HIST 2580 Asian American Experience

An introduction to the histories of Americans of Asian ancestry from late eighteenth century to the recent past, this course focuses on the experiences of peoples from China, Japan, Korea, the Phillipines, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. It explores patterns and similarities in experience, while also addressing differences stemming from nationality, class, gender, and colonial and postcolonial relationships to the U.S.. Within a broad chronological framework, the course approaches the Asian American experience thematically. Topics will include: the impact of U.S. imperialism on Asian migration; the significance of Asian labor in the development of the American West; anti-Asian movements and exclusion; community formation and ethnic identity; stereotypical images of Asian Americans, from the Yellow Peril to the Model Minority; urban and suburban experiences; interaction with other ethnicities and social movements; and the forging of a pan-Asian movement in the 1960s.
Credits: 3.0