Ji Young Choi
Ji Young Choi, OWU Assistant Professor of Politics and Government. (Photo by Linda O’Horo)
Ji Young Choi combines knowledge from growing up and attending colleges in South Korea with knowledge gained while earning advanced degrees at the University of Kansas and Purdue University for the classes he teaches in politics and government and international studies at Ohio Wesleyan University.
“It’s a good idea that Ohio Wesleyan University is stressing a global education,” says Choi, Ph.D. “Things are changing very rapidly in Asia—especially economically and technologically.”
Choi, in his second year at Ohio Wesleyan, grew up in South Korea and earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Yonsei University and a master’s degree in international studies from Sogang University—both located in Seoul. While at Sogang, a visiting professor from the University of Kansas, H. George Fredrickson, befriended Choi and helped him obtain a scholarship to attend the University of Kansas-Lawrence—where he earned a master’s degree in political science.
Choi later received a scholarship to attend Purdue University, where he earned his doctoral degree in political science, with a focus on international relations and comparative politics (East Asian politics in particular). While a graduate student at Purdue, he taught six semesters and received the Purdue Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Teaching.
His area of specialization is international political economy with a regional focus on East Asia. His research includes the politics of economic globalization, the rise of China and its impact on East Asia and the world, and the politics of financial regionalism in East Asia.
He and his wife, Anna, live in Dublin with their sons, 10-year-old Joseph and 6-year-old Isaac. In his spare time, Choi enjoys exploring Columbus with his family and watching Korean dramas and movies.