AAS1101: Imagining Asian America

What are the histories, cultures, and experiences of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing group in the United States? How do they fit into the U.S.'s history of immigration, race, and citizenship? Is the "model minority" myth really true? This course is an introduction to Asian American Studies, an interdisciplinary field that uses ethnography, literature, histories, films, memoirs, and other texts to study how the history of Asian immigration to the United States has visibly shaped existing Asian American communities and identities, and how "Asian America" is central to a more general understanding of American popular culture and public life.The course is roughly organized chronologically. We will first begin with an introduction to the field of Asian American Studies by asking the questions: What is Asian America? What is Asian American Studies? We will then examine important concepts, categories, and processes before exploring the rich history of Asian migration to the United States and contemporary issues facing Asian Americans today. One of the core principles of this course is to encourage active and interdisciplinary learning. This means that we will be learning in a variety of ways to explore and understand the material (reading, writing, watching, listening, seeing, discussing, presenting). We will be drawing from a wide range of disciplines (history, law, sociology, education, cultural studies, psychology, etc.). And we will be using a variety of materials (memoir, scholarly articles, historical documents, government records, newspapers, films, photographs, popular culture, etc.) Your active participation in these activities is essential.

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