Asian Studies Alumni Spotlight with Dafna Zur



Interested in what you can do with a degree in Asian Studies? In our Alumni Spotlight Interview Series, we ask our alumni about their career paths, how they became interested in Asian Studies and for any advice they would give to current students. This Interview features Dafna Zur, UBC Asian Studies MA 2002, PhD 2011. Dafna is currently an Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University.

 

Portrait of Dafna Zur

Dafna Zur

Please provide us with insight into your career progression post UBC.

In my last year at UBC and with only a few months to my defense and graduation, I was lucky enough to get a few phone interviews for jobs and even one campus visit at a major institution. This is highly unusual for ABD candidates in an increasingly competitive market, and I attribute those achievements to the meticulous and tireless guidance I received from my committee members, particularly Professor Ross King and Professor Sharalyn Orbaugh. Professor Orbaugh must have read my cover letters in its permutations twenty times, without exaggeration. I did not end up getting a job in North America that year, but landed a two-year position in Korea, again mostly thanks to Professor King, who urged me to consider directions I had not considered previously. As Professor King suggested, the year in Korea proved to be very helpful, as it broadened my own work experience (I taught Korean literature to Korean students–in Korean!) and upgraded my CV in preparation for the following year–when I had two interviews, at Emory and Stanford. I would not have had the courage or the experience to prepare for these interviews without the support of the faculty.

How has your experience at UBC prepared you for your current job?

UBC provided me with many invaluable experiences that continue to support me in my new position as assistant professor at Stanford. Professor King enabled me to teach my own courses in my last year as a graduate student, which helped tremendously both in honing the skill of approaching students and communicating information in a coherent manner. Professor Sharalyn Orbaugh’s fantastic professional development seminars, in which she did everything from doctor our CVs, teach us how to read job ads, and guide us through the intricacies of creating a syllabus, provided me with personal and professional support in approaching these intimidating tasks. Both she and Professor King also made me feel that, as busy as they were, they always had time to advise and guide me, and this is something I am eager to pay forward to my own students. Other faculty members such as Anne Murphy, Adheesh Sathaye, Chris Rea, Christina Laffin, and Stefania Burk also gave me advice on the nuances of navigating campus interviews. I felt that I was going out into the world with the full support of a faculty that were more like family members, and it was incredibly empowering.

What are some things that you miss the most about the department of Asian Studies?

I miss the department like I would miss my own home. I miss the people who knew me and watched me grow from a bumbling MA student to a PhD graduate with two children. I miss the department’s endless supply of encouragement and warmth, which was always supplemented by fuel in the form of chocolate and coffee. I miss the Asian Centre with its moat and beautiful garden out front; and I miss the fantastic library and our indefatigable Korean librarian Helen Kim. I can’t wait to come visit!



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