ES 199

Introduction to Pacific Islander Studies

Dr. Lani Teves
MW 4:00-5:20 pm
Room: 207 CHA / Office hours: Wednesdays,9:00-11:00
Office: Alder 203
(541) 346-8830
Email:

Amber Berrings, GTF

Email:

Description

Who Are Pacific Islanders? Where do they come from? Are they all Mormon? Why are they in the United States? Are they Asian orNative or American? Why are they so good at football?

This course examines the lives of Pacific Islanders in the United States. In addition to the questions above, this course will address the central question: how does colonialism impact Pacific Islanders living in the United States? In this interdisciplinary and introductory survey, we will examine the varied historical conditions that have structured Pacific Islander migrations and experiences. Students will gain a greater understanding of how Pacific Islander communities in the United States and in the Pacific have been transformed by foreign interventions such as colonialism, the introduction of Christianity, U.S. militarism, the Pacific diaspora, and the legacy of anthropological observation. We will pay close attention to the gendered dynamics of this history and how Pacific Islander artists, activists, and scholars have responded. In-class lectures will provide broader context and demographic data on population growth, educational attainment, health, economic status, and climate change to assist students’ understanding of the various issues that affect Pacific Islander communities. The course will end with an re-evaluation of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) racial category with a focus on Pacific Islander community efforts to challenge this designation in imaginative and decolonial ways.

Course Objectives

  • Map the three regions of the Pacific Islands; Question these distinctions.
  • Explain how colonialism transformed gender and sexuality in the Pacific and what such transformations reveal about foreign desires and anxieties.
  • Articulate the multiple influences of migrations and how Pacific Islanders have maintained connections in the diaspora.
  • Debate the creation of the API racial category, cite the pros and cons.
  • Analyze the connections and differences between categories of race and indigeneity.

Estimated Student Workload

Students are expected to come to class on time and to participate in discussion. I believe that students should be actively involved in the learning process, so class will be a mix of lecture and lots of discussion. Students should come to class prepared to discuss the readings on the day they are listed.

Students will demonstrate their comprehension of course content through participation in online discussion boards, journal entries, various interactive classroom activities, a midterm exam on key concepts, and a culminating final group project.

Assignments

Attendance – 10%

Participation – 10%

Discussion Comments – 10%

Midterm – 20%

Essays – 30% (2 Essays, 15% points each)

Final Project – 20%

Course Materials

All readings are available on Canvas. Film clips will be screened in class unless otherwise noted. All required films are on reserve at the Knight Library or can be viewed through Kanopy (see links on Canvas).

Attendance 10%

Attendance will be carefully tracked. Students who have more than two unexcused absences will have their attendance grade marked down half a percentage point, anything beyond that will be -1 percentage point.A sign-in sheet will circulate in the first five minutes of class, if you come in after that, you may still sign-in at the end of class, but you will be marked late. Please be on time. If you are late more than three times, it will result in the lowering of your attendance grade by half a percentage point.

Participation 10%

Class participation is essential to get the full learning experience. This class is built around student participation. Lectures will not be posted, so please take good notes. Participation means being a thoughtful participant in classroom discussion and listening to the perspectives of others. At random, I will also give additional assignments that count towards your participation grade, such as an impromptu writing response in class. Participation will also be measured through pop quizzes.

Weekly Discussion Comments 10%

To demonstrate that you are keeping up with the readings, students are expected to submit a response in the “Discussion” section of Canvas. This response is due on Wednesdays by 8 a.m. and MUST cover the reading for Monday and Wednesday. There are seven weeks when discussion comments are due (see syllabus), but you only need to complete five. These are informal responses that should illustrate an engagement with the readings, attempting to relate the reading with previous weeks or things you would like to bring in from outside of class (e.g. blogs, news, songs, etc). “Engagement” with the text could be a succinct paragraph or longer. Some of the readings are theoretical and difficult to understand. Use the discussion forum to work out an idea, solicit responses, and pose questions. Each entry is worth 1 point. Pay attention to the dates because there are some weeks when they are not due. If your response appears rushed or unthoughtful, I will reduce the amount of points.

Essays 30%

Film Response – 15%

Must be completed by May 20. Write a response to one of the films listed below. Portions of some films will be screened in class, but must be watched in their entirety for the essay. Films are available at the library or online through other means (see links on Canvas). 500-1000 words submitted on Canvas.

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Current Event – 15%

Apply two readings to a current event by May 17. Pick a current event relevant to the Pacific Islander community that occurred in the past two years. Be sure to cite the source in your essay. 500-1000 words submitted on Canvas.

Midterm 20%

The midterm will be given in the fifth week of class. The midterm will consist of a map section, short keywords definitions, and an essay response.

Final Project 20%

The final project for this class involves an individual or group presentation on an issue affecting Pacific Islander communities. I will suggest possible topics, but you are more than welcome and encouraged to come up with your own. You are encouraged to think innovatively – perhaps by creating a blog, a podcast, a video, or an infographic. The presentation should be about ten minutes and engage your classmates in discussion and will be during the final exam time for the class (June 8, 2:45 pm). More details will be given during the fifth week of class.

