Dr. Wendy Matsumura

Associate Professor

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Biography

Wendy Matsumura is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of California, San Diego. She received her Ph.D. in History from New York University in 2007. During her doctoral studies, her dissertation project focused on modern Okinawan history and was supported by a Fulbright dissertation fellowship from 2002 to 2004. Prior to her current position, she served as an Assistant Professor of History and Asian Studies at Furman University from 2009 to 2015. Dr. Matsumura's research has been recognized with a Fulbright research fellowship for her project on Japan’s prewar sugar empire and the concept of surplus labor in Japanese social scientific discourse, which she conducted in Kyoto during 2012-2013. Her book, "Limits Okinawa," was published by Duke University Press in 2015. In her teaching, Dr. Matsumura covers a range of undergraduate and graduate courses that examine development, class antagonisms, gender oppression, and racialized discourses in the context of the Japanese empire. She values the diverse backgrounds and commitments that students bring to their study of modern Japan.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

— Present

University of California, San Diego • La Jolla, California

Teaches courses on development, class antagonisms, gender oppression, and racialized discourses in Japanese empire.

Assistant Professor

— Present

Furman University • Greenville, South Carolina

Taught History and Asian Studies.

Requirements for University of California, San Diego

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:85
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in physical, biological, or earth sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Differential and integral calculus. One year of calculus-based physics with laboratory. One year of chemistry with laboratory.
Application Checklist
  • Statement of Purpose (max 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Application fee ($135 domestic / $155 international)
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).