top of page
San José State University
July 13-27, 2025
The Immigrant Experience in California
Through Literature and History
Angel Island Immigration Station, San Francisco
Angel Island Immigration Station, San Francisco
The Kite Runner stage play, West End and Broadway
Angel Island Immigration Station, San Francisco
1/5
NEH Summer Institute
Engage with Literature & History
The Department of Film, Theatre, & Dance and the Department of Communication Studies at San José State University are delighted to host “The Immigrant Experience in California through Literature and History,” a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for School Teachers.
​​The institute examines how the experience of transnational immigration to California has been represented through literary and historical texts. Institute faculty are nationally and internationally renowned for their scholarship and artistic work at the intersection of immigration, history, and the literary and theatrical arts.
$2200 Stipend for Summer Scholar Participants
Faculty and Presenters
Co-Directors and Full Time Faculty
-
Matthew Spangler (Professor of Performance Studies, San José State University, Institute Co-Director)
-
Sukanya Chakrabarti (Associate Professor of Theatre, San José State University, Institute Co-Director)
-
Glen Gendzel (Professor of History, San José State University)
-
Maria Judnick (Lecturer in English, Santa Clara University)
-
Sara Zatz (Ping Chong & Company)
Faculty
-
Ping Chong (Author of Undesirable Elements)
-
Jasmin Darznik (Associate Professor of English, California College of the Arts)
-
Charles Egan (Professor of Chinese and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at San Francisco State University)
-
Alberto Garcia (Associate Professor of History, San José State University)
-
Humaira Ghilzai (Cultural Consultant, Afghan Friends Network)
-
Maxine Hong Kingston (Author of The Woman Warrior, on Zoom)
-
Khaled Hosseini (Author of The Kite Runner, on Zoom)
-
Persis Karim (Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies, San Francisco State University)
-
Melissa Koh (Curriculum Consultant, San Francisco Unified School District)
-
Yvonne Kwan (Associate Professor of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, San José State University)
-
Andrew Lam (Author of Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora)
-
Daniel Tkach (English Teacher, Cupertino High School)
-
Kinan Valdez (El Teatro Campesino)
-
Luis Valdez (Author of Zoot Suit)
-
Ricco Villanueva Siasoco (Dean of Student Life and Acting Director of High School, The Waverly School, Pasadena, CA)
bottom of page