Leeva Chung

Leeva C. Chung, Ph.D., aka CHUNG, has been a faculty member in the Communication Studies Department since September 1, 1998. Born and raised in San Francisco, one fun fact is she attended four different elementary public schools. She completed her undergraduate degree at SFSU with a major in Speech Communication and minor in Ethnic Studies, her Masters in Speech communication at CAL STATE FULLERTON, and her PhD. at the university of Oklahoma. Random facts: During the 1989 earthquake, she was in the basement of the at SFSU studying for the GRE, she was living in LA during the riots, and was in class in Norman OKC when the OKC Bombing happened.

In the Communication department, Chung teaches a variety of courses such as but not limited to: intercultural, interpersonal, small group, human communication theory, interviewing and negotiating, and global teams. In addition, she has been an affiliate faculty member with Ethnic Studies and taught/coordinated study abroad courses for USD in five different countries.

Chung developed a unique and innovative style of teaching that has been recognized with numerous awards on campus. The unique style of teaching is what she calls “organized chaos,” which is the process of moving students from theory to the lived experience with the help of amazing alumni who dedicate their time, experience and passion to students in class. In the community, Chung is one of the founding members of the San Diego Asian Film Festival—debuting at USD in 2000. December 16 2016 is the Leeva Chung Day, awarded by the City of San Diego for her collaborative work with students, the City, and the community on Pure Water.

For 20 years, Chung’s research has focused on the intersection of identity development, pop culture and intercultural communication. She has recently published a third edition of a popular intercultural textbook, Understanding Intercultural Communication with Dr. Stella Ting- Toomey, as well as many other contributed book chapters and research articles. Leeva has delivered keynote speeches and conducted a variety of workshops for corporations, universities, and conferences across the U.S.

Areas of Expertise

• Intercultural communication (values, conflict, identity)
• Conflict and group management (group to team dynamics)
• Experiential education - bringing workforce to classroom for project based learning