First-Year Writing Seminar (101-8-1)
Topic
Multiracial Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Instructors
Nitasha Sharma
847/467-6589
Crowe Hall 1-127
Meeting Info
University Library 3370: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
Who are multiracial Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans? What are their experiences and perspectives and what accounts for their growing numbers? This class addresses these questions along with an analysis of the role of the law in producing multiracial people—and race, itself. Finally, we will examine what factors shape the identities of multiracial Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans. Drawing from demographics, popular culture, memoir, and academic studies, this class studies how multiracial people reflect the changing population in the US and reveal the social construction of race. Ultimately, we will be led to question our ideas about identity, race, and family while highlighting the expansive boundaries of "Asian America" and the people of Oceania.
Learning Objectives
Students will learn and exercise critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, and critical writing skills. They will read analytically and learn to support their arguments with the use of supporting evidence.
Students will learn who multiracial AA/PIs are and where they live, and gain insight into their perspectives and experiences. They will reflect upon their own identities in relation to history and existing structures and institutions. They will understand the role of the law in shaping marriage patterns and the categorization of people of mixed ancestry. And they will explore how multiracial AA/PIs challenge our usual understandings of race.
Class Materials (Required)
A course packet.
Class Attributes
WCAS Writing Seminar
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.