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CS92PROD
Introduction to Asian American Literature
ENGL 230
Fall 2010
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: AMST 264

While the term "Asian American" dates back only to the 1970s, Asians have inhabited the U.S.-and the U.S. cultural imagination--for more than a century. This survey will examine texts by and about Asians in America, broadly conceived, from Herman Melville's MOBY-DICK (1850) to Jhumpa Lahiri's INTERPRETER OF MALADIES (1999). The course is organized chronologically, keyed to important moments in the history of U.S.-Asian interactions (Manifest Destiny, Asian exclusion, World War II, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, etc.) to emphasize the ways in which these cultural artifacts reflect and influence their social and historical contexts. In the latter half of the course, as we enter the period in which Asian American literature becomes an institutional category in its own right, we will add to this historical framework a number of other analytical perspectives that have emerged from within Asian American studies itself: cultural nationalism, gender and sexuality, postcoloniality, cultural assimilation, and globalization.

Essential Capabilities: Interpretation, Writing
This seminar will require students to analyze closely a range of literary and cultural texts through several short written assignments and two longer papers.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ENGL
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (AMST)(CEAS-MN)(CEAS)(CEAS-Lit&Cult)(ENGL)(ENGL-Literature)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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