Education:
2020- Ph.D. East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Oregon
2017-2020 M.A. Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Colorado Boulder
2013-2017 B.A. Chinese Languages and Literature, Sun Yat-sen University
My dissertation investigates the shifting cultural constructions of children’s happiness, tracing its evolution from a bourgeois fantasy in early Republican China to a propagandistic tool in Mao China. It calls for a transnational turn in children's studies, exploring the influences of both Western and East Asian perspectives on this transformation. My research is supported and recognized by the Oregon Humanities Center Graduate Research Support Fellowship and Oregon Humanities Center Dissertation Fellowship. Additionally, it received the top prize at the Asian Studies Research Event and the Asian Studies Awards at the University of Oregon.
From being a master’s student to pursuing my Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, I have consistently worked as a teaching assistant/graduate employee. I have extensive teaching experience in the Chinese language at all levels—beginning, intermediate, and advanced—as well as in Chinese literature, history, and culture. My teaching portfolio includes a series course divided into three terms on The History of Chinese Literature from Beginning to Modern China, Introduction to Chinese Pop Culture, Introduction to Chinese Films, and Introduction to Chinese Narratives. I was fortunate to receive comprehensive training in China, where my three years of master’s studies were primarily focused on premodern China. This foundation has proven invaluable for my research and teaching, providing me with a thorough understanding of Chinese history and culture, as well as the transitions from premodern to contemporary periods.
As a native speaker of Mandarin and Cantonese, I deeply value celebrating Cantonese culture and my Cantonese identity. I also have professional working proficiency in classical Chinese, English, and Japanese (certified at JLPT N2 level in 2023), as well as limited working proficiency in Korean.
Please check my personal website for more information: https://letingzheng.github.io/PersonalBlog/.
