Advanced Topics in Literary and Cultural Studies (376-0-1)
Topic
Native Speakers: Identity & Rep in Asian America
Instructors
Susannah Gottlieb
847/491-3091
University Hall 321
Meeting Info
University Hall 101: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
Asian American literary and cinematic arts invite us to understand their achievements in terms of an ongoing interrogation of the nature and nativity of speech: From "model minority" to "enemy aliens," from fortune-cookie clichés to talk-stories, and from "FOB" to "crazy rich," the representation and self-representations of Asian Americans weave an ambivalent -- sometimes affirmative, sometimes monstrous -- and ever-changing story. In this class, we will explore works of fiction, film, and other media by which Asian American realities are created, disturbed, and otherwise transformed, with a concentration on the themes of speaking, silence, place, displacement, protest, deviance, and exile.
Class Materials (Required)
Texts may include novels, short stories, and graphic novels by Chang-Rae Lee, John Okada, Aimee Phan, Brian Ascalon Roley, and Mariko Tamaki. Films and television episodes may include Fresh Off the Boat, The Half of It, I'm the One That I Want, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and Crazy Rich Asians.
Class Notes
Students who completed the First Year Seminar on Identity and Representation in Asian America with this same instructor may not enroll in this section of 375/376.
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area