six awardees for her exceptional work as a staff member in LAS.

  • Asian American Studies Faculty Ranked as Excellent - Fall 2018

    Congratulations to these AAS faculty members who were ranked as excellent by their students in the Fall 2018 semester!

    • Naomi Paik — AAS 299, AAS 375

    • Junaid Rana — AAS 200

    • Lila Sharif — AAS 105

    These results were based on end-of-semester ICES review forms.

  • Asian American Studies Faculty Ranked as Excellent - Spring 2018

    Congratulations to these AAS teaching assistants and faculty members who were ranked as excellent by their students in the Spring 2018 semester!

    • Ga Young Chung (T.A.) — AAS  100

    • Alex Lee (T.A.) — AAS 100

    • Jennifer Kelly — AAS 100

    • Naomi Paik — AAS 100

    • Junaid Rana — AAS 561

    These results were based on end-of-semester ICES review forms.

  • Letter of Support for The GEO

    February 3, 2018

    STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
    FOR THE GRADUATE EMPLOYEES’ ORGNIZATION

    We, the faculty in the department of Asian American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, write to express our support for the Graduate Employees’ Organization in their effort to bargain a fair contract with the University. Graduate employees at UIUC have been without a contract since August, with negotiations for a new contract having stalled. We urge Provost Cangellaris to accept the GEO’s proposals for a new collective bargaining agreement, preserving graduate employees’ tuition waivers, paying them a living wage and providing them with adequate healthcare. 

    Graduate employees perform essential work for the University as teachers and graduate assistants. At some point, every undergraduate student is taught by a graduate instructor, and over 2,800 graduate workers on this campus provide valuable labor. In fact, Illinois ranks 6th in the country among universities where graduate employees teach the most classes. 

    In spite of its dependence on graduate labor, the University is proposing cuts to the tuition waivers that many graduate employees need in order to be here. This will directly impact the quality of education and research at Illinois, harming our ability to attract the graduate workers who help make UIUC a preeminent institution of higher learning and research in the United States. 

    Additionally, the GEO’s contract proposals call for a living wage and adequate healthcare coverage. Despite the fact that Teaching Assistants making the minimum salary earn about $6,000 less than the University’s own published cost of living, the University has not raised their wages in a meaningful way, while attempting to force them to pay significantly more for their healthcare in the current contract negotiations. Graduate employees should not have to choose between healthcare and food, and the quality of education at Illinois will suffer as long as this is the case. 

    We urge Provost Cangellaris and the University bargaining team to work with GEO to provide graduate employees with a fair contract. If the Graduate Employees’ Organization is forced to strike, we understand that this drastic measure means that the University administration is unwilling to resolve negotiations at the bargaining table. We recognize that striking graduate employees are protecting themselves, undergraduates, and the integrity and quality of education at the University of Illinois.  Therefore, we support this and all efforts by GEO to secure economic stability for its members.   

  • AAS Professor Augusto Espiritu wins Excellence in Mentoring Award

    Congratulations to Asian American Studies Professor, Dr. Augusto Espiritu for winning this year's Association of American Studies Excellence in Mentoring Award!
     
     
  • AAS Professor Martin F. Manalansan wins Richard Yarborough Mentoring Award

    Congratulations to Asian American Studies Professor, Dr. Martin Manalansan for winning this year's Richard A. Yarborough Mentoring Award!
    The American Studies Association Minority Scholars Committee awards the Richard A. Yarborough Mentoring Award to honor a scholar who, like Richard Yarborough, demonstrates dedication to and excellence in mentoring underrepresented faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and/or college, university or high school students.

     

  • AAS Professor A. Naomi Paik's New Book Published in April

    https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/365620

  • AAS Faculty receive Teaching Excellence Awards

     

  • Congratulations to AAS Office Support Specialist Mary Ellerbe 2015 Recipient of the Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award.

    The Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award (CDSA) is designed to annually recognize Staff employees for their exceptional accomplishments and service to the University.  Thank you Mary and congratulations.