English 353
Asian American Literature: Women Writers
Dr. Mara ScanlonFall 2010
Combs 3319:00-9:50 MWF
phone: ext. 1544Combs 003
Office hours: MWF 12-1 (pre-Labor Day: 8-9 a.m.)
TR 11-12
and by appointment
Course Description
This class, an iteration of Asian American Literature that focuses almost solely on works written by women, will include essays, poetry, short fiction, and novels. "Asian" is a broad category that includes but is not limited to persons who trace their roots to China, Japan, Korea, Burma (or Myanmar), Vietnam, the PacificIslands, or India and Pakistan. As such, it represents people whose common racial categorization belies their very diverse histories and traditions--not only in their mother or home nations, but also in the United States, where waves of immigration, labor practices, attempts at assimilation, and shifting prejudices (among other factors) have variously affected the often difficult transition from "Asian" to "Asian American." Even for writers born and raised in the United States, the unique perspective of one "between worlds," as one critic has phrased it, makes their writing of great interest.
For women, this transition has often been doubly complicated as they negotiate the gender biases, expectations, and limitations of different cultures. The pain and beauty of forging a racialized and gendered self in our society is expressed in numerous important works of literature by Asian American women, literature which has flourished in the last thirty years and even gained popular attention through works such as Chinese-American Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club (and the movie closely based on it). Our readings will incorporate authors from several different ethnicities; the availability of texts will keep our focus primarily contemporary, but we will also study one older novel in exploring Edward Said's theory of Orientalism. Representing a variety of Asian ethnicities and experiences, our texts this semester will be drawn from writers of Japanese, Chinese, Filipina, Vietnamese, Korean, and Indian descent. Appropriate theory and criticism will also inform our readings.
We will consider questions such as how do Asian American women writers represent the United States? how do they represent their nations of origin or the traditions and history of their ancestors? how are they affected by the racial prejudice of whites, and are they themselves also fearful or disdainful of racial others? how do they understand the very concept of "race"? how does gender intersect with race or ethnicity? what constructions of identity control or liberate them? what models of selfhood do they embrace? if they are bilingual, how do the women balance their languages, and what does it mean to make the choice to write in English? are the texts themselves remarkable in genre, style, form, or language? what historical events or experiences do they examine and illuminate? how does history shape their contemporary lives and attitudes?
Our course will develop in two spaces: the classroom and our collaborative website, which can be accessed at
Required Texts
Jessica Hagedorn, Dogeaters
Suji Kwock Kim, Notes from the Divided Country
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior
Joy Kogawa, Obasan
Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies
lê thi diem thuy, The Gangster We Are All Looking For
Ruth Ozeki, My Year of Meats
Kathleen Tyau, Makai
Onoto Watanna, A Japanese Nightingale (pdf on the blog)
Selected Essays available on the blog
Course Requirements
Assigned Readings: This course is reading intensive; it has a demanding and constant reading load, often several hundred pages a week from challenging texts. You should have completed assigned readings before class and should bring the necessary books to each meeting. For pdf files, bring a printed copy or your laptop. If I sense that students are not doing the reading, I will begin to give reading quizzes; don’t make me stoop to this.
Participation(Oral 15 pts. + Free blogging 15 pts.): Rather than having a few long formal essays, this courseasks you to respond thoughtfully in several other ways to our readings as we progress through the semester. A primary way is through class discussion. You needn’t be an “expert” to participate. Remember that asking a good question is as or sometimes more valuable than offering a completed thought. Some of the works we read may raise strong responses; I should not need to say that I expect respect and civility even in disagreement.
The class periods will run almost exclusively as a discussion, in both large and small groups. Active participation during daily class discussions is essential to doing well in this course; participation will be assessed for both frequency and quality. Oral participation naturally is not possible if you are not present for the class meeting; therefore, attendance is a must. Excessive absences may significantly lower this portion of the grade. Chronically tardy arrivals are not acceptable. It is your responsibility to find out what you have missed when you are absent.
