Chong-suk Han
Professor of Sociology
- Office
- Munroe Hall 414
- Tel
- (802) 443-5506
- chongsukh@middlebury.edu
Chong-suk Han attended college at the University of California, Berkeley and received his PhD in 2007 from the University of Washington. His areas of expertise are race and sexuality, particularly the ways that categories of race and sexuality are socially constructed and the way multiple identities intersect. Before becoming an academic, Dr. Han was an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in both national and local magazines and newspapers. He served for three years as the editor-in-chief of the International Examiner, the oldest continuously publishing pan-Asian American news paper in the United States.
Professor Han spends most of his spare time trying to come up with clever titles for his manuscripts.
Courses Taught
SOCI 0105
Society and the Individual
Course Description
Society and the Individual
This course examines the ideas and enduring contributions of the giants of modern social theory, including Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Sigmund Freud. Readings will include selections from original works, as well as contemporary essays. Key issues will include the nature of modernity, the direction of social change, and the role of human agency in constructing the "good society." This course serves as a general introduction to sociology. (formerly SOAN 0105) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0228
Upcoming
Theories & Fundamentals of CT
Course Description
Theories and Fundamentals of Conflict Transformation
In this course, we will explore the interdisciplinary field of Conflict Transformation as both a philosophical orientation and a theoretical framework for understanding conflict as part of the human experience. In exploring conflict transformation, we will move beyond examining conflict as something that should be avoided (conflict prevention) or resolved through various formal and informal processes of negotiation (conflict resolution). Instead, this course will examine the ways that conflict is normal in human relationships, an integral part of human experiences, and can act as a catalyst for social transformation. To do so, we will examine conflict at multiple different levels of human experiences such as interpersonal, national, and international using a broader lens to explore the “bigger picture” of the historical, social, and interpersonal causes of conflict. In doing so, we will come to understand conflict as not something that is always destructive but also productive in creating social change on the personal, interpersonal, local, national, and international level.
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0252
Social Psychology in Sociology
Course Description
Social Psychology in Sociology
The purpose of this course is to examine the relationship between self and society from a sociological perspective. Our initial focus will on the nature of symbols, language, and the social self as theorized by G. H. Mead and early "symbolic interactionists." We will then address the presentation of self through the works of Erving Goffman, and subsequently consider more contemporary concerns, such as emotions, emotional labor, and inequality in social interaction. The second half of the course will address questions of identity and debates surrounding the emergence of "postmodern" selves. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0265
Genders and Sexualities
Course Description
Genders and Sexualities in the US
In this course we will explore and examine how genders and sexualities are constructed and the implications that such constructions have on individuals and societies. We will examine the theories, concepts, practices, and beliefs about sex, gender, sexuality, and sexual identity and explore how these concepts are different between different groups and how they have changed over time, specifically using an intersectional lens. Students will be encouraged to discuss intricacies of their own sexual and gender identities and how these statuses may impact their social status and their relationships with others and the larger society. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0356
Upcoming
Significance of Race in the US
Course Description
The Continuing Significance of Race in the United States
This course will introduce students to theories of race and racism in the United States, how racial categories are formed and maintained in a variety of social arenas, and how race and racism influence social systems. In order to demonstrate the prevalence of race and racism in the U.S., the course will be a “topics” course in that each week, we will explore a different topic (such as education, crime, gender) and examine how they are influenced by race and racism. In addition, the course will compare and contrast the experiences of different racial and ethnic groups in the United States and examine how these different experiences influences the way they are seen, how they see themselves, and how they interact with other groups. Upon completion of the course, students will have a better understanding of the historic and contemporary significance of race and how race influences our everyday interactions in multiple different social arenas. (formerly SOAN 0356) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0376
Politics of Identity
Course Description
Politics of Identity
In this course we will introduce students to social diversity in the U.S. as it is reflected in four master identities: class, gender, race, and sexuality. We will examine what these identities mean for group membership, how group membership is attained or ascribed and maintained. Using both historical and contemporary materials, we will explore how identities have developed over time and how they have been challenged. In addition, we will examine how multiple identities intersect and the implications of these intersections have on individual identities. 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0497
Global Gays and Global Gayze
Course Description
Global Gays and the Global Gayze
In this course we will explore the ways that non-straight sexualities have been understood within a global context. Specifically, we will examine the various ways that non-straight sexualities have been constructed around the globe, the factors that have led to the development of various forms of sexual identifications, as well as the linkages between different cultures, nations, and locations that have influenced the ways that societal beliefs about non-straight sexualities, as well as non-straight sexual “identities,” have come to be influenced through such connections. (Open to majors, others by waiver.) 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0500
Upcoming
Advanced Individual Study
Course Description
Prior to registering for SOCI 0500, a student must enlist the support of a faculty advisor from the Department of Sociology. (Open to Majors only) (Approval Required)
Terms Taught
SOCI 0700
Upcoming
One-Semester Project
Course Description
One-Semester Senior Project
Under the guidance of a faculty member, a student will carry out an independent, one-semester research project, often based on original data. The student must also participate in a senior seminar that begins the first week of fall semester and meets as necessary during the rest of the year. The final product must be presented in a written report of 25-40 pages, due the last day of classes.
