Thank you for your continuing participation in the AAPI Advancement Award selection process! As a reminder, this is an award given to a UVA faculty based on their contributions to the AAPI community. The winner will receive $5,000 to donate to their UVA department of choice! Below are the 4 candidates in the running:
Jack Chen
Professor Chen is a Professor of Chinese Literature. Former students noted his ability to illuminate and foster a deeper appreciation of Chinese Culture and history. Students appreciate how he “goes above and beyond during lectures” and praised him for being “not only fun, but also engaged and kind.” Professor Chen focuses on the literary and intellectual traditions of classical China, particularly during medieval China, spanning the periods between 100 CE and 900 CE. He is known for applying innovative computational methods for literary analysis and his work on the history of information management in traditional China. His publications include “The Poetics of Sovereignty: On Emperor Training of the Tang Dynasty” and “Idle Talk: Gossip and Anecdote in Traditional China.”
Shu-Chen Chen
Chen Iaoshi (The Chinese word for “teacher” as she is known to her many students) is currently Assistant Professor of Chinese at UVA. A native of Taiwan and a double Hoo, she has had extensive involvement in Chinese language instruction, including being the Director of Chinese Summer Language Institute, as well as innovative courses like Professional Chinese with Community Engagement and Chinese Calligraphy. Her courses allow Chinese language students to engage with the broader University. In addition, she has served as a gateway for students, especially those not studying Chinese, to learn more about Chinese Calligraphy and culture. She is beloved and respected by her students both for her teaching and her countless contributions to the Department of East Asian Languages, Literature, and Culture, and to the University community.
Sylvia Chong
Professor Chong is an Associate Professor of English, with directorships in American Studies and Asian Pacific American Studies. Students have recognized her ability to delineate Asian American culture into the deep and rich history of different ethnic groups. Students have also noted her “monumental acts of selflessness” to the UVA community during the Atlanta shootings last year. Professor Chong has published extensively on topics like the Vietnam War. In her book called The Oriental Obscene: Violence and Racial Fantasies in the Vietnam Era, she explains how racialized fantasies helped Americans process the trauma of the Vietnam War. Her theory of “oriental obscenity” has wide ranging implications on other political narratives, including the Black Power movement, law-and-order conservatism, second-wave feminism, and the nascent Asian American movement.
Leonard Schoppa
Dr. Schoppa has devoted his career to the study of Japanese politics and foreign relations. He has been at UVA for over 30 years, where he currently serves as a Professor of Politics and teaches courses on subjects ranging from East Asian international relations to comparative politics and public policy. He has published a wide range of articles and books, including Race for the Exits: The Unraveling of Japan’s System of Social Protection, Bargaining with Japan: What American Pressure Can and Cannot Do, and The Evolution of Japan’s Party System. Through his numerous publications, his creative teaching, and his work on the Advisory Committee of the U.S. – Japan Network for the Future program, Professor Schoppa has contributed greatly to our understanding of Japanese politics and has helped build closer U.S.-Japan relationship at multiple levels.
We are now asking you to help us select the award winner with your vote! Please use this link to cast your vote by April 15.
The award ceremony will be held virtually on May 16 at 6pm EDT, where winning faculty member will be introduced.
We are super excited to be able to launch the AAPI Advancement Award at a time of momentous changes in Asian-American relations. Please help us make this event a success with your support – and vote!