Beyond Office Hours: Floyd Cheung, professor of English

If you are ever on a search for Professor Floyd Cheung around campus, one of the most likely places to find him is feeding his addiction to the rock-climbing wall in the Ainsworth Fitness Studio, where he likes to go at least once a week. Along with holding a Ph.D. in English from Tulane University, Professor Cheung is also a certified belayer. This means that if you ever go to the rock wall with him, he will be able to control the rope to keep you from falling too far in case you accidentally slip.Born in Hong Kong and raised in Las Vegas, Cheung mentions stocking for "the highest-grossing Hallmark west of the Mississippi River" as one of his most notable jobs while growing up. Cheung moved to southern California after high school to become an undergraduate student at Whittier College, where he briefly considered majoring in Management Information Systems, an area of study that he knew his parents wanted him to pursue. After realizing where his own personal interests lay, he chose to design his own major, which he titled Beauty and Truth Through Literature, a combination of English and philosophy.

Some of the most evident personality traits in Professor Cheung are his undeniable love for teaching and enthusiasm for learning. His appreciation for literature began with Shakespeare and has continued with writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Sesshu Foster, Frances Chung, Jack London and Ruth Ozeki.

Prior to becoming an assistant professor in both the English language and literature and American studies departments in 1999, Cheung taught for a total of six years at Tulane and Mount Holyoke. He is quick to state that advising, engaging students and teaching a successful class are the most rewarding parts of his job. "When a class doesn't go well," says Cheung, "I feel depressed for days."

Along with teaching two courses, American Literature from 1865 and The Asian- American Experience, this semester, Cheung is currently editing The Works of H. T. Tsiang, reviewing a work by Monica Chiu titled Filthy Fictions: Asian American Literature by Women and writing scholarly articles for Studies in Travel Writing and the Journal of American Culture.

Cheung's advice to students while at Smith is to have as good a time as possible, a piece of advice he certainly took advantage of while in college when he climbed the outside of Whittier's four-story library building for entertainment. In terms of academics, Cheung says, "If you find yourself not having fun in a class, figure out a way to make it fun for you. I think that goes for anything in life."

As one of the many professors up for tenure this year, Professor Cheung hopes that his future will include staying at Smith for a while longer.

A drummer since the age of 13, Cheung is a member of the American Studies Faculty Department's rock band, the Distractions. In his spare time Cheung is learning how to waveboard and also enjoys eating olives.


Professor Cheung: In Brief

What is your favorite word or phrase?

It's musical: the Confutatis section of Mozart's Requiem.


What is your least favorite word or phrase?

"Anyways." It's a nonstandard and, to me, annoying version of "anyway."


What is your favorite noise?

My kids laughing and playing together.


What is your least favorite noise?

The gagging sound my toddler used to make right before vomiting.


What profession other than yours would you most like to attempt?

A food critic or an ultrasound technician.


What profession would you be least likely to attempt?

I'm not a strong swimmer, so I probably shouldn't be a lifeguard.


What is your favorite curse word?

Yikes!