Seminar in Reading and Interpretation (300-0-20)

Topic

Native Speakers

Instructors

Susannah Gottlieb
847/491-3091
University Hall 321

Meeting Info

University Hall 418: 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

Short lectures, discussion, collaboration.

Evaluation Method

Brief weekly writing assignments, 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, Aimee Phan, Bharati Mukherjee, 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 Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for English and Creative Writing students.