Yu Li
Del Rey North
Email: Yu.Li@lmu.edu
Dr. Yu Li is an Associate Professor of Chinese in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. She grew up in China and completed her undergraduate and Master's studies in Beijing before coming to the US for her PhD degree. A linguist by training, an aspiring artist, and a dedicated community builder, Dr. Li enjoys working with students in diverse contexts. At LMU, for example, she coordinates the Chinese program and advises the student organization, The Chinese Circle, supporting Chinese-learning students in extracurricular events and activities. At her previous institution, Emory University, she served on the Faculty Advisory Committee for the Emory Scholars Program and enjoyed taking students to Escape the Room, ziplining by Lake Lanier, or visiting the Center for Puppetry Arts. She is excited and is looking forward to collaborating with students and colleagues at and beyond Del Rey North to create supportive, inspiring, and empowering residence-based communities.
At LMU, Dr. Li teaches a broad array of courses in Chinese cultural history, linguistics, and art, including Global China, The Chinese Writing System, Chinese Calligraphy, and Chinese Food Cultures. Her research centers on transcultural and translingual pedagogy, intercultural communication, and linguistic landscape with a focus on social semiotics. Her first book, The Chinese Writing System in Asia: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (Routledge,
2020), offers a culturally rich study of the Chinese script, integrating a broad range of disciplinary perspectives on how the Chinese writing system shapes personal and social identities in and beyond Asia. Her current project examines the global use of the chop suey typeface invented in 1880s America to represent Chineseness.
Besides teaching, researching, and working closely with students, Dr. Li is also a 2022 CTE Faculty Fellow in Global-Local Initiatives, serves on the Faculty Senate, and co-organizes the interdisciplinary China Studies Group for faculty.