The United States in the Pacific Islands
AMST 314
Spring 2011
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ANTH 301 |
| Certificates: International Relations |
The relationship between the United States of America and the nations and territories that comprise the Pacific Islands is complex and has historical and continuing significance in international and global affairs. American involvement in the Pacific was and continues to be primarily structured by strategic interests in the region. Oceania has been greatly affected by American colonial rule, temporary engagement, and neocolonial hegemony including economic, military, and cultural power. How did the United States come to dominate the Pacific basin? Using an expanded definition of the Western frontier, we will examine the Pacific basin as a region that was subject to imperialist development that was an extension of the continental expansion. The course will focus on the history of American influence in Hawai`i that culminated in the unilateral annexation in 1898 and statehood in 1959, as well as the historical and contemporary colonial status of Guam and Samoa, where questions of self-determination persist. We will also examine the Pacific as nuclear playground for atomic bomb testing by the United States military, and the United States administration of the Trust Territory of the Pacific after World War II until the self-governance of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau in the 1980s and 1990s. The course will have a concentrated focus on Hawai`i. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Intercultural Literacy, Writing
Students examine how cultures interact through Anglo American political domination and indigenous Pacific responses to imperialism. They also assess historical projects of the uS government including military expansion, nuclear testing, tourism, and white settlement.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS AMST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Required Texts
Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism, Noenoe
K. Silva
Bravo for the Marshallese: Regaining Control in a Post-Nuclear,
Post-Colonial World, Holly Barker
The Fire This Time: Essays on Life Under US Occupation, Julian Aguo
What We Bury At Night: Disposable Humanity, Julian Aguon
Videos
Insular Empire: Americas Pacific Frontier
Act of War: Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation
Islands on the Edge of Time
Storytellers of the Pacific
Radio Bikini
Noho Hewa: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai`i
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Examinations and Assignments:
Mid-term and final exams, research project, and homework assignments on the course readings. Blackboard participation required. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Film screenings outside of regular class time. |
| Instructor(s): Kauanui,J. Kehaulani Times: .M.W... 11:00AM-12:20PM; Location: PAC422; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 36 | | SR major: 9 | JR major: 9 | | |
| Seats Available: 10 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 8 | JR non-major: 8 | SO: 2 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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