Fall 2005

AMS 315 • Introduction to Asian American Studies

Course Description

This course aims to introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in the United States. While Asian American Studies encompasses a wide range of issues and theoretical approaches, we will not attempt an exhaustive or comprehensive survey. Rather, this course will introduce you to some key themes and important methodological approaches in the field. Topics will include: immigration history, theories on identity and community formation, cultural representations, and the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Our goal will be to create a common vocabulary that will enable a lively and critical engagement and discussion of the complex experiences of Asian Americans. We will read materials from history, anthropology, sociology, cultural, and media studies. In particular, we will track some convergences and divergences inherent in these different disciplinary approaches to knowledge production and the consequences for the field of Asian American Studies.

Texts

Asian American Dreams, Helen Zia Catfish and Mandala, Andrew X. Pham Course Reader

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