UROP Project | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

international studies, gender and sexuality, race, Japan, qualitative research

Research Mentor: Dr. Christina D. Owens, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Honors Program, Undergraduate Studies
Contact Email: cowens@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, Interdisciplinary Humanities, Women's Studies, Ethnic Studies, History, Cultural Geography, International Relations, Asian Studies, English (Literature, Media, and Culture)
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7-10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Wednesday, Sept 4 @ 4:30-5pm on Zoom: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/96157284836
Thurs Sept 5 @ 5-5:30pm on Zoom https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93990135573
Friday Sept 6 @ 2-2:30pm on Zoom https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94916218270

Project Description

I am working on a book project that analyzes how U.S.-citizens teaching English in contemporary Japan are positioned within a transnational field of power relations. As migrants cross borders ideas about justice, innocence, and victimhood travel with them. Starting from this premise, my book shows how interpretive frameworks that have developed within the U.S. in response to our civil rights movements can be redeployed abroad in ways that ultimately help support U.S. empire. Whether they fully recognize it or not, U.S. citizens – the largest demographic within Japan’s native English teacher population being white men – find themselves embedded within a long historical trajectory of U.S. imperial influence abroad. Based on over two years of immersive fieldwork and participant observation, 85 interviews, and analysis of cultural texts, my book project maps the mundane experiences of contemporary U.S. imperial influence in Japan by focusing on U.S. English teaching men partying in expat bars, making fun of their own racialized sexual “charisma,” contesting the terms of their employment through labor unions, and challenging racialized exclusion from public life in Japanese courtrooms.

Research Tasks: The student research assistant(s) will assist with the revision process for the manuscript. Revisions will require 1.) using the library databases to conduct literature reviews, 2.) vetting and summarizing relevant sources, 3.) organizing bibliographic and citation information, 4.) transcribing recent audio interviews, and 5.) proposing line edits to clarify tone, context, and argumentation.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
Critical Thinking and Open-Mindedness:
-the ability to effectively engage and comprehend humanistic social science research about race, class, gender, and sexuality
-the ability to review information to determine its relevance to a project about race, class, gender, and sexuality

Communication:
-the ability to write clearly and concisely
-the ability to effectively correspond with colleagues to maintain a regular meeting schedule
-the ability to effectively ask questions and express opinions

Attention to Detail:
-the ability to carefully follow citation formatting requirements and other provided organization models

Integrity:
-the ability to adhere to a high standard of research ethics -- respecting the privacy of interviewees and maintaining the security of research data

Time management:
-the ability to fulfill responsibilities consistently and reliably according to an agreed upon schedule

Adaptability:
-the ability to learn new work processes, new interdisciplinary academic concepts, and new computer skills

Recommended:
Research and Computer Skills (these skills can be taught):
-the ability to effectively conduct searches in the library research databases
-the ability to effectively use word processing and transcription software

Mentoring Philosophy

When working with UROP students, my goal is to introduce them to skills that will be helpful throughout their undergraduate careers by providing an overview of the research and writing process in the humanistic social sciences. I work one-on-one with UROP students to help them deepen their critical thinking and research skills and their understanding of the academic publication process. Though the essays students will write in their college courses will be much shorter than the manuscript I am preparing, the basic skills of building and supporting an argument through analyzing primary and secondary data and incorporating feedback from reviewers are transferable.

Recognizing the importance of contextualization, I begin the UROP year by introducing students to the fields of Transnational American Studies and Critical Japan Studies. Though they will often work independently, throughout the year I provide examples of successful models for students to follow and encourage them to engage creatively and push beyond those models when they feel comfortable with the tasks at hand. I meet with students weekly to discuss the work they have completed , answer questions, and provide feedback or training for next steps. In this way, we work together to set achievable goals that are broken into increments and aligned with the mentees’ personal strengths and interests. Ultimately, I hope that students’ experience on UROP can set a strong research foundation for the rest of their time at FSU and that I can serve as a resource as they continue along their academic journey.

Additional Information

Link to Publications

Return to Project Database