Chiyeon
Hwang

Korean Literature

Chiyeon Hwang is a doctoral candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). Her research interests include twentieth century Korean literature, film and culture, literary criticism, and gender studies. She earned her bachelor’s degree at James Madison University with a major in English and minor in French. At UHM, she earned her post-baccalaureate certification in secondary education (English), graduate certificate in advanced women’s studies, and master’s degree in Korean Literature. Prior to returning to pursue her PhD in Korean literature, she worked as an English teacher at Moanalua High School in Hawai‘i for five years. As a graduate assistant, she has taught Modern Korean Literature in Translation, Sexual Identity in Literature, Women and Film, and is currently teaching Gender Issues in Asian Society.

Chiyeon’s experiences as an educator both at the secondary school and college levels attest that a safe and positive learning environment is essential in fostering students’ intellectual curiosity, facilitating effective discussions, and achieving educational objectives. She believes establishing such an environment and consistently cultivating it over time is crucial in building a sense of community and promoting collaborative learning between the students and instructor. For Chiyeon, teaching offers opportunities to discover, share, and contribute positively to cultural and educational expansion while fostering progressive change for local and global communities.