Congratulations to the following students receiving the 2020 Asian Studies Program student achievement awards.

Constantine Vaporis Award for Academic Excellence in Asian Studies:

Alyssa Johnson

Alyssa is an Asian Studies and MLLI double major who has had the opportunity to study abroad at Korea University. She is interested in North Korean and South Korean relations as well as South Korean dialects. Currently she is conducting research on the security of South Korean dialects in preparation for URCAD 2020.

Chelsea Johnson 

I am a senior double majoring in Asian Studies and MLLI Korean Language and  Cultural Studies with a certificate in Chinese. I have studied abroad in both Korea and Taiwan. My interests lie primarily in Korean cultural studies and I have a deep interest in East Asian art. So in the future, I hope to travel more and learn about East asian art styles and their cultrual influences, specifically in Korean and Chinese culture. 

Sarah Glorioso

As an Asian Studies major, I'm thankful to the program to have received this award. I am dedicated to expanding my knowledge and understanding of other cultures so I can travel and work overseas in the future. Through the years, what has kept me going in my education is my teachers, my best friend, my pets, and delicious food.

Excellence in Asian Languages Award:

Rachel Szpara

Rachel Szpara graduated from UMBC this past winter, having double-majored in Asian Studies and Modern Languages and Linguistics under the Chinese track with a minor in Korean. During her time at UMBC, she enjoyed participating in the Humanities Scholars program, studying abroad in Taiwan and South Korea, and doing independent research and translation for both of her major programs. She's currently pursuing teaching and translation study opportunities in China, as well as working on finishing her next novel and spending lots of time with her chinchilla. 

Ashley Kellogg

Ashley Kellogg is an Asian Studies Major minoring in Korean language who began her language journey with nearly three years of self-study before transferring to UMBC. She has studied abroad at Korea University and is currently researching women's contributions to the Korean independence movement. Her post-graduation plans involve travelling back to Korea to enroll in a Korean Studies Masters program and continue her pursuit of advanced proficiency in the language. 

Matt Jacobs

Matthew Jacobs is a senior double majoring in Asian Studies and History. He has an interest in Japanese history and historical cartography. He spent one year at J. F. Oberlin University in Tokyo, Japan, and plans on pursuing an advanced degree relating to Asian studies.

We look forward to celebrating all these accomplishments at our Virtual Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 20.  Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to the 2020
Center for Social Science Scholarship
Summer Fellows!

Keisha McIntosh Allen

Assistant Professor, Department of Education

“The Souls of Black Teachers: Theorizing Black Teachers’ Spiritually Grounded Professional Lives”

While Black teachers’ spirituality has historically been the backbone of Black education rooted in both why and how teachers teach, it is missing from current conversations about Black K-12 teachers’ engagement with pedagogies rooted in social justice as well as how they engage spirituality to navigate racially mediated experiences. We position Black teacher spirituality as a justice-focused literacy that not only guides Black teachers’ practice but also how they navigate racism within the profession. This study utilizes semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, and document analysis to theorize how Black social justice-oriented teachers engage spirituality in their professional lives. Findings from this research can be used to develop relevant professional development opportunities and supports for Black teachers to retain them in the profession.

Irina V. Golubeva

Associate Professor, Modern Languages, Linguistics and Intercultural Communication

“Intercultural Competence for College and University Students: Towards Social Change and Better Employability”

The overall goal of this project is two-fold: to pilot the methodology offered in the book which I am currently co-authoring, and to finalize the book manuscript based on the collected feedback data in collaboration with my colleague who is based in Europe. Focused on intercultural competence, this book addresses and links together three topics that we believe to be extremely important yet treated relatively separately in the current literature. First, how intercultural competence increases the potential for peace and positive relationships between people from different cultures. Second, how intercultural competence links to communicating effectively across cultures as well as to addressing issues of equality, diversity and inclusion – both domestically and worldwide. Third, how intercultural competence can also support them in terms of employability and career success.

Zoë McLaren

Associate Professor, School of Public Policy

“Data Visualization Approaches to Communicate Clearly, Inspire Policy Action and Achieve A More Inclusive Policy Environment”

This project seeks to determine the formats in which data visualization communicates information about equity most efficiently (i.e. with the least complexity or extraneous information) and most effectively (i.e. the most intuitive for end users to understand and in a way that is actionable).  This proposal has three specific aims: (1) develop and validate a set of measures of health equity; (2) produce a portfolio of data visualizations using Stata, R and Tableau Public; (3) perform semi-structured interview testing of visualizations to generate guidelines for inclusive engagement in data visualization. The project will produce six specific outcomes: (1) a set of validated health equity measures; (2) an electronic portfolio of data visualizations; (3) one policy brief about inclusive data visualization for policy communication; (4) at least one external funding application; (5) at least one peer-reviewed publication; and (6) instructional materials for an “inclusive engagement in data visualization” workshop for UMBC colleagues.  Producing data visualizations that are accessible to a broad audience of underserved populations is a critical step in creating a more inclusive policy environment.