Asian American Studies: AAS

Lower-Division Courses

AAS 301. Introduction to Asian American Studies.

Same as American Studies 315 (Topic 1). Introduces the interdisciplinary study of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in the United States. Explores key concepts, including immigration history, identity and community formation, cultural representation, and the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Introduction to Asian American Studies), 315 (Topic 1), Asian American Studies 301, Sociology 308 (Topic: Introduction to Asian American Studies).

AAS 302. Immigration and Ethnicity.

Same as History 317L (Topic 18) and Mexican American Studies 316C. Examine the changing population of the United States from colonial times to present. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 302, 310 (Topic: Immigration and Ethnicity), History 317L (Topic: Immigration and Ethnicity), 317L (Topic 18), Mexican American Studies 316C, 319 (Topic: Immigration and Ethnicity).

AAS 310. Introductory Topics in Asian American Studies.

An introduction to Asian American studies through a variety of disciplines. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic.

Topic 1: Psychological Perspectives on Asian American Identity. Examines the unique culturally-influenced psychologies of various Asian American groups, including such concepts as identity formation, enculturation, assimilation and resistance, and racial and psychological normativity. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Psychological Perspectives on Asian American Identity), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Psychological Perspectives on Asian American Identity), 310 (Topic 1).
Topic 2: Race, Politics, and Identity in Asian America. Same as Government 314 (Topic 7). An introduction to Asian American politics. Subjects include the American political process, and the historic and contemporary role of Asian Americans within that process. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Race, Identity, and Politics in Asian America), 310 (Topic 2), Government 314 (Topic: Race, Identity and Politics in Asian America), 314 (Topic 7).
Topic 3: Mixed Race Identities. Same as American Studies 315 (Topic 2). Analyzes the historical and contemporary significance of issues of "race" and "mixing" in a North American context. Subjects include the situation of "mixed race" people throughout United States history; historical policies that have shaped racial formation in the United States; comparative conceptions of "mixed" people transnationally; and racial, ethnic, and cultural identity. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Mixed Race and the Media), 315 (Topic 2), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Mixed Race and the Media), 310 (Topic 3).
Topic 4: Asian American Creative Arts. Issues and identities shaped by issues of race, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, and family dynamics. These subjects are explored through production of literary, artistic, performance, or other creative projects. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Asian American Theatre and Dance), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Asian American Theatre and Dance), 310 (Topic 4), Theatre and Dance 311T (Topic: Asian American Theatre and Dance).
Topic 5: Race, Immigration, and Family. Same as American Studies 315 (Topic 3) and Women's and Gender Studies 301 (Topic 24). Introduction to family systems in the United States in a post-WWII framework with a central focus on Asian Americans. Students will investigate how gender, race, and ethnicity intersect and inform our understanding of the institution of the family. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Alternative Family Systems), 315 (Topic 3), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Alternative Family Systems), 310 (Topic 5), Women's and Gender Studies 301 (Topic: Alternative Family Systems), 301 (Topic 24).
Topic 6: Asian American Film History. Same as American Studies 315 (Topic 7). Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Asian American Film History), American Studies 315 (Topic 7), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Asian American Film History), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic 6), Radio-Television-Film 301N (Topic: Asian American Film History).

AAS 312. Introduction to Asian American History.

Same as History 317L (Topic 4). Introduces students to the national and transnational histories of Asian Americans in the United States. Explores a wide range of themes related to the Asian American experience. Asian American Studies 312 and History 317L (Topic 4) may not both be counted.

AAS 314. Asian American Literature and Culture.

Same as English 314V (Topic 2). Explores how authors and artists over the course of the past century have imagined what it means to be Asian American. Covers a diverse range of Asian immigrant histories and the formation of Asian American identities according to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and citizenship. Prerequisite: One of the following: English 303C, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, 309J (or 309K), or Tutorial Course 303C.

AAS 316D. Race, Deportation, and Diaspora.

Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 316D, American Studies 315R, and Latin American Studies 310F. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 310 (Topic: Race, Deportation, Diaspora), 316D, 317D (Topic: Race, Deportation, Diaspora), American Studies 315 (Topic: Race, Deportation, Diaspora), 315R, Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Race, Deportation, Diaspora), 316D, Latin American Studies 310 (Topic: Race, Deportation, Diaspora), 310F.

