English 210 - Introduction to Asian American Literature

(Offered as ENGL 210 and AAPI 210) This survey course introduces students to foundational and recent literatures by Asian American authors. Through examination of canonical anthologies such as Aiiieeeee: An Anthology of Asian American Writers, reading lists of Asian American writers, and polemic responses to genre-bending works such as Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior, this course will engage with the major texts and debates in Asian American literary studies. Throughout the semester, we will ask: What is the canon of Asian American literature? How do anthologies and reading lists influence our understandings of whose voices count—and whose voices are left out—in the making of a literary canon? And ultimately, what is the role of literature and canonization in shaping Asian American racial subjectivity? To explore these questions, students will read deeply and broadly to examine how the making of “Asian America” is part of an ongoing process shaped by matters of race, nation, immigration, gender, and sexuality. Assigned authors may include Frank Chin, Mitsuye Yamada, Maxine Hong Kingston, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Chang-rae Lee, Lan Cao, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anthony Veasna So, and Craig Santos Perez. 

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Nakaganeku-Saito.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference for English majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: close reading, analysis, argumentation, essay writing, workshop, and revision