Ever since white American laborers considered Chinese-born laborers an economic threat, mainstream depictions of Asians (and Asian-Americans) in the United States have relied on racist and exclusionary stereotypes, dating to the nineteenth century. Yet in recent political discourse, anti-Asian rhetoric has escalated, even as Asians and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, according to 2020 Census data. In an era of increasing hostility and misunderstanding, what would it mean to approach Asian-Americans on their own terms? What might we learn? This upper-division Asian American Literature course showcases groundbreaking cultural producers from multiple ethnic origins/ancestry, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese. Our curriculum focuses primarily on the humanities as we read fiction, memoir, graphic novels, and poetry, and as we watch music videos and films. However, real-life implications remain crucial as we undertake literary and film analysis. Course materials will be presented and discussed with interdisciplinary attention to historical, political, social, and gendered contexts. Through an in-depth study of Asian-American writers and directors, you will engage with diverse perspectives, histories, values, and cultures while evaluating systems of power and privilege in the United States in an era that's not so "post-racial" after all.
Students participate in nuanced and engaged discussions with one required in-class time meeting each week and with the vast majority of assignments completed on one's own time. Students produce short exploratory skill-building assignments, two longer analytical essays (MLA format), and frequent memoirs, incorporating life writing. Writing expressively and analytically, you will hone your skills in drafting, revision, and basic academic research, by excerpting provided and outside texts to support argumentation and analysis. You will strengthen your ability to read and discuss literature in college-level English. You will frequently develop your voice through memoir as you write from life experience, putting theories of memory into practice. Students read, see, listen, discuss, and think critically about their own writing and the assigned curriculum. Students will create/deliver one audiovisual presentation at the semester's end, a film analysis in the form of a podcast segment. Students also practice self-care in a module that encourages holistic well-being throughout the semester.- Instructor: Julie Thi