AAS 318Q. Supervised Research.

For Asian American studies majors only. Supervised, student-derived research in Asian American studies. Individual instruction. May be repeated for credit when the research projects vary. Prerequisite: Rhetoric and Writing 306 and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

Upper-Division Courses

AAS 320C. Contemporary Asian American Novels.

Same as English 343T. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 320 (Topic 3), 320C, English 343T, 376M (Topic 5). Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315, English 303D, 316L, 316M, 316N, 316P, or Tutorial Course 303D.

AAS 320D. Asian American Media Cultures.

Same as Radio-Television-Film 359 (Topic 3). Examine popular and critical roles, representations, and politics of Asian Americans in U.S. media including Hollywood cinema, U.S. network and cable television, Asian American independent film, and online media. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 320 (Topic: Asian American Media Cultures), 320 (Topic 4), 320D, Radio-Television-Film 359 (Topic: Asian American Media Cultures), 359 (Topic 3). Prerequisite: Fifty-four semester hours of college coursework.

AAS 320F. Documenting Difference.

Explore the theory, history, practice and poetics of minority documentary, as well as the related fields of oral history and archiving with a particular emphasis on Asian American examples. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 320 (Topic: Documenting Difference), 320 (Topic 6), 320F, Radio-Television-Film 359S (Topic: Documenting Difference). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 320G. Race, Internet, and Social Media.

Same as American Studies 321 (Topic 12). Explores the critical, theoretical and practical analysis of race and new media. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 321 (Topic: Race, Internet & Social Media), American Studies 321 (Topic 12), Asian American Studies 320 (Topic: Race, Internet & Social Media), Asian American Studies 320 (Topic 7), 320G, Radio-Television-Film 359 (Topic: Race, Internet & Social Media). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 320J. Japanese Popular Culture: Anime, Manga, and the Otaku.

Same as Asian Studies 372R. Examine a wide variety of Japanese popular media within the historical context during which these unique cultural forms developed. Focus on the popular manga and anime Japan has exported since becoming an economic superpower in the 1980s, the utopian/dystopian expression in Japanese sci-fi narratives of this era, and the complex interplay of gender and technology in the new post-human societies these narratives envision. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 320 (Topic: Jpn Pop Cul:Anime/Manga/Otaku), 320J, Asian Studies 372 (Topic: Jpn Pop Cul:Anime/Manga/Otaku), 372R. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 320K. Theorizing the Human.

Same as American Studies 370 (Topic 70) and Women's and Gender Studies 340 (Topic 77). Trace the continuities and transformations in constructions of populations as more or less human, from settler-colonial conquest to the post-Trump era. Examine what logics mark racialized populations as disposable during the colonization of the Americas, and which systematically condition racialized subjects to a state of enduring siege. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 370 (Topic: On the Human), 370 (Topic 70), Asian American Studies 320K, Women's and Gender Studies 340 (Topic 77). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325C. The Chinese in Diaspora.

Same as Asian Studies 361 (Topic 28) and History 350L (Topic 65). Explores narratives of migration, race, ethnicity, and a wide range of experiences of acculturation and assimilation from the perspective of a sending society--China--which has one of the longest and most diverse histories of sending people overseas. Over the last millennia, Chinese have migrated around the world and made homes under a great range of adversity and opportunity, producing many stories of human differences and commonalities. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic 2), 325C, Asian Studies 361 (Topic 28), History 350L (Topic 65). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325D. The Chinese in the United States.

Same as Asian Studies 340S and History 340S. History of the Chinese in the United States from their first arrival in significant numbers during the California Gold Rush of the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: Chinese in the United States), 325 (Topic 3), 325D, Asian Studies 340S, History 340S. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325E. Taiwan: Colonization, Migration, and Identity.

Same as Asian Studies 340T and History 340T. Explores issues of ethnicity, empire, and modernization in East Asia from the sixteenth century to the present, as seen through encounters between Taiwan and aborigines, Han Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, the imperial Qing, Japanese, mainland Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and the United States. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic 4), 325E, Asian Studies 340T, History 340T. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325F. The Two Koreas and the United States.