Grading Scale

A+100B+89-87C+79-77D+69-67

A99-94B86-83C76-73D66-63

A-93-90B-82-80C-72-70D-62-60

Note: To get an A+ in this class, in addition to completing all the course requirements, you must work to make the class better for your classmates.

Policies

Readings

Reading for this course is fundamental.Read closely and with precision. Without doing the reading, the in-class participation will not make sense. Reading will allow us to have more effective and informed discussions, so please keep up.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Students should properly acknowledge and document all sources of information (e.g. quotations, paraphrases, ideas). If there is any question about whether an act constitutes academic misconduct, it is the student’s obligation to clarify the question with the instructor. Please contact me with any questions you have about academic conduct. Additional information about maintaining your academic integrity is available at integrity.uoregon.edu; information about a common form of academic misconduct, plagiarism, is available at

Late Work:

Assignments and other work are due before or on the dates specified in the syllabus. Extensions or incompletes are only granted in the case of extreme medical and personal emergency, which must be documented. You must notify me as soon as possible if you are experiencing an emergency that will prevent you from completing an assignment on time. Variations of the assignment requirements may be necessary for work that is late.

Grade Disputes Policy

Students that wish to dispute grades must do so in writing with thorough justification. Written grade disputes must be followed up with me during office hours. Disputes must be submitted to me at least twenty-fours in advance of an appointment. Please note that a dispute does not guarantee a better grade.

Email

Email is the best way to contact me, but please note that I will likely only respond to email between 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. M-F. When emailing me please make sure to note in the subject line what class you are in and what the email pertains to.

Accommodations

If you have specific physical, psychiatric or learning capabilities that require accommodations, please let me know early in the quarter so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. For more information or assistance, you are encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Center,

Prohibited Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

The UO is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and gender or sex based bullying and stalking. Any UO employee who becomes aware that such behavior is occurring has a duty to report that information to their supervisor or the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity.

The University Health Center and University Counseling and Testing Center can provide assistance and have a greater ability to work confidentially with students. If you wish to speak to someone confidentially, you can call 541-346-SAFE, UO’s 24-hour hotline, to be connected to a confidential counselor to discuss your options as confidential counselors are not deemed mandatory reporters. You can also visit the SAFE website at safe.uoregon.edu.

Student Athletes

If you are a student athlete whose schedule will cause you to miss class, inform me of your schedule as soon as you can. Please visit me during office hours so that arrangements can be made around your game schedule.

Electronic Devices Policy

Sometimes life presents emergencies. If you are having an emergency, you may excuse yourself to use your phone. Otherwise, you should not be tinkering with your phone during class time. NO TEXTING IN CLASS. Laptops/Tablets are allowed for course content. Inappropriate use of electronic devices will result in a lowering of your participation grade.

Schedule

Week 1: Mapping “The Pacific”

March 28 – Introductions

March 30 - “Origins” and Anthropology in the Pacific

  • Salesa, Damon. “The Pacific in Indigenous Time” In Pacific Histories, edited by David Armitage & Alison Bashford (Palgrave, 2014), 31-52.

Keywords: Colonialism, 3 Regions of the Pacific, Discourse, Orientalism

Week 2: Decolonizing Methodologies

April 4

  • Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. Zed Books, 1999. “Intro” 1-18 & “Ch 3” 58-77.

April 6 – Our Sea of Islands

  • Discussion comment due on Canvas 4/6, 8 p.m.
  • Hauʻofa, Epeli. “A New Oceania: Rediscovering Our Sea of Islands.” 27-38. Suva, Fiji: Beake House, 1993.
  • Kaʻili, Tevita O. “Tauhi Vā: Nurturing Tongan Sociospatial Ties in Maui and Beyond.” The Contemporary Pacific 17, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 83-114.
  • In class analysis - McMullin, Dan Talaupapa. “Tiki Manifesto.” In Huihui: Navigating Art and Literature in the Pacific, edited by Jeffrey Carroll, Brandy Nālani McDougall and Georganne Nordstrom, 89-92. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2015.

Keywords: Sea of Islands, Routes and Roots, Heteropatriarchy

Week 3 – Tackling Pacific Hegemonies

April 11

  • Film – In Football We Trust (shown in class)
  • Uperesa, Fa’anofo Lisaclaire. “Fabled Futures: Migration and Mobility for Samoans in American Football.”The Contemporary PacificVol. 26, No. 2 (2014):281-301.

April 13

•Discussion comment due on Canvas 4/13, 8a.m.

