Pomona is a community of daring minds. It is a place for students who are venturesome by choice, who have talent, passion, and independence of spirit, and who are prepared to dream big and work hard in order to make a difference in the world.
One way that Pomona College provides opportunities for students to excel is through research opportunities. Conducting research as an undergraduate not only gives students an advantage when applying for fellowships or graduate school; it also gives them a chance to tackle real-world problems and to find out what it's like to be treated as colleagues by their professors, many of whom are the leading experts in their fields.
The 1965 Basic Treaty: A Path-Dependent Event in Modern Korea-Japan Relations
Wonjai Lee ’25 (PO)
Advisors: Tom Le (PO) and Albert Park (CMC)
P’ansori: Gender, Re-imagination, and Modernity
Malena Rivera Segarra ’24 (PO)
Advisors: Gibb Schreffler (PO) and Zhiru Ng (PO)
Abstract: P’ansori is a traditional Korean music genre grounded in storytelling. Because of rapid modernization, preservation efforts have focused on keeping p’ansori the way it has been since its origins in the later years of the Choson dynasty. This includes preserving its five main texts, traditional clothing, props, performance spaces, and dynamics. P’ansori has rich gender features and complex training characteristics that make it a highly valued artform. Yet p’ansori has not been able to resist changes in its gender structures and performance practices. Preservation can be the re-integration of p’ansori into a modern Korean society to ensure its survival, or the adherence to its traditional features, staying detached from popular practices. This thesis looks to discover what is the role of preservation in traditional Korean music, through the case of p’ansori.
The Belt, Brides, and Buddhism: A Multidimensional Lens into China’s Footprint in Contemporary Myanmar
Htet Wai Yan ’24 (PO)
Advisors: Feng Xiao (PO) and Zhiru Ng (PO)
Medical Modernization: The Evolution of Medicine in Japan from the Edo to Meiji Period
Mia Rechsteiner ’24 (PO)
Advisors: Peter Flueckiger (PO) and Samuel Yamashita (PO)
Fashion in 1930s Chinese Prints: A Study of Linglong Women’s Magazine’s depictions of Qipao and the New Life Movement
Mon Mon Htet ’23 (CMC)
Advisors: Chelsea Wang (CMC) and Zhiru Ng (PO)
The Belt and Road Initiative: Social and Cultural Implications in Cambodia
Sophia Datta ’23 (PZ)
Advisors: Geoffrey Herrera (PZ) and Zhiru Ng (PO)
Representations of Autism in South Korean media
D.J. Wright ’23 (PO)
Advisors: Kim Minju (CMC) and Zhiru Ng (PO)
Religious Fiction as a Tool for Disability Activism: Exploring the Works of Zhuangzi and Shi Tiesheng
Natasha Wong ’22 (CMC)
Advisors: Angelina Chin (PO) and Zhiru Ng (PO)
Diet Discourse and Health in Republican China (1912–1949): Buddhist Perspectives
Yicheng Yuan ’22 (PZ)
Advisors: Zhiru Ng (PO) and Angelina Chin (PO)
Conflicting Memories and Evolving Narratives: How Japanese People Remember the Pacific-Asia War
Anna Yu ’21 (PO)
Advisors: Samuel Yamashita (PO) and Tom Le (PO)
Wu Zhouliu and his Taiwanese Identity
Sushmith Kalkurni ’21 (PO)
Advisors: Eileen Cheng (PO) and Sharon Hou (PO)