Profile: Chunhui Peng

Bringing with her an understanding of human and historical connections, Chunhui Peng adds her expertise to the Department of World Languages and Literature in the fall. Having served as a teaching assistant at the University of California, San Diego, as well as an adjunct lecturer at Southern Methodist University, Peng brings with her an array of teaching experiences and methods to improve student understanding of the human element of language.

“I have many fond memories of working with students at San José State University,” Peng recalls. “I am looking forward to continuing that journey.”

Focusing her Ph.D. research on personal and cultural memory of traumatic historical events in China, Peng tries to highlight the transnational creation of memory and history, and to help students understand this complex relationship. She considers her role in the classroom as a facilitator and attempts to help students achieve their academic goals on their own terms by providing guidance when needed.

“In my teaching, I strive to create an interactive class setting, using various teaching methods to engage students,” Peng explains. “If research is a solo performance, teaching feels like being in a symphony.”

When teaching, Peng refers often to the research noted psychologist Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi conducted on consciousness, collectively summed up as “flow,” which is a state in which concentration or complete absorption by an activity occurs. She encourages students to achieve this optimal state when working, so that they derive greater happiness and understanding from the work they are doing. This philosophy also aids in her comprehension of her own research and enables her to continually grow as she joins the SJSU faculty in the fall.