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This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and interview one of the Chinese Studies section's newest professors, and as his former student, I congratulate the Department of Modern Languages on their excellent choice. Professor Chan is not only one of the most engaging teachers I have ever had, he is also one of the most entertaining. I was thrilled with this opportunity to learn more about Professor Chan, and hope you enjoy.
Can you tell me a little about your background?
Let’s see, where to start. Well, I was born and raised in Seattle; my mom and dad were immigrants from Hong Kong and Mainland China. Neither had much education, and until their retirements, Dad cooked in Chinese restaurants and Mom cleaned hospitals. My two brothers and I were lucky enough to go to University of Washington, and I pursued a double major in Russian Literature and Comparative Literature. I credit my mom for letting me study what I wanted to study, which is so rare among Asian parents who want their kids to be lawyers or doctors or scientists. Why Russian? I was fascinated with Soviet history as a teenager, and I always wanted to be able to read historical texts in the original – turned out I fell in love with the language and the literature. I was very politically conscious as a teenager, and was seen as a kind of radical in high school. In college, though, I realized in some ways that literature and art spoke to the very messy and difficult complexities of our social world and political context – that it wasn’t black and white, but full of nuance and depth that I felt only literature really acknowledged.
Where and what did you do your undergrad and grad school in? Why you chose those particular subjects?
I graduated from UW and was awarded the President’s Medal, which was both wonderful and surreal at the same time. I immediately went to UC Berkeley in Comparative Literature. I decided to study Russian and Chinese literatures, and as time progressed, I gravitated more towards Chinese literature. I’m not sure why, but I simply developed a passion for this literature that had such a long history, and even though I’m a modernist, I fell deeply in love with the classical language. Now I only started studying Chinese in my last year of college, so I had a LOT of make up work to do linguistically. I credit Berkeley and the CL department for giving me the flexibility and time to study Chinese to the level I needed to conduct research and write my dissertation. One of the things I study intensely is the complex relationship between literature and politics in modern China – both China and Russia are countries/cultures that put an especially high social value on the institution of literature, much more so than in the US. I really wanted to think about this relationship between the literary and the social, and to more fully acknowledge and articulate the frictions between the two, as well as the points of commonality. What is the purpose of the novel? To entertain? To enlighten? To disabuse? For me it’s always fascinating to see how Chinese and Russian thinkers had this very complicated relationship with literature, as a medium that was essential to political change, and yet also stubbornly recalcitrant to simply being co-opted for ideological purposes.
How did William and Mary enter the picture? What was your perception of W&M before coming here?
So W&M was one of the schools I applied to when I went on the job market last year, which was also when I was finishing up my dissertation. To be honest, I didn’t know very much about the school – a lot of us West Coasters are unfamiliar with this institution. While I was applying I saw a PBS documentary that showed the Queen’s visit to W&M a few years ago, and I was astonished by how beautiful the campus was. Other than that, I really didn’t have a lot of sense about what the students were like, what campus life was like, the scope of research, etc. When I came for a campus interview, though, I have to admit that I was blown away by just how enthusiastic and kind both the students and faculty were, and I just had this really good feeling all throughout my visit. The students were so eager to learn, and that really excited me. So when I got the offer, I was thrilled. I was visiting my parents in Seattle when I got the news, and my parents were overjoyed that I’d gotten a job.
At W&M, how did you choose to teach these certain classes? Why did you choose them? Do you regret choosing them?
To be honest, I didn’t get to choose my classes for this semester (Fall). By the time I was hired, the schedule was pretty much already set, so I knew I was going to teach a film course and a course on popular culture. I was nervous, to say the least, because for the most part I’m a literary guy, and I love talking about genre, mode, voice, narratology, form, etc. So spending a whole semester on, say, cinema, was daunting. But I must say that I learned a lot from teaching the course, and what you realize is that the same kinds of skills of analysis that you acquire in the study and teaching of literature are readily applicable to the study and teaching of film. It’s all about paying careful attention, of not taking what you see for granted, and of always asking yourself questions about why you are seeing what you see. With popular culture, I got to explore a lot of things that fascinated me, including political propaganda posters, Chinese opera, pop music, Internet videos, so the course was always exciting. The heterogeneous nature of popular culture kind of guarantees that the course will never get stuck in a routine.
