Women,Gender,Sexuality Studies 293AA - S- Gender and Asian America

"They were things for which it was impossible to prepare but which one spent a lifetime looking back at, trying to accept, interpret, comprehend," writes Pulitzer-Prize winning author, Jhumpa Lahiri, in The Namesake. What are the particular ways that Asian Americans look back, accept (or refuse to accept), interpret, and comprehend, their lives, individually and collectively, and how are these ways of remembering and comprehending refracted through gender? Analyzing the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, class, nation and sexuality, we will examine Asian American immigration experiences, families, work and sexual and reproductive politics. Topics will include: constructions of Asian American identities; immigration and settlement; labor history and contemporary employment patterns; dating and marriage; family and career choices; inter-generational relations; representations of Asian American femininities and masculinities; violence against women; and movements for social change. The course will explore first-person narratives and popular culture in-depth. To foster a strong sense of community, classes will be held on the Asian American residential floor in Lewis Hall. It is open to all students, no prerequisites, and meets requirements for WGSS and the Asian/Asian American Studies certificate.