College Seminar (101-7-2)

Instructors

Raymond San Diego
Crowe 1-125

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-331: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Education, despite being touted as a great equalizer, is a highly contested site of struggle. It is a struggle to get in, a struggle to get through, and a struggle to figure out what happens after. Throughout each of these eras, academic and journalistic coverage of the Asian American student experience argue that social, cultural, political, economic, and familial pressures converge and compound on this population leading to unfulfilling, unpleasant, and unbelievable outcomes. Following that claim, this course explores these interlinked and overlapping themes for the quarter: 1)The persistence of the model minority myth and its impact on higher education, and 2) Asian American student mental health and well-being. We will study student activism and the emergence of Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies in higher education, explore contemporary intersectional Asian American student experiences, and explore what wellness and self-care could be and do during this stage of life. In what ways do Asian American students survive, negotiate, and resist external and internal pressures of success and excellence? How do Asian Americans begin to redefine success on their own terms? Texts for this course may include selections from Mimi Khúc's Dear Elia, erin Ninh's Passing for Perfect; Christine Yano, Neal Akatsuka, and the Asian American Collective's Straight A's: Asian American College Students in Their Own Words, and Debbie Lum's documentary Try Harder!

Class Materials (Required)

Jenny T. Wang. Permission to Come Home: Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans. (Balance, 2022). ISBN-13 : 978-1538708002

Class Notes

Attendance at first class is mandatory.

Class Attributes

WCAS College Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required