My past works include examining social class inequalities within “inclusive” university admission process, sociocultural factors influencing student protests participation, and recently I completed my M.A. thesis under the supervision of Professor Jennifer Chun at the University of Toronto. My thesis examines 416 temporary Korean resident workers to understand their lived experiences studying in private language schools in Vancouver, B.C.

Awards

Kurt and Anne Paulus memorial scholarship
University of British Columbia Sociology Graduate Scholarship
University of British Columbia Fellowship
University of British Columbia Admission Award
University of Toronto Fellowship
University of Toronto Outstanding Admissions Award

My research interests include the relationship between culture and food consumption; social class inequality within higher education; immigration, and globalization.

Food companies in 2000 generated nearly $900 billion in sales.  Food companies lobby officials, co-opt experts, and expand sales by marketing to children, members of minority groups living in low socioeconomic status, and people in developing countries. Thus the food industry plays politics similar to all industries, I focus on the sociocultural and political influences on food consumption in North America and China. I’m interested in understanding how over-efficient food industry is affecting individuals’ food consumption.  What are the politics behind government dietary advice? I argue that —under capitalism, neoliberalism, and globalization— the mass production and consumption of food, strategic decisions are driven by economics and profits—not science and not health. However, China recently announce their goal to reduce meat consumption by 50% by 2020. For my research, I’m interested in understanding why the Chinese government are moving away from the standard Western diet (high in meat and dairy) and I aim to examine how this policy change will affect individuals’ attitude on food, culture, social class, and consumption.

Supervisor: Amy Hanser

Cheung-Truong, Y.K., E. (2015). “Students not $tudent$”: Examining why UBC students participated in the “I am a student” protest.” Sojourner: Undergraduate Journal of Sociology, Vol. 6/7, pp. 140-152.

Work in progress

Truong-Cheung, Emily. Lower middle-class Korean youths and their stressful cosmopolitan pursuit: Globalization, global middle class, and overseas Language travels.

Brym, R, Miloŝ Broćić, Andrew Nevin, David Pettinicchio, Anna Slavina, Christian Caron, Elyse Redquest, Emily Cheung, and Andrew Picard. The Effects of Structure, Culture and Agency on University Student Activism in Montreal and Toronto. (Submitted to Mobilization).

Cheung-Truong, Y.K., E. What is the ideal student? Social class and broad-based admission process.

Introduction to Sociology | SOC101 (2016)
University of British Columbia | Department of Sociology

Political Sociology | SOC B30 (2016)
University of Toronto Department of Sociology

Sociology of Education | SOC 224 (2015 –2016)
University of Toronto Department of Sociology

Measuring the Social World | SOC 222 (2015)
University of Toronto Department of Sociology

Family Resource Management | FMST 238  (2015)
UBC Department of Family Studies

Introduction to Sociology | SOC 100 (2014)
UBC Department of Sociology