Next semester I’ll be doing two courses in literature, which is much more up my alley. I’m definitely looking forward to returning to my comfort zone for a bit, and yet I’m also very aware of the danger of being too comfortable. So I’m thinking about what worked really well this semester, and see if I can try them out in the spring.
After your first semester here, have any of your perceptions changed?
Well, I learned that the life of an academic is far busier than I ever thought! I really have a newfound respect for my own teachers who were able to juggle grading, teaching, prep work, research, committee work and, if possible, a personal life! There’s never a day when I’m not “on”. It’s exciting, but unless you watch out and make time for yourself, you can get easily overwhelmed. So I’m trying really hard to heed the advice of my colleagues and get some “me” time in as well – cooking for friends, watching basketball games, catching up on “Glee” and “Family Guy” on Hulu (although lately “Parks and Recreation” has become my new favorite show – I can watch episodes over and over again). I’ve always loved running ever since I was in college, and watching all the elite runners here on campus inspires me to keep at it, despite bum knees and fatigue.
What do you think of the students here at William and Mary?
The students have been a real pleasure. They are kind and thoughtful, and I like interacting with them. I went to really large schools where students were for the most part anonymous, and I like how students here are very close knit – that they know each other and support each other. It’s really fantastic to see that camaraderie. I also really love the obvious pride people have in their school. When I was in grad school, it was seen as kind of vulgar for academics to wear school colors, which always bugged me, because I feel that solidarity with your alma mater is a really important and meaningful thing. Fashion sense be damned, but I’d like to express my sense of pride for this school. Yesterday was the last day of class and I bought my first Tribe t-shirt. Although it’s a small, I’m quite tiny, so it’s still a little big on me, but I’m proud to wear it.
What are your long-term goals, whether here at W&M or anywhere else?
Well, first I’d like to turn my dissertation, about the rhetoric of dreaming in modern Chinese literary discourse, into a book manuscript. My second monograph project is a comparative study of Chinese and Russian/Soviet literary texts that deal with the relationship between China and Russia/Soviet Union. The fun part of that project is that I get to use my skills in Russian in addition to Chinese. This second project, which I’ve already started, seeks to examine the relationship between revolutionary utopia and transnational desire in both countries. I’m also thinking about doing some research on the notion of what Chinese studies pedagogy is and should be. What does it mean to “teach” and “study” China in a time when China is so inextricably linked to America’s political and economic prospects? How should American students approach their “study” of China so that they are not merely passive, disengaged learners, but are actively engaged themselves as participants within Chinese culture?
How does teaching at W&M fit into those goals?
I think Chinese studies here at W&M have had a great period of expansion due to the tireless efforts of Professor Yanfang Tang, but also the demand of so many students who want to study China. I certainly hope to contribute in helping this concentration grow and mature, and I fully expect to be involved in curricular innovation and expansion. I think I bring a lot of resources because of my background in Comparative Literature and Russian in addition to Chinese studies, and I hope to help develop a program that is both comprehensive in its study of the Chinese canon, but also cosmopolitan in the way it seeks to situate China not as a world unto itself, but as a global nation that is of such great consequence to the world at large. I’d like to see this concentration grow in the variety of its offerings, but also maintain a very high standard of academic rigor and seriousness. We are producing students who are capable of doing work at graduate level, and I’d like to see that continue and, honestly, be the norm. I came here with a lot of prospects and ambitions for this program, and I hope students, faculty and administration realize what a jewel this program is for the College. I want to help make Chinese Studies at W&M one of the premier undergraduate programs of its kind on the East Coast – we have the student talent, committed faculty, and some resources at our disposal, so I don’t see why we can’t become an exciting, rigorous and highly popular program. I’m definitely game for it.
