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| Last updated 6/2/03 |
English 18:
Asian American Literature
Course Description
"Beyond Bruce Lee" - Representations of Asian-Americans in Literature and Film
What is Asian American literature? What images come to mind when we think of Asian American individuals and their contributions to American society? While popular culture and Hollywood continue to bombard us with stereotypical images of kung fu fighters, Mafia men, dragon ladies, submissive sexless men/sexy women, and the "model minority" myth, Asian American authors and filmmakers present different perspectives, thus demonstrating they are BEYOND BRUCE LEE.In this course, we'll take a look at literature and film created by Asian American individuals and consider issues such as assimilation, acculturation, prejudice, injustice, and independence, representation, and identity. As history and experience have shown, individuals are sometimes caught in a conflict between ancestral ethnicity and nationality. At some point, they might be forced to defend one side over the other as they tangle with their "double consciousness", or a "sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity" (WEB DuBois). This concept does not apply only to Asian Americans, however. In our daily lives, regardless of our individual backgrounds, we may feel torn by the terms or conditions of the things that identify ourselves to our self and to others. Thus, we all may feel a sense of "double consciousness" as we struggle with our personal vs. societal ideas of individuality, community, and identity.
Due to the length of this course, we will only be able to address some Asian American works by only a few of the vast number of Asian American communities that exist. It is my hope that this class will recall voices from the past, expose you to some new voices, and encourage you to seek the voices that are yet to be heard. It is my goal that you will not only hear and learn from these voices, but you will also develop your own. Thus, you will be expected to think and write critically, analytically, and creatively, and lend a bit of yourself and your experiences to class discussions. In this way, we will learn from each other as a community of readers, writers, thinkers, teachers, and students. Now that you know some of my goals, let's begin.