The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Fan Yang, PhD Cultural Studies '11, with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award in cultural studies.
Yang is director of Asian studies and professor of media and communication studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she is affiliated with the PhD program in language, literacy, and culture. She is the author of Disorienting Politics: Chimerican Media and Transpacific Entanglements (2024) and Faked in China: Nation Branding, Counterfeit Culture, and Globalization (2016).
An interdisciplinary scholar, Yang works at the intersection of cultural studies, transnational media studies, globalization, urban communication, and contemporary China. Her new project examines the socio-cultural roles played by drones, robots, and electric vehicles in shaping the urban environment in Shenzhen—a site that straddles globalizations from “above” and “below.”
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences honors distinguished alumni each fall at Community and Catalysts: Achievements, Awards, and Innovations. This signature event is a celebration of alumni, faculty, and students whose leadership, research, and service have made outstanding contributions to their fields, communities, and to the university.