Educational Background
Ph.D. (2004)
Graduate Program in Sociology, University at Albany, SUNY
B.A. (1993)
Political Science and Sociology, University of California, Irvine
Current Professional Positions
Lecturer/Visiting Assistant Professor (September 2003 to May 2009)
Senior Lecturer Professor (May 2009 to Present)
Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Director, Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program (January 2004 to Present)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Employment History
Research Associate (January 2000 to July 2002)
Center for Technology in Government, Albany, NY
- Worked within a small team of primary investigators to conduct NSF-funded research (including ethnographic field observation, structured interviews, focus groups, facilitated meetings, and administering survey questionnaires) on how New York State government agencies use information technology to work collaboratively and to improve their public services.
Director of Education (November 1998 to January 2000)
Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc., New York, NY
- Developed and oversaw multi-level community education and outreach planning, implementation, and evaluation, including peer education programs; hired, supervised, and evaluated staff of coordinators for six separate but interrelated targeted programs.
Administrative Coordinator (September 1998 to November 1998)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, New York, NY
Teaching Experience
Sociology of the Asian American Experience (Sociology 240)
Explores histories, cultures, and issues that shape the Asian American experience. Using readings, class discussions, film/video screenings, and student-designed projects, the course explores the commonalities and diversity among Asian Americans.
Sociology of immigration (Sociology 244)
Who migrates and why, how different groups are received by the dominant society and how the newcomers adjust to their new home. Areas of adjustment may include geography, education, employment, marriage and/or religion.
Demography of Minority Groups (Sociology 361)
Introduction to using demographic data to understanding public policy issues faced by American racial/ethnic minorities across education, prejudice and discrimination, immigration, wealth and poverty, crime, health care, etc.
Bridging Asia and Asian America Colloquium (Asian Studies 397B)
Meeting in Dwight Hall (location of the Asian American theme residential floor), this weekly seminar combines class discussions, guest speakers, film screenings, and small group activities to focus on the intersections between Asians and Asian Americans.
Race, Gender, Class & Ethnicity (Sociology 106)
Research Interests & Current Projects
- Race and Ethnicity
- Immigration: Structural Assimilation & Cultural Adaptation, Socioeconomic Mobility, and Public Policy
- Comparative Asian American Communities and Ethnic Enclave Dynamics
Currently, the bulk of my research involves using Census data to analyze and compare socioeconomic and demographic outcomes of assimilation among Asian Americans. These outcomes include (1) self-employment and entrepreneurship; (2) marital assimilation and intermarriage/interracial marriage; (3) education, occupation, and income; and (4) residential segregation and quality of neighborhoods. I also have secondary research interests in cross-national comparisons of socioeconomic assimilation among Vietnamese diasporic communities in the U.S., Canada, France, and Australia, along with analyzing the sociological contexts of anti-communist political activities of Vietnamese Americans.
Publications & Online Articles
Le, C.N. 2010. "Multiracial Asian Americans: Social Class, Demographic, and Cultural Characteristics” in Multiracial Americans and Social Class: The Influence of Social Class on Racial Identity, edited by Kathleen Korgen. New York: Routledge.
Le, C.N., 2009. "Post–Vietnam War Tensions in the Vietnamese American Community" in Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today, edited by Edith Chen and Grace Yoo. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing.
Le, C.N. 2009. "'Better Dead Than Red': Anti-Communist Politics Among Vietnamese Americans" in Anti-Communist Minorities in the US: The Political Activism of Ethnic Refugees, edited by Ieva Zake. New York: Palgrave-MacMillan.
Le, C.N. Forthcoming. Short articles on "Adoption of Asian Children," "Amerasians and Multiracial Asian Americans," "Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965," "Interracial Marriages, "Second-Generation Identity," "Youth Gangs," and "Asian Americans and Work" in Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia, edited by Huping Ling and Dr. Allan W. Austin. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Le, C.N. 2007. Asian American Assimilation: Ethnicity, Immigration, and Socioeconomic Attainment. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Publishing.
Le, C.N. 2004. "Fleeing Dragon: The Refugee Experience From a Vietnamese Immigrant Family" in Minority Voices: Linking Personal Ethnic History with the Sociological Imagination, edited by John Rowan. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Le, C.N. 2004. "Asian Pacific Americans, Polls and the 2004 Election" IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, September 28, 2004.
Le, C.N. 2003. "By the Numbers: Dating, Marriage, and Race in Asian America." IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, February 14, 2003.
Recent Media Quotations
Quoted by the U.S. Census Bureau "Census 2010: How It Affects the Nation" article, January 14, 2010.
Quoted in USA Today, "Cultural Factors Help Limit Recession's Impact" article, written by Haya El Nasser, November 16, 2009.
Quoted in The Hill, "Cutting Her Own Path" article, written by Kris Kitto, September 10, 2009.
Quoted in Marie Claire magazine, "The New Trophy Wives: Asian Women" article, written by Ying Chu, August 2009.
Quoted in The Associated Press, "Concern Over Focus on VT Shooter's Race" article, written by Dionne Walker, April 19, 2007.
Quoted in The Associated Press, "Interracial Marriages Surge Across U.S." article, written by David Crary, April 13, 2007.
Quoted in Footnotes: Monthly Newsletter of the American Sociological Association, "Portrait of the Sociologist as Blogger" article, written by LaVon Rice, February 2007.
Guest speaker on radio program on "Asian & Arab Culture," hosted by Paul Allen Billings of WUVS-LP 103.7 The Beat, December 11, 2006.
Quoted in The Christian Science Monitor, "Smugglers Exploit Hole in Port Security" article, written by Brad Knickerbocker, April 11, 2006.
