Topics in Asian American Literature (375-0-20)
Topic
Native Speakers: Ident and 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.
Teaching Method
Discussion, collaboration, and peer-reviews.
Evaluation Method
Weekly responses (posted to Canvas), in-class peer-reviews, mid-term paper, final project, active class participation.
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
Note: 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.
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
SDG Reduced Inequality