Joyce Chang
Sociology of Religion
Education
Ph.D., Sociology, Baylor University, Expected May 2025
M.A., Sociology, Baylor University, 2021
M.A., Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2018
M.A., Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2018
B.A., Communication, University of Southern California, 2015
B.A., Religion, University of Southern California, 2015
Biography
Joyce earned her BA from the University of Southern California, graduating with a double major in Communication and Religion in 2015. The following Fall, Joyce started her graduate career at Fuller Theological Seminary to receive a Master of Arts in Theology. Halfway through her degree, she discovered the value and relevance of contextual theology and pursued a double degree at Fuller, graduating with a second Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies. Her introduction to the intersection of race and religion compelled her to pursue a degree in Sociology, leading her to Baylor’s Sociology of Religion program.
As a doctoral candidate, Joyce is interested in assimilation, critical race theory, racial attitudes and religious salience. Her goal is to develop research on Asian Americans. Joyce’s previous projects include advancing the discourse between assimilation work and critical race theory by examining interracially married Asian Americans and their support for Black Lives Matter and examining how race and religion interact to affect attitudes toward equal opportunity. Joyce is currently working on her dissertation which focuses on Asian American faith and belonging, or the formative role of racial salience on religious identity for Asian Americans.
Upon graduating from the program, Joyce hopes to continue her passion for research and teaching at a university.
Recent Publications
Park, Jerry Z., Joyce C. Chang. 2023. “Centering Asian Americans Social Scientific Research on Religion.” Theology Today, 79(4): 398 – 409.