Terms Taught
SOCI 0710
Upcoming
Multi-Semester Senior Project
Course Description
Multi-Semester Senior Project
Under the guidance of a faculty member, a senior will carry out an independent multi-semester research project, often based on original data. The student must also participate in a senior seminar that begins the first week of fall semester and meets as necessary during the rest of the year. The final product must be presented in a written report of 60-100 pages, due either at the end of the Winter Term or the Friday after spring break.
Terms Taught
Publications
Forthcoming
Han, Chong-suk, Archana Bodas LaPollo, Lisa Bond, Jennifer Lauby, and Scott Rutledge. Magic Johnson doesn’t worry about paying for medicine: Black MSM’s experiences living with HIV/AIDS. Culture, Health, and Sexuality.
2009
Han, Chong-suk. Chopsticks don’t make it culturally competent: Addressing larger issues for HIV prevention among gay, bisexual, and queer Asian Pacific Islander men. Health & Social Work.
Chen, Angela Chia-Chen, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, and Chong-suk Han. Assessing Chinese immigrant youths’ sexual behaviors: Instrument translation and pilot testing. Journal of Pediatric Nursing.
Han, Chong-suk. One gay Asian body: A personal narrative for examining human behavior in the social environment. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment.
Han, Chong-suk. Asian girls are prettier: Gendered presentations as stigma management among gay Asian men. Symbolic Interaction.
2008
Han, Chong-suk. Sexy like a girl and horny like a boy: Contemporary gay “western” narratives about gay “Asian” men. Critical Sociology.
Han, Chong-suk. A qualitative study of the relationship between racism and unsafe sex among Asian and Pacific Islander gay men. Archives of Sexual Behavior).
Operario, Don, Chong-suk Han, and Kyung-Hee Choi. Dual identity among gay Asian Pacific Islander men. Culture, Health & Sexuality.
Han, Chong-suk. No fats, femmes, or Asians: The utility of Critical Race Theory in examining the role of gay stock stories in the marginalization of gay Asian men. Special issue on Sociology and Critical Race Theory, Contemporary Justice Review.
2007
Han, Chong-suk. They don’t want to cruise your type: Gay men of color and the racial politics of exclusion. Social Identities.
Han, Chong-suk and Edward Echtle. From merging histories to emerging identities: An “Asian” museum as a site of pan-ethnic identity promotion. AAPI Nexus: Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Policy, Practice and Community.
2006
Han, Chong-suk. Geisha of a different kind: Gay Asian men and the gendering of sexual identity. Sexuality & Culture.
Han, Chong-suk. Being an oriental, I could never be completely a man: Gay Asian men and the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Race, Gender & Class.
Do, Tri, Ester Hudes, Kristopher Proctor, Chong-suk Han, and Kyung-Hee Choi. HIV testing trends and correlates among young Asian and Pacific Islander men who have sex with men in two U.S. cities. AIDS Education and Prevention.
2005
Han, Chong-suk. We both eat rice, but that’s about it: Korean and Latino relations in a multiethnic city. Ethnic Studies Review.
2002
Choi, Kyung-Hee, Chong-suk Han, Ester Hudes, and Susan Kegeles. Unprotected sex and associated risk factors among young Asian and Pacific Islander men who have sex with men. AIDS Education and Prevention.