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Academic Year 2005/2006

Mixed Heritage Asian Americans
AMST 242 SP
Crosslistings:
ANTH 241

The emerging literature on mixed heritage Asian Americans in social sciences and other fields, as well as increasing visibility of mixed heritage Asian American figures in popular media remind us not only that the racial demographics in the US are rapidly changing, but also that there is an urgent need to expand our concept of "Asian America" beyond histories and experiences of "mono-ethnic" Asian Americans. In this course, we will examine mixed heritage Asian American populations, their histories, social experiences, and identity formations. By exploring the histories and identities of mixed heritage Asian Americans (e.g., Hapas, Eurasians, Afroasians, Amerasians, mestizo/as), the course intends to understand social construction processes of race and ethnicity, of Asian Americans, both multiethnic or mono-ethnic. Drawing upon interdisciplinary sources, such as personal memoirs, sociological analysis, fictions, and films, we will address the following questions, among others: What/who is "mixed" Asian Americans and how have they been historically produced? What is the power dynamics involved in interracial (hetero- and homo-) sexual romances and marriages for Asian and non-Asian Americans? What are the political and social relationships have mixed heritage Asian Americans had with the mono-ethnic Asian Americans as well as white majority? How are mixed heritage Asian Americans portrayed in the media, and what are the implications of these images? How do we theorize the issues of mixed heritage Asian American identity in such a manner that we are able to view the mixed heritage Asian American experiences as one dimension of the larger politics of race, sexuality, gender, and nation? The foundation for this course revolves around the sociological theories on racial formation and co-production of race, class, and gender, and historiography of Asian Americans. Alongside these theoretical and historical texts, students are encouraged to bring in materials in forms of personal anecdotes, non-scholarly texts, arts, websites, etc., to share your insights with the class.

MAJOR READINGS

Williams-León, Teresa, and Cynthia L. Nakashima eds. 2001. THE SUM OF OUR PARTS: MIXED-HERITAGE ASIAN AMERICANS. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Root, Maria, ed. 1996. THE MULTIRACIAL EXPERIENCE: RACIAL BORDERS AS THE NEW FRONTIER. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage Publications.
Gaskins, Pearl Fuyo, ed. 1996. WHAT ARE YOU?: VOICES OF MIXED-RACE YOUNG PEOPLE. Henry Holt & Co.
Parker, David, and Miri Song, eds. 2002. RETHINKING "MIXED RACE." London: Pluto Press.
Omi, Michael, a nd Howard Winant. 1994. RACIAL FORMATION IN THE UNITED STATES: FROM THE 1960S TO THE 1990S. New York: Rouledge.

Fictions Readings:
Fulbeck, Kip. 2001. PAPER BULLETS: A FICTIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Oz eki, Ruth L. 1999. MY YEARS OF MEATS. Viking Press.
Claudine C. O'Hearn. 1998. HALF AND HALF: WRITERS ON GROWING UP BIRACIAL AND BICULTURAL. New York: Pantheon.
Rekdal, Paisely. 2002. THE NIGHT MY MOTHER MET BRUCE LEE: OBSERVATIONS ON NOT FI TTING IN. New York: Vintage.
Hara, Marie and Nora Okja Keller, eds. 1999. INTERSECTING CIRCLES: THE VOICES OF HAPA WOMEN IN POETRY AND PROSE. Bamboo Ridge Press.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS AMST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006

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