Thank you so much Professor Chan. 再见！
A&S Home » Modern Languages » News » MLL
Interview with Professor Roy Chan
| December 8, 2009This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and interview one of the Chinese Studies section's newest professors, and as his former student, I congratulate the Department of Modern Languages on their excellent choice. Professor Chan is not only one of the most engaging teachers I have ever had, he is also one of the most entertaining. I was thrilled with this opportunity to learn more about Professor Chan, and hope you enjoy.
Can you tell me a little about your background?
Let’s see, where to start. Well, I was born and raised in Seattle; my mom and dad were immigrants from Hong Kong and Mainland China. Neither had much education, and until their retirements, Dad cooked in Chinese restaurants and Mom cleaned hospitals. My two brothers and I were lucky enough to go to University of Washington, and I pursued a double major in Russian Literature and Comparative Literature. I credit my mom for letting me study what I wanted to study, which is so rare among Asian parents who want their kids to be lawyers or doctors or scientists. Why Russian? I was fascinated with Soviet history as a teenager, and I always wanted to be able to read historical texts in the original – turned out I fell in love with the language and the literature. I was very politically conscious as a teenager, and was seen as a kind of radical in high school. In college, though, I realized in some ways that literature and art spoke to the very messy and difficult complexities of our social world and political context – that it wasn’t black and white, but full of nuance and depth that I felt only literature really acknowledged.
Where and what did you do your undergrad and grad school in? Why you chose those particular subjects?
I graduated from UW and was awarded the President’s Medal, which was both wonderful and surreal at the same time. I immediately went to UC Berkeley in Comparative Literature. I decided to study Russian and Chinese literatures, and as time progressed, I gravitated more towards Chinese literature. I’m not sure why, but I simply developed a passion for this literature that had such a long history, and even though I’m a modernist, I fell deeply in love with the classical language. Now I only started studying Chinese in my last year of college, so I had a LOT of make up work to do linguistically. I credit Berkeley and the CL department for giving me the flexibility and time to study Chinese to the level I needed to conduct research and write my dissertation. One of the things I study intensely is the complex relationship between literature and politics in modern China – both China and Russia are countries/cultures that put an especially high social value on the institution of literature, much more so than in the US. I really wanted to think about this relationship between the literary and the social, and to more fully acknowledge and articulate the frictions between the two, as well as the points of commonality. What is the purpose of the novel? To entertain? To enlighten? To disabuse? For me it’s always fascinating to see how Chinese and Russian thinkers had this very complicated relationship with literature, as a medium that was essential to political change, and yet also stubbornly recalcitrant to simply being co-opted for ideological purposes.
How did William and Mary enter the picture? What was your perception of W&M before coming here?
So W&M was one of the schools I applied to when I went on the job market last year, which was also when I was finishing up my dissertation. To be honest, I didn’t know very much about the school – a lot of us West Coasters are unfamiliar with this institution. While I was applying I saw a PBS documentary that showed the Queen’s visit to W&M a few years ago, and I was astonished by how beautiful the campus was. Other than that, I really didn’t have a lot of sense about what the students were like, what campus life was like, the scope of research, etc. When I came for a campus interview, though, I have to admit that I was blown away by just how enthusiastic and kind both the students and faculty were, and I just had this really good feeling all throughout my visit. The students were so eager to learn, and that really excited me. So when I got the offer, I was thrilled. I was visiting my parents in Seattle when I got the news, and my parents were overjoyed that I’d gotten a job.
At W&M, how did you choose to teach these certain classes? Why did you choose them? Do you regret choosing them?
To be honest, I didn’t get to choose my classes for this semester (Fall). By the time I was hired, the schedule was pretty much already set, so I knew I was going to teach a film course and a course on popular culture. I was nervous, to say the least, because for the most part I’m a literary guy, and I love talking about genre, mode, voice, narratology, form, etc. So spending a whole semester on, say, cinema, was daunting. But I must say that I learned a lot from teaching the course, and what you realize is that the same kinds of skills of analysis that you acquire in the study and teaching of literature are readily applicable to the study and teaching of film. It’s all about paying careful attention, of not taking what you see for granted, and of always asking yourself questions about why you are seeing what you see. With popular culture, I got to explore a lot of things that fascinated me, including political propaganda posters, Chinese opera, pop music, Internet videos, so the course was always exciting. The heterogeneous nature of popular culture kind of guarantees that the course will never get stuck in a routine.
