Asian-American Arts and Letters

Catalog description

This course examines the history of Asian-descent literature including fiction, memoir, poetry, drama) and, to a lesser extent, expressive cultures (film, martial arts, music) with special emphasis on Chinese America. Topics include broad themes of cultural identity, memory and belonging, gender and class, as well as specific issues of the relationship between diaspora communities in the US and national cultures in Asia. Texts are placed within the context of the history of Asian American acclamation, focusing on tensions between cultural assimilation into mainstream America and the pressure to maintain distinctive cultural identities. 001378