Education

• Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University, 2017
• M.A. Seoul National University, 2012
• B.Ed. Daegu National University of Education, 2008

Biography

Hyunji Kwon was born in South Korea to a mother descended from North Korean refugees. Kwon was an elementary school teacher and holds a dual doctoral degree in Art Education and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Pennsylvania State University. She joined the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2017. 

Courses

Graduate Courses:

• ARTE 701: Research Methodologies in Art Education
• ARTE 705 | WGST 796: Community Development in Art

Undergraduate Courses:

• ARTE 560 & 560P: Secondary Methods for K-12 Art Certification & Practicum
• ARTE 520: Art for Elementary Schools
• ARTE 101: Introduction to Art

Her research interests include critical and feminist pedagogy, community-based art education, anti-Asian racism, historical research, ethics of care, trauma, and subjectivity and embodiment, utilizing performative and mixed methodologies. Her work explores both local and global contexts with careful attention to the morality of working with vulnerable populations. She has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles in preeminent journals, including Studies in Art Education, International Journal of Education through Art, Visual Arts Research, Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, Art Education, Visual Culture & Gender, Feminist Studies, and Journal of Gender Studies along with many other book chapters. She currently serves as one of the Editors for the International Journal of Education through Art (2022-2025) and as a reviewer for Visual Arts Research, Art Education, and Visual Culture & Gender.

Kwon teaches both undergraduate (i.e., secondary methods, introduction to visual art) and graduate courses (i.e., research methodologies, community-based art education), while constantly updating them with new methods (i.e., graphic novel, STEAM projects) and technology (i.e., 360-degree camera, AR and VR) and by incorporating emerging issues and trends in the field of art education.

Besides her research and teaching, she is a core faculty member of the community outreach program, Women’s Well-Being Initiative, in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of South Carolina. As part of these initiatives, she has provided art workshops for women in transitional homes and sexual violence survivors on campus and has exhibited their artworks at local galleries.

Additionally, Kwon is the National Art Education Association Higher Education Division Southeastern Region Director (2021-2023). She is also the recipient of the 2021 NAEA Woman’s Caucus Mary J. Rouse Research Award that is given to an emerging scholar with the potential to make great contributions to the field of art education through research and the 2021 South Carolina Art Education Association Higher Education Award. Anyone interested is welcome to contact her at kwon7@mailbox.sc.edu or http://hyunjikwon.com