Teaching

Susan actively engages diverse learners in applying the lessons of the Japanese American wartime incarceration to social and political issues today.

She tailors her presentations to the interests and learning objectives of high school and college students, K-12 and university teachers, attorneys, clinical psychologists, and others in workshop, seminar, and semester formats.

The topics she can cover include:

  • The constitutional and cultural context of the incarceration and its legacy

  • Who is an American? Questions of citizenship, loyalty, and civil liberties

  • Understanding and addressing intergenerational trauma

  • Discovering and sharing family history stories

“Professor Kamei’s personal perspective as a descendant of incarcerees was particularly moving and her experience in the redress movement resonated deeply with me.”

— High School Teacher

War, Race, and the Constitution

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In her history course at the University of Southern California, Susan engaged her students in applying the lessons of the Japanese American wartime incarceration to social and political issues today.

Throughout the semester, the class talked with individuals who bridge the past with the present. Speakers included Alan Miyatake, third-generation photographer, sharing the legacy of his grandfather, Toyo Miyatake, founder of Toyo Miyatake Studios; author Robert Asahina; redress leaders John Tateishi, Ron Ikejiri, and Grant Ujifusa; Korematsu coram nobis attorney Donald Tamaki; Brian Niiya, content director for Densho and editor of the online Densho Encyclopedia; Black reparations experts William A. Darity Jr. and Kirsten Mullen, and community activists Kathy Masaoka and traci kato-kiriyama.

“Great professor with a passion for teaching unparalleled by other professors.” 

—USC Student

Read some of her publications: