Patty Ahn

Patty Ahn is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of California San Diego whose work bridges critical media studies, cultural theory, and community-based pedagogical practice. They earned their Ph.D. in Critical Studies from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, where their research and teaching interests developed around Asian and Asian American studies, contemporary Korean and Korean American political economy and cultural history, postcolonial and feminist theory, and global media cultures. Drawing from prior experience as a community organizer and commercial producer, their scholarship integrates interdisciplinary media research with critical media practice and participatory teaching models. Their current research focuses on the political economy and visual politics of South Korea’s pop music export industry, examining how K-pop idols and groups are marketed globally through music videos and promotional media produced by record labels and governmental agencies. This work explores how these media forms reshape cultural imaginaries of Korea in the United States and beyond. In response to growing student interest in K-pop as an academic subject, they are developing a multimodal online teaching companion alongside a traditional scholarly manuscript.