ENG 272 - Intro Asian American Lit

Staff

What is Asian American literature, and how do we determine its geographical and cultural scope? What is the relationship between Asian American literary aesthetics and political concerns? This course introduces students to the diverse traditions and key debates in Asian American and transpacific writing, paying special attention to historical, social, and political contexts that shape our understanding of literature. Beginning with scholarship that characterize Asian American culture as inherently heterogeneous and capacious, we will explore the coalitional possibilities and incommensurabilities within and beyond Asian American narratives. We will examine key themes pertinent to Asian American literature such as immigration and exclusion, militarism and refugee displacement, colonization, gender, and sexuality. Key authors include: Carlos Bulosan, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jhumpa Lahiri, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Thi Bui, Craig Santos Perez, and Annelise Chen.

Satisfies the Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric requirement