My commitment to diversity, inclusion, and open conversations is central to my teaching and mentoring. I have worked with diverse student populations across both public and private institutions, including Hamilton College, UCLA, Tokyo Gakugei University, and National Taiwan University.
I offer courses in linguistic anthropology, conversation analysis, Sinophone sociolinguistics, media studies, queer anthropology and the anthropology of play—ranging from lecture-based surveys to advanced seminars with lab components.
My teaching emphasizes multiplicity in perspectives and modalities, aiming to deconstruct monopolies of knowledge. I incorporate learner-driven, participatory, justice-oriented andragogy to create inclusive environments where all students can feel comfortable participating and assuming the role of “the teacher.” Rather than unidirectionally providing definitive conclusions, my pedagogy offers the tools to ask focused questions and conduct rigorous analyses.
Most of my courses incorporate hands-on, small-scale ethnographic projects and lab-based learning to foster students’ critical engagement with the intersections of language, culture, and social practice. Much of this work takes place in the Discourse Laboratory, an experimental and collaborative space I run for students to pursue conversation analysis, ethnographic transcription, media analysis, and applied sociolinguistic work. This intellectual exploration often extends beyond the classroom, resulting in student publications, faculty-student collaborations, and successful placements in graduate programs.
I also encourage students to apply their learning to their everyday environments, cultivating a mindset oriented toward creative and practical application. Over the years, students have launched boys’ love fan fiction projects that sold thousands of copies, designed prototype video games and audiovisual creations such as TikTok personalities that attracted active fanbases, and translated their training in conversation analysis into their own middle-school teaching for disadvantaged students.
Courses Taught
Linguistic Anthropology
– Culture & Communication
– Ethnography of Communication
– Talk in Action
– Gender and Language in Society
– Language, Gender, and Sexuality
Queer Anthropology
– Lavender Anthropology: Queer Ethnography and Social Theory
– Gender and Language in Society
– Language, Gender, and Sexuality
Media Anthropology
– Anthropology of Audiovisual Entertainment
Cultural Anthropology
– Principles in Social and Cultural Anthropology
– Senior Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
– Anthropology of Play (Co-taught with Chenyu Wang)
Courses in Preparation
– Anthropology in and through Anime
– Methods in Language and Social Interaction
– Sociolinguistics of the Sinophone World
– Language Politics
– Chinese Linguistics
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