AMST 203 - Asian American Historical Experience

This course explores the history of race and racism in the US through the lens of Asian American history. While we may commonly think of race as a noun-a biological quantity, a box to check, or even a divisive distraction we ought to move beyond-this class approaches race as an action, analyzing how race constructs, mobilizes, and transforms the peoples, institutions, and mythologies of the United States. In particular, this class analyzes how Asian Americans have acquired an ambiguous position in the US racial landscape: neither white nor black, viewed as both “forever foreigners” and “model minorities,” the country’s most economically stratified racial group, the first group of immigrants targeted by race and now the country’s fastest-growing racial demographic. Students will explore the past and present implications of Asians’ racial positioning for various topics, including immigration and the border, labor and empire, gender and sexuality, community and identity formation, citizenship and nationalism, transnational ties and international relations, and resistance and activism. Letter grade with Pass/No Pass option. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits