Teaching Areas

SEX IN THE MEDIA (2021/2022 Semester 1)
Communications and New Media, Cultural Studies, upper division undergraduate

Bulletin Description
This module explores questions of sex, gender, sexuality, and power in contemporary media and popular cultures. It examines issues and themes such as gender identity and representation of sex, women in media production and consumption, and reception and fandom of pop culture, from critical approaches in cultural studies, feminist theory, film theory, queer studies and communication theory. Materials discussed include film, music, television, advertising, comics, animation, video games, and social media. Students completing this module will be able to analyze the representation of gendered and sexual identities and desires in the media.

SEX IN THE MEDIA (2020/2021 Semester 2)
Communications and New Media, Cultural Studies, upper division undergraduate, fully online

Evaluation: TBD

Bulletin Description
This module explores questions of sex, gender, sexuality, and power in contemporary media and popular cultures. It examines issues and themes such as gender identity and representation of sex, women in media production and consumption, and reception and fandom of pop culture, from critical approaches in cultural studies, feminist theory, film theory, queer studies and communication theory. Materials discussed include film, music, television, advertising, comics, animation, video games, and social media. Students completing this module will be able to analyze the representation of gendered and sexual identities and desires in the media.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS (2020/2021 Semester 1)

Communications and New Media, graduate, fully online

Evaluation: 4.7/5

An interdisciplinary seminar offering an introduction to qualitative research methods in communication, media studies, and cultural studies. It employs a praxis-centered approach by executing and workshopping weekly practica (hands-on) assignments and pays special attention to research approaches that promote diversity and inclusivity.

QUALITATIVE COMMUNICATION RESEARCH METHODS (2020/2021 Semester 1)
Communications and New Media, Cultural Studies, lower division undergraduate, fully online
Evaluation: 3.9/5 (lecture)

This module is designed to help students understand what qualitative communication research is, the role it plays in the development of communication theories and applications, and the steps in carrying out qualitative research projects. It covers fundamental concepts in qualitative research design, sampling strategies and protocol development, data collection, data analysis, and evaluation. This module also introduces basic concepts of qualitative methods such as interpretation, meaning making, co-construction, and performance. A set of field-based experiences will be designed to give students opportunities to become familiar with specific forms of qualitative data gathering such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, and ethnography.

SEX IN THE MEDIA (2019/2020 Semester 2)

Communications and New Media, Cultural Studies, upper division undergraduate
Evaluation: 4.3/5

Bulletin Description
This module explores questions of sex, gender, sexuality, and power in contemporary media and popular cultures. It examines issues and themes such as gender identity and representation of sex, women in media production and consumption, and reception and fandom of pop culture, from critical approaches in cultural studies, feminist theory, film theory, queer studies and communication theory. Materials discussed include film, music, television, advertising, comics, animation, video games, and social media. Students completing this module will be able to analyze the representation of gendered and sexual identities and desires in the media.

QUALITATIVE COMMUNICATION RESEARCH METHODS (2019/2020 Semester 1)
Communications and New Media, Cultural Studies, lower division undergraduate
Evaluation: 4/5 (lecture); 4.2/5 (tutorial)

This module is designed to help students understand what qualitative communication research is, the role it plays in the development of communication theories and applications, and the steps in carrying out qualitative research projects. It covers fundamental concepts in qualitative research design, sampling strategies and protocol development, data collection, data analysis, and evaluation. This module also introduces basic concepts of qualitative methods such as interpretation, meaning making, co-construction, and performance. A set of field-based experiences will be designed to give students opportunities to become familiar with specific forms of qualitative data gathering such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, and ethnography.

THEORY AND PRACTICE IN CULTURAL STUDIES (2018/2019 Semester 2)

Communications and New Media, Cultural Studies, upper division undergraduate

Evaluation: 4/5

An interdisciplinary seminar offering an introduction to some of the major critical theories, approaches, and debates in cultural studies, ranging from studies of mass culture, to feminist, ethnographic, and postcolonial cultural studies.It is a capstone for the Cultural Studies Minor, where students will learn critical writing and thinking skills in analyzing particular cultural practices and interventions in contemporary societies. 

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS (2018/2019 Semester 1)

Communications and New Media, graduate

Evaluation: 5/5

An interdisciplinary seminar offering an introduction to qualitative research methods in communication, media studies, and cultural studies. It employs a praxis-centered approach by executing and workshopping weekly practica (hands-on) assignments and pays special attention to research approaches that promote diversity and inclusivity.

Current Research

I am currently completing my first book manuscript which explores trans/gender issues in contemporary Tokyo, Japan based on ethnographic field research I conducted between 2015 and 2017 at josō (male-to-female crossdressing) and dansō (female-to-male crossdressing) cafe-and-bars (女装•男装カフェアンドバー). This project has been generously supported by a National University of Singapore Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Start-Up Grant (2019-2023) and fellowships from the Japan Foundation (2016-2017) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (2017-2018).

In 2021, I will embark on a new project called “Campus Sexual Misconduct in a Digital Age (CASMIDA)” in collaboration with a team of NUS scholars: Dr. Shivani Gupta (Communications and New Media), Dr. Jungup Lee (Social Work), and Dr. Bimlesh Wadhwa (School of Computing). Our project explores campus sexual misconduct in Singapore and its relation to gender, technology use, digital well-being, and technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV).

Research Interests

Gender and sexuality media studies, especially its intersections with race and ethnicity, media representation and consumption of women and sexual minorities, and media culture in a transnational context.

Cultural studies in Asia, with special focus on contemporary East Asia, particularly Japan, popular culture, theories of affect and emotion, and relations between culture, labor, and the market economy.

Digital ethnography, particularly in combination with traditional ethnography (i.e. in a physical space), social media, intimacy in digital sites, and affective and emotional bonds between humans and technology in everyday life.