This one-semester course is designed as an introduction to—not a survey of—Asian American literary texts, Asian American literary contexts, and Asian American literary criticism. Our goals during our time together include the following:
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doing close readings of literary texts by Asian American writers;
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examining writings from a variety of Asian American groups, including Japanese American, Chinese American, South Asian Indian American and “local”;
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exploring the historical, political and legal contexts that inform and enrich the production and our consumption of the literature;
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understanding how and why Asian American literary critics—many critics are themselves writers—respond to Asian American literary texts;
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challenging ourselves to write and revise essays that address issues important to you, the next wave of citizen leaders.
Books
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Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club (trade paperback edition)
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Hisaye Yamamoto, Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories (Rutgers edition that contains the complete collection of stories)
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Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior (Vintage trade paperback edition)
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Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine (Grove Atlantic trade paperback edition)
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David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly (Viking Penguin, 1993)
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Homework guideline for 9th-12th grade: 30-45 minutes per night per core subject.
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