Asian Am the Public Sphere

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This class will address issues concerning power and visibility in public life for Asian Americans in the 21st century. We will make an informed historical and cultural evaluation of the critical factors that have led to being perennially understood as an “invisible minority” and propose real-world solutions to reverse this trend. The class will center on politics, culture, media and representation with some important critical discussions about government and the public sphere. Using Asian American literature, performance art, multimedia projects, manga, television and film, we will observe the limits and opportunities that accompany entrance into the U.S. cultural mainstream. Readings may include works by Jessica Hagedorn, Adrian Tomine, Catherine Liu, Sesshu Foster, David Henry Hwang, Don Lee, Sara Husain, Garrett Hongo and Kaiji Kawaguchi. We will be viewing acclaimed films by Asian Americans such as Philip Wang and Wesley Chan’s Everything Before Us, Frances Hsueh and Steven Hahn’s Party, Evan Jackson Leong's Linsanity and Greg Pak’s Robot Stories. Requirements will consist of two short essays, a midterm exam, a class presentation and a final research paper or final exam.