Asian American History
AMST 231
Fall 2015
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
CEAS 276 |
This course will examine the history of Asian Americans in the U.S. It analyzes the causes and reasons for why Asians settled in the country as a reflection of processes related to militarization, war, globalization, economic displacement, and labor demands. This lecture/discussion attends to the diverse meanings that constitute "Asian" and "American," taking an exciting comparative approach to the study of Asian Americans by recognizing that the lives of Asians are inseparable from other minorities such as Latino/a, Native American, Muslim/Arab, and black people. The course begins with a discussion of the conquest of the Americas by Columbus, who was looking for "Asia" but supposedly discovered "America," only to colonize indigenous peoples. This starting point opens "Asian American" history as a contested planetary intercultural field of interest that will disrupt the usual sense of that history beginning with Chinese (indentured) migrant laborers who first arrived in the 1820s. From conquest, we move quickly to the history of exclusionary anti-Asian laws in the 19th and early 20th century toward the 1960s at the height of Asian American activism and political organizing to the current transnational moment with the great flow of people between Asia and America. Topics encompass war brides, prostitution, globalization, communist scares, and mixed-race marriages. Our texts are drawn from a variety of fields such as literature, sociology, history, performance studies, film studies, and public health. |
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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)(CEAS-MN) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Sucheng Chan, ASIAN AMERICANS: AN INTERPRETIVE HISTORY
Gary Okihiro, MARGINS AND MAINSTREAMS: ASIANS IN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
Nayan Shah, STRANGER INTIMACY: CONTESTING RACE, SEXUALITY, AND THE LAW IN THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST
Grace Lee Boggs, LIVING FOR CHANGE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Todd Munson, SUPERMAN SAYS YOU CAN SLAP A JAP!
Erika Lee, THE "YELLOW PERIL" AND ASIAN EXCLUSION IN THE AMERICAS
Nadine Naber, SO OUR HISTORY DOESN'T BECOME YOUR FUTURE
Yuji Ichioka, A HISTORIAN BY HAPPENSTANCE
Daryl Maeda, ARE WE NOT ALSO ASIANS? BUILDING SOLIDARITY THROUGH OPPOSITION TO THE VIET NAM WAR
Matthew Guterl, AFTER SLAVERY: ASIAN LABOR, THE AMERICAN SOUTH, AND THE AGE OF EMANCIPATION
Dorothy Fujita-Rony, WATER AND LAND: ASIAN AMERICANS AND THE U.S. WEST
Haunani-Kay Trask, SETTLERS OF COLOR AND "IMMIGRANT" HEGEMONY: "LOCALS" IN HAWAI'I
Natalia Molina, HOW PUBLIC HEALTH DISCOURSES AND STANDARDS RACIALIZED THE MEANINGS OF JAPANESE AND MEXICANS IN LOS ANGELES, 1910-1924
Mai Ngai, ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY: REFLECTIONS ON THE DE-CENTERING OF THE FIELD
Selected articles and additional course readings will be uploaded to Moodle.
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Examinations and Assignments:
2 short papers, 1 midterm, in-class assignments, and a final paper |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Discussions will be a time for students to freely and creatively flesh out the topics covered in lectures. This highly interactive space will include logic games, debates, visual/arts activities, mock interviews/speeches, and open personal dialogue. |
| Instructor(s): Bui,Long Thanh Times: ..T.R.. 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: FISK210; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 30 | | SR major: 6 | JR major: 8 | | |
| Seats Available: 11 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 0 | SO: 9 | FR: 7 |
| Web Resources: Syllabus |
| 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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