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Academic Year 2004/2005

Seminar: Asian Americans and Popular Culture
ENGL 249 FA
Crosslistings:
AMST 249

This course examines how Asian Americans are represented and represent themselves in American forms of popular culture such as literature, television, film, music, print media, and various other forms of modern culture. We will explore the cultural contexts of the term "Asian American" that define its visibility and marketability in contemporary times. Some questions we will address include Is there an Asian American aesthetic and if so, how is it characterized? What are the consequences of the consumption of ethnic products by a mainstream audience? What are the ramifications of mass marketing for Asian American writers, producers, and artists?

MAJOR READINGS

M. BUTTERFLY by David Henry Hwang
ROLLING THE Rs by R. Zamora Linmark
INTERPRETER OF MALADIES by Jhumpa Lahiri
THE JOY LUCK CLUB by Amy Tan
UNDERSTANDING POPULAR CULTURE by John Fiske
ORIENTALS: ASIAN AMERICANS IN POPULAR CULTURE by Robert Lee
ASIAN AMERICAN DREAMS: THE EMERGENCE OF AN AMERICAN PEOPLE by Helen Zia

Coursepack (will include essays by Judith Butler, Darrell Hamamoto, Michelle Hilmes, bell hooks, Dorinne Kondo, Sunaina Maira, Lynn Spiegel, and others).

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ENGL    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005

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