Trauma in Asian American Literature
AMST 323
Spring 2012
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ENGL 323 |
The relationship between Asian Americans and the U.S. nation-state has been understood by a number of scholars as reciprocally traumatizing. The incorporation of racially-marked Asian Americans into the U.S. has been historically perceived and figured as an incursion, a wound, a rupture in the homogeneity of a national body that must be managed through legal exclusions and discrimination. Meanwhile, many argue that these historical exclusions have in turn "traumatized" Asian American identity, such that, as Anne Cheng wrote, "in Asian American literature . . . assimilation foregrounds itself as a repetitive trauma." This course will examine the concept of trauma and the cultural work it performs in both Asian American fiction and criticism. As we explore the ways trauma has enabled certain discussions about immigration, assimilation, and historical memory, we will also ask questions about the limits of trauma as a model for understanding these processes and consider what discussions this widely prevalent paradigm might obscure or occlude. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Interpretation, Writing
This seminar will require students to closely analyze a range of literary and cultural texts through short written assignments and two longer papers.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA AMST |
| Course Format: Seminar | 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
Course texts will include Theresa Cha's Dictee, Chang-rae Lee's A Gesture Life, Maxine Hong Kingston's The Fifth Book of Peace, and short stories by Hisaye Yamamoto and Lonny Kaneko. Our critical framework will include both general trauma theory (Sigmund Freud, Dominick LaCapra, Shoshanna Felman, and Cathy Caruth), as well as considerations of trauma in specifically Asian American contexts (Lisa Lowe, Anne Cheng, David Eng, Rey Chow).
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Examinations and Assignments:
Midterm essay (5-7 pp), Paper Proposal (2-3pp), Final Essay (10-12 pp). |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the Theory and Literatures of Difference requirements for the English major and contributes toward the fulfillment of the Race & Ethnicity and Theory and Literary Forms concentration. |
| Instructor(s): Tang,Amy Cynthia Times: ..T.R.. 10:30AM-11:50AM; Location: CAMS 1; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 0 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 0 |
| Web Resources: Syllabus |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 3 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 3 |
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