Asian American History

Catalog description

This course will examine the history of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States. This lecture/discussion course incorporates the diverse meanings that constitute "Asian" and "America," taking a comparative historical approach. It will cover major themes including: colonialism and nationalism, national and ethnic identities, race, labor, citizenship, emigration and immigration, transnationalism, popular culture and mass media, as well as major episodes in Asian American history including the initial waves of Asian immigration, the rise of anti-Asian politics and violence, the experiences of Asian Americans during American wars, Asian American activism in the 1960s, and the dynamics of post-1965 immigration and the development and consequences of the model minority stereotype. Students will explore the varied experiences of people identified as Asian Americans—Chinese, Japanese, Pacific Islander, Korean, South Asian (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asian, and Filipino Americans—through a wide variety of source materials including documents, literature, photos, oral histories, and more.