ENGL 626-01: Asian American Literature & Culture

Section Description:

In this class we will read a representation of Asian American literary texts and theory and consider the debates that have shaped the field of Asian American literary studies. What grounds the concept of Asian American identity, given that many Asian Americans identify as specific ethnic Americans? We will identify the major historical events that have shaped Asian American experiences, and discuss how Asian American authors have represented exclusion, internment, global capitalism, assimilation, alienation, and protest. In short we will investigate how authors have claimed and created Asian American identities in different times and places and using different forms, from novels and memoirs to graphic novels and films.