Lance Lomax earned his doctorate in English with a primary focus on film and media studies and Global Asias—an area of study which brings into relation, but not necessarily into alignment, work in Asian studies, Asian American studies, and Asian Diaspora studies. At CMU he teaches composition, literature, and film courses.
He believes that regardless of the course topic, writing and critical thinking are vital components of learning, and in turn, growing. He often asks students to consider the words of renowned Japanese director Akira Kurosawa: “I think young people today don’t know the trick of it. They start and want to get to the end right away. When you go mountain climbing, the first thing you’re told is not to look at the peak but to keep your eyes on the ground as you climb. You just keep climbing patiently one step at a time. If you keep looking at the top, you’ll get frustrated. I think writing is similar. You need to get used to the task of writing. You must make an effort to learn to regard it not as something painful but as routine.” Whether writing about rhetorical devices, travel and migration literature, or East Asian cinema, Lomax challenges students to seek fulfillment in the “task of writing.”
Lomax is the author of various articles and book chapters focusing on cinema, literary adaptation, and teaching. Beyond the classroom, he can be found treasuring time spent with his wife, three sons, and a very needy cat.