Dr. Jennifer Macasek is a Lecturer of Chinese at Iowa State University. She received her B. Phil in International and Area Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and her M.A. and Ph.D in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research specialization and interests include modern Chinese literature, rural fiction, politics and culture, and novels and narratology. Dr. Macasek has studied and researched abroad in Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei. In 2022-2023, Dr. Macasek is teaching Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Mandarin Chinese at Iowa State. She enjoys sharing her own experiences learning Chinese language and culture with her students and encouraging them to pursue further study both inside and outside of the classroom.