Chinese in America, Americans in China

Catalog description

This course examines the history of Americans in China, the experiences of Chinese in America, and 200 years of Sino-American Relations. Starting in the 1840s, dreams of economic opportunity inspired Chinese immigrants as they came to America to prospect for gold, build railroads, or start their own businesses. In the opposite direction, American dreamers have been lured to China for two centuries: from businessmen enchanted by the prospect of millions of customers; to missionaries trying to save souls; to educators, doctors, and engineers hoping to validate American ideas and technology by changing China in their own image. In both cases, the dreamers faced resistance. Chinese immigrants encountered strong racial prejudice in the United States, and American expatriates confronted a China that was sometimes indifferent to their goals. These frustrations notwithstanding, the trans-Pacific exchange of people, goods, ideas, knowledge, and technology vastly impacted both countries in significant ways that continue to resonate in the present day. AM ST 161 examines the history of Americans in China, the experiences of Chinese in America, and 200 years of Sino-American Relations. Starting in the 1840s, dreams of economic opportunity inspired Chinese immigrants as they came to America to prospect for gold, build railroads, or start their own businesses. In the opposite direction, American dreamers have been lured to China for two centuries: from businessmen enchanted by the prospect of millions of customers; to missionaries trying to save souls; to educators, doctors, and engineers hoping to validate American ideas and technology by changing China in their own image. In both cases, the dreamers faced resistance. Chinese immigrants encountered strong racial prejudice in the United States, and American expatriates confronted a China that was sometimes indifferent to their goals. These frustrations notwithstanding, the trans-Pacific exchange of people, goods, ideas, knowledge, and technology vastly impacted both countries in significant ways that continue to resonate in the present day. The course also addresses several central questions. What contributions to American life - food, literature, politics, education, business, science, and physical culture - have Chinese Americans made? What kind of influence did overseas Americans have over Chinese society, education, medicine, public health, sports, and religion? What role did prejudice play in the attempted citizenship and acculturation of Chinese Americans? How did the experiences of Chinese American women differ from those of men? How is American business and commerce affecting China today? AM ST 161 is an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural course that uses methods from both Humanities and the Social Sciences to introduce students to the 200-year-old story of Sino-American cultural, economic, and political interaction and exchange.