•Talk by scholar, Lisa Uperesa - “Football and Faʻa Samoa”

  • Meet in Jacqua 101
  • Film: Polynesian Power (watch before class online)

Week 4 – “The Pacific Theater”

April 18- Militarism in the Pacific

  • Teaiwa, Teresia. “Bikinis and Other Pacific N/Oceans.” In Militarized Currents: Toward a Decolonized Future in Asia and the Pacific, edited by Setsu Shigematsu and Keith L. Camacho, 15-32. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010.
  • Shulte, Bret. “For Pacific Islanders, Hopes and Troubles in Arkansas”
  • Film: A New Island: Marshallese in Arkansas ( (watch before class online)

April 20- Climate Change Struggles

  • Discussion comment due on Canvas 4/20, 8 a.m.
  • Video Poems by Kathy Jetnil-Kijner –(
  • Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu – “Pacific Islanders March for Self-Determination” (

Keywords: Faʻa Samoa, Militourism, Nuclear Free Pacific

Week 5 – In class Midterm, April 27

April 27–In class Mid-term – Group project planning

April 29 - (AAAS) – In class screening, Insular Empire

Week 6 – Repositioning the Missionary

May 2– “They gave us the Bible and the military”

  • Perez, Craig Santos. “I Linaʻla Tataotao Taʻlo” The Rhetoric of Aesthetics of Militarism, Religiosity, and Commemoration.” In Huihui: Navigating Art and Literature in the Pacific, edited by Jeffrey Carroll, Brandy Nālani McDougall and Georganne Nordstrom, 181-199. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2015.

May 4 - A Chosen People, a Promised Land

  • Discussion comment due on Canvas 5/4, 8a.m.
  • ʻAikau, Hokulani K. “Indigeneity in the Diaspora: The Case of Native Hawaiians at Iosepa, Utah.” American Quarterly 62, no. 3 (September 2010): 477-500.
  • Tim Sullivan, “Gangs in Zion” (

Keywords: Indigenize, Settler-Colonialism

Week 7 – Lovely Hula Hands

May 9

  • Trask, Haunani-Kay. “Lovely Hula Hands.” In From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaiʻi, 136-50. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 1999.
  • Kelly, Keala, “Portrait. Marie Beltran and Annie Pau – Resistance to Empire, Erasure, and Selling Out.” In A Nation Rising, Goodyear-Ka’opua, Hussey, Wright,eds., (Duke University Press, Durham), 37-47.
  • Film - Noho Hewa(screened in class)

May 11

  • Discussion comment due on Canvas 5/11, 8a.m.
  • Sonoda, Healani. “A Nation Incarcerated.” In Asian Settler Colonialism: From Local Governance to the Habits of Everyday Life in Hawaiʻi, edited by Candace Fujikane and Jonathan Y. Okamura, 99-115. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2008.
  • “Islands in the Sand”
  • Film Response due May 13, 5 p.m. on Canvas

Keyword: Kūʻē Petitions, Federal Recognition, Territories to be Decolonized, International Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Week 8 –Queering the Pacific

May 16 – “Queer” and Indigenous Sexualities in the Pacific Diaspora

  • Kahakauwila, Kristiana. “The Old Paniolo Way.” In This Is Paradise: Stories. 169-212. London New York: Hogarth, 2013.
  • McMullin, Dan Talaupapa. “Faʻafafine Notes.” In Queer Indigenous Studies: Critical Interventions in Theory, Politics, and Literature, edited by Qwo-Li Driskill, Chris Finley, Scott Lauria Morgensen and Brian Gilley, 114-31. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2011.
  • Film: Kumu Hina(watch before class online)

May 18 – NO CLASS – Professor at Conference

  • Discussion comment due on Canvas 5/18, 8a.m.
  • Group work day
  • Current Event paper due May 20, 5 p.m. on Canvas

Keywords: Māhū, Faʻafafine

Week 9 – Pacific Islander American?

May 23- From APIA to NHOPI

  • Kauanui, J. Kēhaulani. “Asian American Studies and the Pacific Question.” In Asian American Studies After Critical Mass, edited by Kent Ono, 123-143. New York: Blackwell, 2004.
  • Hall, Lisa Kahaleʻole, “Which of These Things Is Not Like the Other: Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders Are Not Asian Americans, and All Pacific Islanders Are Not Hawaiian.”American Quarterly Vol. 67, No. 3 (2015): 727-747.

May 25

•Discussion comment due on Canvas 5/25, 8a.m.

•Talk byscholar Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu – Meet in Jacqua 101

  • Review reports by Empowering Pacific Islander CommunitiesAsian Americans Advancing Justice Western Division -“A Community of Contrasts”

Week 10 – Decolonization in the Diaspora

May 30 –No Class (MEMORIAL DAY)

June 1–Remembering Our Sea of Islands

  • Osorio, Jonathan Kamakawiwoʻole. “All Things Depending: Renewing Interdependence in Oceania.” In Huihui: Navigating Art and Literature in the Pacific, edited by Jeffrey Carroll, Brandy Nālani McDougall and Georganne Nordstrom, 210-216. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2015.

Final group projects during final exam period - Wednesday, June 8, 2:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

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