ENGL W4632 - Asian-American Literature & Culture

Institution:

Columbia University in the City of New York

Subject:

Description:

Asian-American Literature & Culture (Lecture). This course provides an introduction to Asian American literature since the mid-nineteenth century, with a focus on the most recent few decades. What does it mean to be Asian or partly Asian in America? Are there historical experiences, cultural expressions, or political positions that give Asian Americans a collective identity, as it is often assumed to be the case? How does the knowledge of their experiences and perspectives enrich our understandings of American culture and U.S.-Asian relations? We will examine these questions through the lens of literature, prose narratives and poetry in particular. In other words, we will discuss a selected group of literary works so as to uncover the ways in which some the most interesting minds among Asian Americans comment on the meanings of race, ethnicity, and culture, as well as their relations to other social issues, in both American and transnational contexts. Readings: Kingston, China Men; Yamamoto, Seventeen Syllables; Cha, Dictee; Hagedorn, Dogeaters; Ondaatje, Cat's Table; Yamashita, Tropic of Orange; Monique Truong, The Book of Salt; H.M. Naqvi, Home Boy; Greg Pak and David Henry Hwang, Robot Stories: And More Screen Plays.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.columbia.edu

Phone Number:

(212) 854-1754

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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