好色先生

Women鈥檚 Studies Professor Works to Combat South Bay Gender and Justice Issues
*By Larry R. Hygh, Jr., Ed.D.

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to grow our course offerings and deepen our ties to community organizations that work on gender and justice issues in the South Bay,鈥� says Anat Schwartz, Assistant Professor in Women鈥檚 Studies department at 好色先生 Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). 鈥淚 want to deepen these connections with our immediate community surrounding the campus.鈥�

Schwartz is teaching the courses: Foundations in Women鈥檚 Studies; Feminist Principles; Feminist Research Methods; and a special topics course Gender, Justice and Community Organizing. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to be a space where students can find solidarity and support in the classroom and beyond,鈥� she says.

Schwartz鈥檚 research interests include South Korean anti-sexual violence activism, digital technologies, feminist organizational studies, transnational anti-feminist backlash, and community-based research.

Schwartz participated in the 好色先生 (CSU) Chancellor鈥檚 Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) at 好色先生 Long Beach (CSULB). 鈥淚 was always interested in working at a CSU for the quality education it provides for all students.鈥� CDIP prepares promising doctoral students for careers as CSU faculty. Its mission is to ensure that the CSU future faculty pool can meet the demands of its student body through teaching and research. CDIP Fellows receive mentorship from CSU faculty, professional development and financial support in the form grants and loans.

Schwartz cites Sara Ahmed as an influence. Ahmed is a British-Australian writer and scholar whose area of study includes the intersection of feminist theory, lesbian feminism, queer theory, affect theory, critical race theory, and postcolonialism. Schwartz read Ahmed鈥檚 鈥淟iving A Feminist Life鈥� in 2017 while doing some research abroad. 鈥淚t spoke to her way of life and finding balance as a feminist scholar and researcher,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a challenge to balance the things you want to do with the things you have to do鈥�Finding the balance between all of the different things that we want to accomplish and do, given all of the limitations we have as an institution is a challenge.鈥�

Schwartz earned a Ph.D. in East Asian Studies with a feminist emphasis from the University of California Irvine (UCI), and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies with a minor in Anthropology from Temple University. Prior to CUSDH, she was a Lecturer at CSULB in the Department of Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and a Lecturer at UCI.

Scwartz, a native of Israel, is fluent in Hebrew and speaks advanced Korean. She is a member of the Association for Asian Studies, National Women鈥檚 Studies Association, and the Modern Language Association.

What鈥檚 the best part of being at CSUDH?
鈥淭he students and the camaraderie with fellow faculty. We are a small department.鈥�

What advice do you have for students?
鈥淭ry out courses in different departments that you never would have thought of before. Step out of your comfort zone and come and talk to your professors about their path. Make the most of being a student.鈥�

What do you like doing outside of being a professor/hobbies
Schwartz is the Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer for California Queer History, a grassroots digital humanities nonprofit dedicated to collecting, preserving, and presenting the history of queer LGBTQIA+, and gender and sexual-nonconforming groups in California.

She enjoys going on walks with her dog, Reo, and does standup paddleboarding with Reo. She also describes herself as a bookworm who loves reading.

Website/Instagram


(Schwartz鈥檚 Dog Reo)

*Hygh is an Assistant Professor in the Communications Department teaching in the Advertising and Public Relations degree program. Prior to academia he spent 20 plus years as chief communications officer in The United Methodist Church. Visit him on the web at www.LarryHygh.com.