The class discussion time will be augmented by discussion on our multiuser class blog ( which is a space to discuss or respond to our assigned readings or to share resources. Your posts may vary depending on the text we are studying: they may be strong personal responses to something you read (which is fully acceptable, but do remember that this is a public forum, not a diary); extensions of, reflections on, or rebuttals to something we discussed in class; thesis-driven arguments that analyze a text or portion thereof; thoughtful reflections on important themes, the author’s purposes, the formal aspects of the text, etc.; comparisons between what you are reading and prior works of this course, our early theoretical readings, or other texts; responses to prompts and questions that I or others post; theorizations, questions, or information about the field of Asian American literary studies; creative work or interesting links; or something else altogether that you are driven to write or post.
In any case, blogging should be a record of your active, sophisticated response to our assignments AND to your classmates. Thoughtful comments on the posts of others are as or more valuable than new posts because they promote richer dialogue.
Participation, both oral and blogging, is heavily weighted in this course because it gives you the opportunity to take initiative and to engage on your own terms with the course material, and it encourages a model of learning that is collaborative and fluid.
One more note on participation: In prior sections of Asian American literature, we maintained an informal collection of cultural artifacts (ads, articles, occasionally film or internet clips) that portrayed Asian Americans. It was very productive and fun, and we will continue it this semester. Anyone who comes across an item of interest should bring it to class or post it to the blog and prepare to say something about it for about a minute. Then, if possible, it will become part of our growing artifact collection. Mostly this just increases our cultural awareness, but late in the semester I will also offer an optional Writing Event (see below) based on these items.
Writing Events (25 pts.): The other way we will respond regularly to the reading is through short writing events. This writing differs from quizzes in that it does not ask you to give correct answers that demonstrate your completion and recall of the reading. The writing requires critical thinking and creativity (in some weeks the writing prompt will even include a creative option). It also requires the skill of concise, graceful presentation of ideas in writing.
The Nuts and Bolts of Writing Events:
- Generally, I will post the Writing Event prompt for each book on our blog and you will have a minimum of several days to complete it. I reserve the right to have the week’s writing event during a class meeting instead.
- The length is quite limited. Your response to the writing prompt should be an absolute maximum of 500 words, computer-generated and single-spaced. You will provide a word count on each submission.
- There will be 9 writing events in total this semester, one for each major text. They may not be made up if you miss one. I will offer a tenth optional WE (to replace a lower grade or missed WE) at the end.
- Grading will consist of a simple system of symbols with the following criteria:
+ Unusually sophisticated, surprising, or thought-provoking response to the literature; writing is graceful, organized, and clear
+ More creative or original than the norm, shows depth of
thinking; writing is organized and clear
Adequate or typical response to the topic with solid writing
- Writing problems, inadequate depth to analysis, or too
much plot summary
-Missed the point of the writing prompt
- Grading for the semester will be based on a curve—i.e., the highest point total among the actual earned grades will be an A+.
Critical/Theoretical Test (10 pts.): Early in the semester we will have an in-class, short answer exam designed to test your understanding of the critical and theoretical readings.
Researched Multimedia Project (20 pts.): This assignment, which will be completed with partners or in groups, is designed to use all of our combined person-power to increase the knowledge base of the class. The purpose is to provide the class with helpful background knowledge that is historical, political, or cultural in nature to provide deeper context for our specific readings. Some projects may concern an aspect of the Asian culture or nation and others will focus on something about the appropriate group’s American experience.
The projects will be posted to the class blog and will make use of its multimedia capabilities. Though they will include substantial (about 1000 words) explanatory text, they must also use images, video, audio, links, or other methods to enrich and support the traditional scholarship. College-level, appropriate research is the heart of your project.
The projectmust include citations (for all material) and a bibliography of all sources in MLA format so I can see your research and classmates can explore further if they want to.
Final Exam (15 pts.): The exam will be a take-home essay in response to one or two comprehensive, comparative prompts.
You must complete all major assignments to pass the course. Written work should be turned in at the BEGINNING of the class meeting, or posted BEFORE class, on the day it is due to be considered on time, unless I have given you a prior special extension, which you should obtain at least 48 hours in advance if possible. *I do not accept work by email.* All papers or exams should bear a signed honor pledge.
