Topics in History (220-0-1)

Topic

Japanese American 'Internment'

Instructors

Shana Bernstein
847/467-6850
620 Lincoln #205

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 212: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Twice since 9/11, politicians have referred to the World War II imprisonment of Japanese Americans as a
possible precedent for policies toward Muslims. Yet many Americans remain ignorant about this important
and understudied episode in U.S. history. This seminar-style course examines events leading up to the
mass imprisonment of a group of people based on race, the role played by wartime emergency language,
the experiences of Japanese Americans, and the consequences of this wartime policy. It focuses on the
intersections between race, gender, nation, and law. Readings include secondary and primary sources,
including related court cases, executive orders, documentary films, memoirs, and fiction. Note this is a
discussion-based class. Students will be expected to read and participate daily, as well as write three
papers throughout the quarter (two approx. 3-5 pages, one 8-10 pages).

Learning Objectives

. Analyze the imprisonment from multiple perspectives, experiences, and primary sources (e.g. including
traditional texts, documentary films, memoir, government documents, photographs, art, and other
primary sources, as well as fiction). 2. Identify and explain events leading up to the mass imprisonment of
a group of people based on race, the role played by wartime emergency language, the experiences of
Japanese Americans, and the consequences of this wartime policy. 3. Explore and analyze intersections
among race, gender, nation, and the law, both in the context of the treatment of Japanese Americans
during World War II as well as in a larger historical context. 4. Understand the role of law in justifying the
imprisonment, and in its aftermath. 5. Foster analytical, reading, discussion, and writing skills. 6) To learn
to analyze the past using both primary and secondary sources including how to analyze and critique
sources and understand how scholars use them to formulate arguments and speak to each other. 7. To teach empathy to better understand historical actions and actors as a product of their time and place. 8.
To understand chronology/change over time.

Evaluation Method

Papers worth 70% of the course grade (20%, 20%, 30%) Discussion worth 30% of the course grade.

Class Materials (Required)

- Yoshiko Uchida, University of Washington Press, Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American
Family, 2015, ISBN 9780295994758, paperback
- Mine Okubo, University of Washington Press, Citizen 13660, 2014, ISBN 9780295993546, paperback

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Distro Area