Quoted in The Atlanta Constitution, "Vietnam Heartache: Saigon's Fall Haunts Refugees Every Spring" article, written by Sheila Poole, April 27, 2005.
Quoted by the Associated Press, "Vietnamese in U.S. Take Stock of Community" article, written by Erin Texeira, April 24, 2005.
Quoted in Diversity Inc. Magazine, "To Be Asian in America: Success and Stereotypes" article, written by Angela Johnson Meadows, April 2005.
Quoted in The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, "Straddling Two Cultures: Vietnamese American Finds Looking Back Helps Him Look Forward" newspaper article, written by My-Ly Nguyen, April 5, 2005.
Quoted in The Boston Globe, "One Enclave, Two Camps, Two Very Distinct Views" newspaper article, written by Wendy Lee, August 29, 2004.
Selected Academic Presentations & Invited Talks
Invited Speaker, "Lions, Tigers, and Dragons, Oh My!: An Introduction to Asian American History, Stereotypes, and Identities," Emerson College, MA, November 3, 2009.
Invited Speaker, "Obstacles and Opportunities in Connecting Asian and Asian Americans in the 21st Century," Boston Asian American Students Intercollegiate Conference, Northeastern University, MA, October 10, 2009.
Invited Speaker, "Meeting the Challenge of Globalization: Connecting Asia and Asian Americans in the 21st Century," Asian & Pacific Islander Employment Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture, May 30, 2009.
Invited Speaker, "History, Segregation, and Inclusion: The Meaning and Consequences of Ethnic Solidarity," Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, May 7, 2009.
Panelist, "Race and its Effects on Asian Pacific American Student Identity," panel discussion at the Annual Asian/Pacific/American Heritage Month Symposium, April 22, 2009, at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts.
Invited Speaker, "Interracial Asian Adoption: Issues and Identity in 21st Century American Society," April 6, 2009 at Bates College, Maine.
Le, C.N. "Teaching the Sociology of Asian Americans," panel discussion at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 2, 2008, in Boston, MA.
Le, C.N. "Virtually Asian: The Social Construction of Identity Through Internet Media," presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian American Studies, April 20, 2008 in Chicago, IL.
Le, C.N. "'Better Dead Than Red': Anti-Communist Politics Among Vietnamese Americans," presented at the "The Cold War Warriors: Political Activism of Ethnic Groups during the Cold War in the U.S." symposium, April 1, 2008, at Rowan University.
Le, C.N. "Socioeconomic Attainment, Neighborhood Quality, and Residential Segregation in Ten Asian American Ethnic Enclaves," presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, February 24, 2008 in New York, NY.
Invited Speaker, "Muslim American Assimilation: Cultural and Socioeconomic Patterns," U.S./Spain Exchange Project on Muslim Youth Integration, Institute for Training and Development, Amherst, MA, June 12, 2007.
Invited Speaker, "Asian American Identity and Experiences: Past, Present, and Future," Connecticut College, April 20, 2007.
Le, C.N. "'Moving on Up': A Comparison of Asian American Enclave Characteristics," presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian American Studies, April 7, 2007 in New York, NY.
Panelist, "Blogging and Asian Pacific American Political Awareness," 13th Annual National Asian Pacific American Conference on Law and Public Policy, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, March 3, 2007.
Panelist, "Ninth Annual North Adams Neighborhood Expo: Asian Americans," Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, North Adams, MA, December 2, 2006.
Invited Speaker, "Asian Americans in Professional Occupations," Asian American Employees Resource Group, Raytheon Corporation, Waltham, MA, May 25, 2005.
OAQs: Ocassionally Asked Questions
What exactly does C.N. stand for?
Basically, the C.N. is just the first and middle initials of my full name, Cuong Nguyen Le. However, it's been my experience over the years that unless people speak Vietnamese, chances are they will mispronounce my name. To make a long story short, I've gone by a few different variations of my real name and eventually compromised between ease of pronunciation on the one hand and a true reflection of my Vietnamese identity on the other by going by my first and middle initials.
Are your classes hard?
Most of my students would probably say that my classes are fair. I expect my students to work hard and to learn as much from my classes as possible but also try to make it simple and straightforward for them to do so.
Contact Information
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Asian American News
Favorite Words of Wisdom
We declare our rights to be a man
To be a human being
To be given the rights of a human being
To be respected as a human being
In this society, on this earth, in this day
Which we intend to bring into existence
By any means necessary.
-- Malcolm X
Do, or do not. There is no try.
-- Yoda ('The Empire Strikes Back')
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal ideas from many people is research.
-- Anonymous
It costs me less in every sense to incur the penalties of civil disobedience than it would to obey.
-- Henry David Thoreau
I don't know what's the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
-- Bill Cosby
Soon after The Buddha became well
known, people would come to see him
and they would ask, "Are you a god?"
The Buddha replied, "No."
They asked, "Are you a saint?"
The Buddha replied, "No."
They asked "Are you an angel?"
Again The Buddha replied, "No."
"So what are you?"
The Buddha replied, "I am awake."
-- Anonymous
The philosophers have merely interpreted the world. The point however, is to change it.
-- Karl Marx
Be the change that you want to see in the world.
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Favorite Links
Asian American Issues
- Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America
- Asian American Village
- Association for Asian American Studies
Academics & Sociology
- American Sociological Association
- American Association of University Professors
- Census Bureau
- Chronicle of Higher Education
- Diversity Web
- Statistical Abstract of the U.S.
Social Justice & Equality
Just for Fun