A few final notes
Plagiarism, like all cheating, is a serious offense. It means presenting another person's work as your own--whether that person is a friend, writing center tutor, professional, or published author. You can avoid this offense if you simply cite and reference the source you use, if any. I am quite willing to help you understand strategies for quotation and citation but I am not willing to be lenient on plagiarism, so please consult with me if you need to. I expect that you will adhere at all times to the Honor Code of the University of Mary Washington.
The Office of Disability Services has been designated by the University as the primary office to guide, counsel, and assist students with disabilities. If you receive services through the Office of Disability Services and require accommodations for this class, make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss your approved accommodation needs. Bring your accommodation letter with you to the appointment. I will hold any information you share with me in strictest confidence unless you give me permission to do otherwise. If you have not made contact with the Office of Disability Services and need accommodations (note taking assistance, extended time for tests, etc.), I will be happy to help you. The office will require appropriate documentation of disability. Their phone number is 540-654-1266.
Provisional Course Schedule
Week 1
M Aug 23Introductions
W Aug 25Essays from blog: Said, excerpt from Orientalism; Okihiro, “When and Where I Enter”; “Committee of 100: American Attitudes Toward Chinese Americans and Asian Americans, 2001”
F Aug 27Tech training; bring your laptops!
Week 2
M Aug 30Essays from blog: Zhou and Gatewood, excerpt from “Introduction: Revisiting Contemporary Asian America”; Koshy, “The Fiction of Asian American Literature”
W Sept 1Essays from blog: Lee, “Orientalisms in the Americas: A Hemispheric Approach to Asian American History”; Hune, “Doing Gender with a Feminist Gaze: Toward a Historical Reconstruction of Asian America”
F Sept 3Essay from blog: Ting, “The Power of Sexuality”(+ Scanlon mini-lecture)
Week 3
M Sept 6Watanna, A Japanese Nightingale (blog) 85-124
W Sept 8Watanna 125-171
F Sept 10Watanna, Chinese Exclusion Act (blog), and lingering theory concerns
Week 4
M Sept 13Kingston, The Woman Warrior 1-53
W Sept 15Kingston 57-109
F Sept 17Kingston 113-160
Week 5
M Sept 20Kingston 163-209
W Sept 22Critical/Theoretical Exam
F Sept 24Hagedorn, Dogeaters 1-54
Week 6
M Sept 27Hagedorn 55-118
W Sept 29Hagedorn 119-187
F Oct 1Hagedorn 188-251
Week 7
M Oct 4lê, The Gangster We Are All Looking For 3-35
W Oct 6lê 36-99
F Oct 8lê100-158
Week 8
M Oct 11Fall Break
W Oct 13Ozeki, My Year of Meats 1-83
**** Special event: October 14, poetry reading by Asian American writer Jon Pineda****
F Oct 15Ozeki 85-197
Week 9
M Oct 18Ozeki 199-241
W Oct 20Ozeki 243-366
F Oct 22Kogawa, Obasan 0-130 and Japanese American Creed (blog)
Week 10
M Oct 25Kogawa 131-197
W Oct 27Kogawa 198-300
F Oct 29 Tyau, Makai 1-65
Week 11
M Nov 1Tyau 66-150 and “How to Tell Japs from the Chinese” (blog)
W Nov 3Tyau 151-227
F Nov 5Tyau 228-289
Week 12
M Nov 8Kim, Notes from the Divided Country I
W Nov 10Kim II
F Nov 12Kim III
Week 13
M Nov 15Kim IV
W Nov 17Kim
F Nov 19Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies 1-42
Week 14
M Nov 22Lahiri 43-82
W Nov 24Thanksgiving Break
F Nov 26Thanksgiving Break
Week 15
M Nov 29Lahiri 83-157
W Dec 1Lahiri 158-198
F Dec 3Wrap-up and final exam prep
FINALS WEEKFinal examination period: 8:30-11, Monday, December 6