Sawa Kurotani Ph.D.
Professor
Sociology & Anthropology
About Sawa Kurotani
Sawa Kurotani is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Redlands. Born and raised in Japan, she came to the United States as a college student and eventually came to call it home—an experience that continues to shape her interest in culture, belonging, learning, and human transformation.
Trained as a cultural anthropologist, Sawa explores how people make meaning across social worlds—especially as they navigate culture, identity, belonging, work, family, technology, and change. Her academic and public writing brings anthropological insight to both scholarly and general audiences. She has also drawn on her cross-cultural expertise through mediation and consulting work, helping people and organizations better understand differences in perspective, communication, and social context.
In recent years, Sawa has become a leading voice in human-centered AI literacy. With over two decades in higher education, she has developed a classroom-tested approach that emphasizes cultivating the habits of mind needed to use AI thoughtfully, ethically, and creatively. This work was recognized with the University of Redlands’ 2026 Teaching Innovation Award.
Education
- Ph.D., anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder
- M.A., anthropology, University of Illinois, Chicago
- B.A., English, Linfield College, Oregon
Publications
2024 AI To Learn: Evolution of an AI Literacy Curriculum. Independently published manuscript. Kindle Direct Publishing.
2005 Home Away from Home: Japanese Corporate Wives in the United States. Durham: Duke University Press.
2014 Working Women of the Bubble Generation. Capturing Contemporary Japan, Glenda Roberts, Susan Long, and Satsuki Kawano, eds. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
2012 Death of a Salary Man: Heisei Fukyo and Erosion of the Middle Class in Contemporary Japan. In Death and Dying in Japan. Hikaru Suzuki, Ed. London: Routledge.
2008 Middle-Class Japanese Housewives and the Experience of Transnational Mobility. In Going First Class?: New Approaches Towards Privileged Movement and Travel. Vered Amit, ed. London: Berghahn.
Awards and Service
- 2026 Faculty Award for Teaching Innovation
- 2026-Date Founder and CEO, AI To Learn Institute, a California public benefit corporation
- 2025 Faculty Research Grant, University of Redlands ($2500)
- 2025-Date Priority User Program, Google Search AI Mode, providing feedback on Google’s new and upcoming AI products and services
- 2025-Date Adobe “Insider” Group, providing feedback on Adobe’s upcoming products and services
- 2025-Date Volunteer staff, Open AI Discord server, supporting member engagement
- 2023 ADD P2P Leadership Award: Technological Advocacy and Impact, Valley College of San Bernardino
- 2023-Date “Curator,” OpenAI official Discord server, providing art education materials
- 2022-Date Writing Advisory Committee, University of Redlands
- 2000-Date Asian Studies Advisory Committee, University of Redlands
- 2012 Outstanding Faculty Service Award, University of Redlands
- 2005 National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Workshop Grant ($70,000)
- 2004 Graves Awards for the Humanities ($7,000)
- 2002 Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, University of Redlands
- 1997-98 National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant ($10,000)