AAAS 103Intro to AsianAmerican Studies

Catalog

This course is an introduction to the subject and field of Asian American studies. We will consider how the idea of "Asian America" (and "Asian American") relates to the United States, the Americas, and the world. Some of our concerns will be sociological and historical, examining issues of race, ethnicity, and nationality on the one hand and migration and diaspora on the other - or to put it in plain terms, who we are, where we've come from, and how we see/define ourselves. We will pay particular attention to when and how migrants from East, South, and Southeast Asia came to be seen as belonging to the general category, "Asian American" - as well as whether Arab Americans and other Middle Eastern peoples similarly are today. Similarly we will discuss what makes literary works like a novel, memoir, or poem, "Asian American," and what storytelling tools - such as word choice, narrative style, and cultural detail - writers use to express and challenge that identity. We will also explore other cultural forms and practices, including popular media, and examine how Asian American cultural production is circulated, interpreted, and consumed.