Introduction to Asian American StudiesProfessor Adria L. Imada
ES252 – University of Oregon Ethnic
CRN 15773, 4 creditsOffice:307 McKenzie Hall
Fall 2004(541) 346-0905
360 Condon HallOffice Hours: Wednesday
Tuesday & Thursday 4:00 – 5:50 PM12:30 – 2:00 PM or by appt.
A pan-ethnic group, Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States.This course provides an introduction to the historical formation of Asian America and contemporary issues faced by the highly diverse communities that comprise it.As demanded by the interdisciplinary nature of the field of Asian American Studies, this course will rely on a range of historical, literary, ethnographic, and visual texts.Issues we will explore this quarter include Asian American immigration, exclusion, popular cultural representations, and anti-racism.Students will also make their own contributions to this scholarly field by producing original research on an Asian American topic specific to Oregon.
READINGS
Required course books are available at the University of Oregon bookstore.Additional readings will be accessible through UO library electronic reserves:
Drinnon, Richard.Keeper of Concentration Camps: Dillon S. Myer and American Racism(1989)
Fadiman, Anne.The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down(1998)
Lee, Robert G.Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture(1999)
Okihiro, Gary Y.Margins and Mainstreams: Asians in American History and Culture(1994)
Tamura, Linda.The Hood River Issei: An Oral History of Japanese Settlers in Oregon's Hood River Valley(1993)
Yamamoto, Hisaye.Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories(2001)
COURSE EVALUATION
Class participation(20%):This grade will be based on attendance and active participation in class discussion.Attendance at every class is mandatory and each student must prepare materials for the day.If you miss class due to an emergency, I expect to be notified by e-mail or telephone.
Midterm Examination (30%)
Two Reading Quizzes (10% each)
Group Research Project and class presentation (30%) – Students will collaborate in small groups to research an Asian American topic or issue in Oregon.Each group must submit a one-page research proposal (topic to be approved by instructor) and a bibliography.Groups will present their research in class.Finally, a five to seven page group research paper will be due on the last day of class.
COURSE POLICIES
All work submitted in this course must be your own and original.The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly acknowledged and documented. Any student who is found guilty of cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty will receivea failing gradefor that assignment.You are expected to be familiar with the University of Oregon’s policy on academic honesty. These guidelines are provided at:
If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with me soon. Please bring a notification letter from Disability Services outlining your approved accommodations.
No incompletes will be given in this course. Late papers will receive one-half letter grade deduction for each day they are submitted past the due date, and instructor may refuse to grade papers well beyond the deadline.Instructor reserves the right to make copies of student examinations and papers.
COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE
9/28 TuIntroduction
9/30 ThLee,“Introduction: Yellowface,” 1-14.
Okihiro, “When and Where I Enter,” 3- 30.
Chan, Sucheng, Chronology, inAsian Americans: An Interpretive History192-199 (reference)
WEEK TWO
10/5 TuImmigration and Exclusion
Screening: “Ancestors in the Americas: Coolies, Sailors, and Settlers” (Loni Ding, 1998)
Chan, Sucheng,“Immigration and Livelihood, 1840s to 1930s,” 25-42.
10/7 ThLee, ch. 4, “Inner Dikes and Barred Zones,” 106- 144.
Okihiro, “Perils of Mind and Body,” 118-147.
WEEK 3
10/12TuHood River, OR Case Study
Tamura, xv – xli, 33-53, 63-88, 97-139
Group research topic (1 page proposal) due in class
10/14ThTamura, 143- 211,215-244.
Yamamoto, Hisaye, “Yoneko’s Earthquake” and “Seventeen Syllables”
Reading Quiz #1
WEEK 4
10/19TuInternment and Racial Incarceration -- comparative case study
Drinnon,xix – xxviii, 29-61, 83-116
10/21ThScreening:Lise Yasui, “Family Gathering” (30 min.)
Drinnon, 163- 213
Yamamoto, Hisaye, “The Legend of Miss Sasagawara”
WEEK 5
10/26TuDrinnon, 233-269
10/28ThMidterm Examination
WEEK 6
11/2 TuNew Immigration – 1965 Immigration Act
Ong, Paul and John M. Liu, “U.S. Immigration Policies and Asian Migration,” 45-73.
Louie, Miriam Ching Yoon,Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Factory(2001), 19 – 61
11/4ThPrashad, Vijay,“On the Origin of Desis and other Principles of State Selection,” inThe Karma of Brown Folk(2000), 69-84.
Bibliography due in class
WEEK 7
11/9TuAsian American Movement and Anti-Racism
Screening:“Yuri Kochiyama:Passion for Justice” (58 min.)
Umemoto, Karen. “ ‘On Strike!’ San Francisco College Strike: 1968-1969: The Role of Asian American Students.”
Wei, William,“Origins of the Movement,”The Asian American Movement, 11-43.
11/11 ThModel Minority and Other Myths
Screening:“Who Killed Vincent Chin?”(1988)
Lee, ch. 5, “The Cold War Origins of the Model Minority Myth,” 145- 179
WEEK 8
11/16 TuCase Study: Spirituality across Borders
Fadiman, TBA
11/18 ThFadiman, TBA
Screening: “Kelly Loves Tony”(1998; 57 min.)
WEEK 9
11/23 TuFadiman, TBA
Reading Quiz #2
11/25Thanksgiving Break -- no class
WEEK 10
11/30 TuResearch Project Presentations
12/2ThPopular Culture
Screening: “Terminal U.S.A.” (Jon Moritsugu, 1994)
Websites
Research Papers (5 – 7 pp) due in class