This summer, I will continue researching for my book manuscript, tentatively titled “For the Love of Boys: The Global Fantasies of Asian Boys Love Television.” Boys Love is a genre of storytelling that first emerged in the 1970s in Japanese shōjo manga (comics and graphic novels for girls), which were generally written and illustrated by women for a predominantly female audience comprising adolescent girls and young adult women. My book focuses on the emergence of scripted, live-action Boys Love television and web series, which were first produced in Thailand in 2014. Though most of the work on the genre has focused on audience reception and fan studies, “For the Love of Boys” primarily considers the two other aspects of Television Studies: programs and production. In terms of production, I have begun extensive research on Asian television and streaming platforms, and I have already conducted interviews with directors, screenwriters, and editors in Thailand. Starting this summer, I hope to conduct similar interviews in South Korea or Japan—either in person or on Zoom. In terms of programs, I use the disciplinary tools of Television Studies, Film Studies, Feminism, and Queer Studies to analyze the screen storytelling conventions (plot, camera angles, soundtrack, montage sequences, etc.) in order to explain the cultural work that these shows are doing for both female and queer audiences, including their impact on feminist and queer politics.

Professor Gil-Sheridan is seeking one undergraduate research assistant to support the development of Moonfall/Landfall, a new play examining the intersection of immigration, climate change, and American political identity through a Cuban American family in Tampa, Florida. The play moves between 1969, when the family arrives in the United States just before the moon landing, and the present day, as a Category 5 hurricane approaches the city. The research assistant will conduct sustained research across both climate science and immigration history, including the evolution of public attitudes toward climate change, contemporary climate denialism, Cuban migration to the United States, and shifting U.S. immigration politics. The goal of this research is not academic argument, but synthesis: identifying what knowledge is most useful for building dramatic structure, character, and conflict.

This position is ideal for a student with strong research and summarization skills, comfort working across disciplines, and an interest in how research becomes art. Scientific literacy is important, as is curiosity about history, politics, and storytelling; prior theatre experience is welcome but not required. Professor Gil-Sheridan anticipates meeting twice weekly with the research assistant and will invite the student to read the play in progress, contributing insight on how research can be woven directly into the work. This assistantship offers a rare opportunity to participate in the creation of a new play from the ground up, engaging deeply with urgent questions of migration, climate, and national identity at the intersection of the arts and sciences.

Letters Beyond Borders: Writing, Performance, and Exile is a six-week interdisciplinary project that explores epistolary writing as both a research method and a creative practice. Centered on letters as sites of memory, testimony, and resistance, the project asks how written correspondence can be adapted into embodied performance while retaining its political and emotional force. Working closely with the faculty mentor, the Scholar(s) will research historical and contemporary epistolary forms—personal letters, open letters, archival correspondence, and letters written in conditions of exile or displacement. Scholars will then produce original epistolary texts and collaboratively adapt selected pieces into short performance drafts, exploring voice, presence, and address in a virtual space. The project foregrounds critical making by treating writing and performance as complementary modes of inquiry. Through weekly virtual workshops, close reading, iterative feedback, and reflective discussion, Scholars will examine how distance, absence, and audience shape both the written letter and its performance. The remote structure reinforces the project’s thematic focus on borders and separation while allowing for sustained mentorship and creative experimentation. Project outcomes will include a portfolio of original epistolary writing, performance adaptations, and informal virtual sharings or readings. The project emphasizes process over product, offering Scholars hands-on experience in interdisciplinary research, creative practice, and collaborative inquiry within the humanities and creative arts.

In a multiracial democracy, having political and legal leaders from all backgrounds ensures that all communities are properly represented in policymaking. Such diversity is important for both symbolic (i.e., trust and support for a diverse judiciary) and substantive (i.e., equity-minded court outcomes) reasons. This summer, I am interested in continuing my research and writing about judicial diversity. There are three main goals for the research scholar, which will be completed in collaboration with me: Draft a full report and create visuals based on the collection and analysis of various types of quantitative and qualitative data; Draft a journal article and create a presentation based on analysis from my 2026 book, Robed Representatives: How Black Judges Advocate in American Courts; Draft a research grant proposal to collect data from Asian, Latino/a, and Native American judges.

I am interested in working with a student who: 

• has a strong interest in DEI, the project, and social science research generally
• is professional and thorough with attention to detail 
• is strong with their self-management and research independence, making progress on their work with and without direct supervision 
• will take responsibility for meeting deadlines 
• has strong existing computer skills with Microsoft Office 
• has personal experience with analyzing qualitative and/or quantitative data 
• is interested in mentorship and professional development in Political Science

Buddhism made its first inroads into the mainstream Russian culture in the late 19th century, which can be seen in the teachings of Leo Tolstoy. In the early 20th century, the interest in Buddhism really exploded, as it influenced religious philosophy, literature, and visual arts. Another major wave of Buddhism’s interactions with Russian culture occurred recently, in the 1990s, within the framework of post-modernist fusions that continue into our days. My project concentrates on the fascinating episode when Buddhism became physically “anchored” in St. Petersburg, Russia’s Imperial capital, with the construction of Datsan Gunzechoinei on the eve of WW. This impressive structure is in itself an embodiment of cultural fusion, as it combines traditional Buddhist architectural elements with the Northern Art Nouveaux style and uses granite, St. Petersburg’s signature stone. My project examines the public discourse in connection with the temple’s construction and its links to the broader topic of Buddhism and Russian culture. Although Buddhism is one of Russia’s native religions and there was a small community of the Buddhist Buryats and Kalmyks in the capital, its importance clearly exceeded the purely “ethnic” dimensions, as the supporters and trustees of the temple included some major cultural figures.