I was asked to explain why I became a political scientist on this page. The path I took was due to the influence of several key individuals in my life. When I went to Brandeis University for my B.A., a wise professor, Lawrence Fuchs, talked me out of going to law school and into getting a Ph.D. He thought I was curious enough to enjoy research and writing. I ended up taking a four year detour before actually becoming a political scientist. I earned a Master’s Degree in American Civilization from Brown University which initially sparked my interest in academic research and writing. Then I worked for three years in the immigration field, including a stint as a program analyst at the United States Commission on Immigration Reform. After I left the Commission, I finally earned my Ph.D. and was officially a political scientist.
Along the way, my parents and certain professors intervened to get me interested in U.S. immigration policy, constitutional law, race/ethnicity and American Political Development. Being a first generation immigrant from Hong Kong, I found immigration law and policy fascinating. My mom who has been a immigrant social worker for over 30 years had many immigrant clients I met growing up. My undergraduate professors at Brandeis instilled in me a strong interest in politics. I was often the only Asian American student in my politics classes. Having seriously considered law school, I was gratified to be able to pursue my intellectual interest in law in graduate school. (Besides, my last name is Law. It was inevitable that I would go into this area of research.)
I arrived at DePaul in the Fall of 2003. Thankfully the political science department here didn’t hold my sense of humor against me. I was struck by the fact that everyone in the department seemed like real people. They were genuine and down to earth. I was also appreciative of the diversity at DePaul. My experience has been that since I teach courses on race and law, the more racially and economically diverse the classroom, the better discussions my classes have. I was hired to teach in the field of public law. I teach courses on Law and the Political System, the American Political System, Immigration Law, and Equal Protection/the Fourteenth Amendment. I expect to offer additional courses in the future on studying immigration through film and the American jury system.
I continue to do research in the areas of law, immigration and American political development, primarily revising my book manuscript on how judges decide immigration cases in the U.S. in two time periods.
Being born in Hong Kong, it has not been much of an adjustment to being a city slicker in Chicago. Having grown up in Honolulu, Hawaii, I find the winters here are challenging. But hey, I can always taunt my colleagues when I visit Honolulu in December. |
| Publications |
Law, Anna O. 2002. "The Diversity Immigration Lottery-A Cycle of Unintended Consequences." Journal of American Ethnic History. Summer 2002, Vol 21(4):3-29
Law, Anna O. 1996. "Race, Ethnicity, and National Origins in Public Policy?When Should it Matter?" Georgetown Immigration Law Journal , Vol 10(1): 71-76 |
