Christine L
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Cornell University
Expertise
mental health, inequality, culture, qualitative methods (interviews, ethnography, archival analysis, content analysis), social justice, social problems, sociology, sociology of religion and spirituality, gender and sexuality studies, sexual and reproductive health, ethnic studies, disability studies
Bio
Christine (Shio) Lim (she/they) is currently a Sociology Ph.D. student at Cornell. They graduated from Brown University in 2019 with a Bachelors of Arts in Gender and Sexuality Studies and Ethnic Studies, and wrote their undergraduate thesis on dating and mating preferences, desirability politics, and digital intimate platforms (also known as dating applications). Currently, her research is at the intersection of therapeutic culture, mental health, and large-scale societal crises, such as global political unrest, climate-related disasters, and public health emergencies. In her free time, Shio loves to cook, make bookmarks, write letters, and find unique gifts for her loved ones. She also has a 10-pound maltipoo dog named Hiccup whom she has raised and trained since he was 9 weeks old. She also used to be a health educator in the San Francisco Bay Area and a Medical Assistant/Phlebotomist at Planned Parenthood in Seattle.Project ideas
Exploring Intergenerational Perceptions and Experiences of Gender and Sexuality
This project encourages students to interview individuals across generations on topics of gender and sexuality. Some research questions the student can tackle are: - How do individuals of older generations perceive contemporary gender and sexual culture? - How have individuals of older generations resisted normative constructions of gender and sexuality? How do they compare to those of younger generations? - In what ways can conversations between older and younger generations around gender and sexuality contribute to our current understanding on the topic? What are some barriers to having these conversations? Guided by these questions and with Shio's mentorship and research background, the student will not only be able to gain knowledge on the history of gender and sexuality through primary and secondary sources, but also acquire research skills in oral history and interviews. Specifically, the student will learn how to write a research proposal and determine the scope of the project, learn how to write an interview schedule, and figure out how to access different tools to record and transcribe interviews. Depending on the student’s capacity and preference, this research can result in an oral history project, podcast, research paper, and/or presentation.
The Impacts of COVID-19 on Adolescents' Mental and Social Health
This research project explores the impacts the pandemic has had on young people's mental health and interpersonal relationships. Shio is a health and sexuality educator in different schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, so they have been able to witness firsthand how students have been shaped by the pandemic and thus will be able to provide guidance on the research project. The student can investigate issues such as alternative avenues through which young people have sought social engagement and relationships (e.g. online platforms, video games, pets), changes in mental health before and during the pandemic, and how the pandemic has affected students’ academic performance and outlook on the future. Depending on what approach, theme, and population the student wants to focus on, they will be able to learn research skills, including survey design, best practices in outreach and recruitment, and facilitation in focus groups with their peers. This research project can lead to a personal essay that a student can consider publishing to magazines, newspapers, and websites; a scientific research paper; a podcast, video, and/or blog; or a letter to the student's school district to advocate for better resources and support for students based on research findings.
A Comparative Analysis of LGBTQ+ Media Representation
This research project examines LGBTQ+ media representation across different cultures and time periods to not only understand how people in the LGBTQ+ community have been represented in the media, but also how they are perceived and even perceive themselves based on their portrayal. To carry out this project, the student will strengthen their skills in critical media analysis; acquaint themselves with theories of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and disability; and learn how to find materials through various databases and archives. Some methodological approaches the student can choose from that Shio can mentor them in include media and literary analysis, literature review, interviews, surveys, and/or statistical analysis. For the final outcome, the student can choose to write a research paper demonstrating their findings or create a video providing commentary on LGBTQ+ media representation.
Climate Anxiety in Everyday Life: : An Interview Study of Climate Anxiety, Meaning, and Coping
This research project examines how people experience, interpret, and respond to climate change in their everyday lives, with particular attention to climate anxiety and related feelings such as grief, dread, anger, numbness, and hope. Using in-depth interviews, the study aims to understand not only what climate distress feels like for individuals, but also how it becomes shaped by people’s social locations, community ties, and broader cultural narratives about responsibility, uncertainty, and the future. The project asks: How do people make meaning of climate threat? What kinds of coping strategies do they describe (e.g., emotional regulation, avoidance, activism, spiritual practices, mutual aid)? And how do they decide what counts as a “reasonable” response to living in a time of ongoing crisis? To carry out this project, the student will strengthen their skills in qualitative research design and interviewing, including developing an interview guide, recruiting participants, building rapport, and conducting ethical human-subjects research. The student will also become acquainted with theories of emotion, environmental inequality, risk, and care, and learn practical methods for analyzing interview data (e.g., transcription, coding, and thematic analysis).