This course introduces students to a diverse array of Asian American literature, poetry, film and media, culture, and criticism. Along the way, our “texts” will invite us to grapple with key concepts in Asian American studies such as empire, assimilation, abolition, haunting, abjection, transnationalism, and immigration. We will approach Asian American racialization as relational—that is, constructed between white and black, but also foreigner and native, settler and Indigenous—and we will ask how Asian Americans are situated within U.S. empire and global capitalism. Throughout the course, we will pay special attention to how “deviant” gender and sexuality ascribed to Asian Americans has been used to bolster U.S. racial-imperial projects, and how Asian American makers (authors, poets, filmmakers, journalists, musicians, chefs, and academics) have spoken back to such racialization and subjection. Assignments include active participation (10%), reading/screening responses (15%), personal essay (15%), midterm (25%), research paper (35%).
Primary texts may include:
Nuclear Family, Joseph Han
Water Ghosts, Shawna Yang Ryan
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Comfort Woman, Nora Okja Keller
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, Kai Cheng Thom
Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner
No No Boy, John Okada
Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan
Rolling the R’s, Zack Linmark
Harmless Medicine, Justin Chin
แล้ว and then entwine, Jai Arun Ravine
Dogeaters, Jessica Hagedorn
Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu
The Sympathizer, Viet Than Nguyen
Film and Media may include:
Free Chol Soo Lee
Take Out with Lisa Ling
History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige
All-American Girl
Bling Empire
Chan Is Missing
7 Steps to Sticky Heaven
A Love Song for Latasha
Down a Dark Stairwell