Next semester I’ll be doing two courses in literature, which is much more up my alley. I’m definitely looking forward to returning to my comfort zone for a bit, and yet I’m also very aware of the danger of being too comfortable. So I’m thinking about what worked really well this semester, and see if I can try them out in the spring.
After your first semester here, have any of your perceptions changed?
Well, I learned that the life of an academic is far busier than I ever thought! I really have a newfound respect for my own teachers who were able to juggle grading, teaching, prep work, research, committee work and, if possible, a personal life! There’s never a day when I’m not “on”. It’s exciting, but unless you watch out and make time for yourself, you can get easily overwhelmed. So I’m trying really hard to heed the advice of my colleagues and get some “me” time in as well – cooking for friends, watching basketball games, catching up on “Glee” and “Family Guy” on Hulu (although lately “Parks and Recreation” has become my new favorite show – I can watch episodes over and over again). I’ve always loved running ever since I was in college, and watching all the elite runners here on campus inspires me to keep at it, despite bum knees and fatigue.
What do you think of the students here at William and Mary?
The students have been a real pleasure. They are kind and thoughtful, and I like interacting with them. I went to really large schools where students were for the most part anonymous, and I like how students here are very close knit – that they know each other and support each other. It’s really fantastic to see that camaraderie. I also really love the obvious pride people have in their school. When I was in grad school, it was seen as kind of vulgar for academics to wear school colors, which always bugged me, because I feel that solidarity with your alma mater is a really important and meaningful thing. Fashion sense be damned, but I’d like to express my sense of pride for this school. Yesterday was the last day of class and I bought my first Tribe t-shirt. Although it’s a small, I’m quite tiny, so it’s still a little big on me, but I’m proud to wear it.
What are your long-term goals, whether here at W&M or anywhere else?
Well, first I’d like to turn my dissertation, about the rhetoric of dreaming in modern Chinese literary discourse, into a book manuscript. My second monograph project is a comparative study of Chinese and Russian/Soviet literary texts that deal with the relationship between China and Russia/Soviet Union. The fun part of that project is that I get to use my skills in Russian in addition to Chinese. This second project, which I’ve already started, seeks to examine the relationship between revolutionary utopia and transnational desire in both countries. I’m also thinking about doing some research on the notion of what Chinese studies pedagogy is and should be. What does it mean to “teach” and “study” China in a time when China is so inextricably linked to America’s political and economic prospects? How should American students approach their “study” of China so that they are not merely passive, disengaged learners, but are actively engaged themselves as participants within Chinese culture?
How does teaching at W&M fit into those goals?
I think Chinese studies here at W&M have had a great period of expansion due to the tireless efforts of Professor Yanfang Tang, but also the demand of so many students who want to study China. I certainly hope to contribute in helping this concentration grow and mature, and I fully expect to be involved in curricular innovation and expansion. I think I bring a lot of resources because of my background in Comparative Literature and Russian in addition to Chinese studies, and I hope to help develop a program that is both comprehensive in its study of the Chinese canon, but also cosmopolitan in the way it seeks to situate China not as a world unto itself, but as a global nation that is of such great consequence to the world at large. I’d like to see this concentration grow in the variety of its offerings, but also maintain a very high standard of academic rigor and seriousness. We are producing students who are capable of doing work at graduate level, and I’d like to see that continue and, honestly, be the norm. I came here with a lot of prospects and ambitions for this program, and I hope students, faculty and administration realize what a jewel this program is for the College. I want to help make Chinese Studies at W&M one of the premier undergraduate programs of its kind on the East Coast – we have the student talent, committed faculty, and some resources at our disposal, so I don’t see why we can’t become an exciting, rigorous and highly popular program. I’m definitely game for it.
Thank you so much Professor Chan. 再见！
