Performance and Citizenship in Asian America

Catalog description

The course examines the relationship between performance and citizenship with case studies drawn from Asian American history. Performance has been central to the formation and expression of citizenship since the beginning of US history, and for Asian Americans, who are stereotyped as 'perpetual foreigners,' the experience of becoming citizens have involved complex legal and cultural challenges that question what 'American' means broadly. Providing an interdisciplinary survey, the course includes studies of various forms of performances, including legal cases, activism, political campaigns, theater, film, and new media. Open only to Focus Program students.