Same as Asian Studies 361 (Topic 24). The political, social, and cultural relationship between North and South Korea, and between the Koreas and the United States, since 1945. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Anthropology 324L (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US), Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US), 325 (Topic 7), 325F, Asian Studies 361 (Topic 24), Government 360N (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US), History 364G (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing

AAS 325G. History of the Southeast Asian Diaspora in the United States.

Same as History 365G (Topic 11). Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic 8), 325G, History 365G (Topic 11). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325J. South Asian Migration to the United States.

Same as Asian Studies 372P, History 365G (Topic 14), and Women's and Gender Studies 340 (Topic 35). Examines the South Asian diaspora in the United States. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: South Asian Migration to the United States), 325 (Topic 9), 325J, Asian Studies 372 (Topic: South Asian Migration to the United States), 372 (Topic 43), 372P, History 365G (Topic: South Asian Migration to the United States), 365G (Topic 14), Women and Gender Studies 340 (Topic: South Asian Migration to the United States), 340 (Topic 35). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325K. Refugees in Twentieth-Century United States.

Same as History 350R (Topic 37). Explores the history of refugees in the twentieth century, with special attention to the United States and its engagement in the international arena of refugee politics. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: Refugees in 20th-Century US), 325 (Topic 10), 325K, History 350R (Topic: Refugees in 20th-Century US), 350R (Topic 37). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and six semester hours of coursework in history.

AAS 325L. Global Economies: Asia and the United States.

Same as Asian Studies 361 (Topic 48). Examines key trends in the economies of the United States and Asia, with emphasis on the links between these two major trading blocs. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: Global Economies: Asia & US), 325 (Topic 11), 325L, Asian Studies 361 (Topic: Global Economies: Asia & US), 361 (Topic 48). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325M. Political Economy of Development in Postwar Korea.

Same as Asian Studies 361C. Explore the political economy of South Korean development during the postwar period. Examine the history, society, and culture of South Korea. Discuss compressed modernity, developmental state, social movements, gender politics, financial crisis, urbanization, migration, and recent globalization of Korean popular culture. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: Pol Econ Devel Postwar Korea), 325M, Asian Studies 361 (Topic: Pol Econ Devel Postwar Korea), 361C. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325N. Asian American Jurisprudence.

Same as American Studies 321T and Government 357V. Examine the historical development of United States law and its relationship to Asian Americans, and of Asian American jurisprudence as an independent field of legal scholarship. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 321 (Topic 5), 321T, Asian American Studies 325 (Topic 5), 325N, Government 357M (Topic 9), 357V. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 325O. Greater China and United States Economic Relations.

Same as Asian Studies 325D. Explore contemporary interconnections between the United States and Greater China. Examine economic frameworks (for example, state-led, market-led, mixed, etc.); the economies of the PRC including Hong Kong as well as Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora; and linkages such as investments, supply chains, tech transfer, non-profit cooperation, and the globalized workforce. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Asian American Studies 325O and Asian Studies 325D may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330C. Racism and Antiracism.

Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 324E. Examines the theories and definitions of racism across several fields: anthropology, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, and gender/sexuality studies. Also includes a section that focuses on anti-racist activism, particularly within people of color and immigrant communities. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 324E, Asian American Studies 330 (Topic 2), 330C. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330D. Blacks and Asians: Race and Social Movements.

Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 360G and Anthropology 324L (Topic 77). Examines the relations between Asians and Blacks in the United States. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 360G, 374D (Topic: Blacks/Asians: Race/Social Movements), 374D (Topic 19), Anthropology 324L (Topic: Blacks/Asians: Race/Social Movements), 324L (Topic 77), Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Blacks/Asians: Race/Social Movements), 330 (Topic 3), 330D. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330E. The Sociology of Race and Work.

Same as Sociology 321R and Women's and Gender Studies 322F. Critical examination of work in the United States over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries through a gendered, Asian American lens, using a comparative race perspective. Subjects include the sociological examination of concepts such as labor markets, globalization, care work, and gender/racial segregation in the workplace along with the ways race and gender shape how and where individuals are fitted into the workplace, how skills are evaluated, and how labor markets emerge. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 330 (Topic 4), 330E, Sociology 321R, Women's and Gender Studies 322 (Topic 6), 322F. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330F. Transnational Korea.

Same as Asian Studies 379 (Topic 6). Recent and contemporary manifestations of the Koreas in the world and the world in the Koreas. Subjects include labor and marriage migration, educational sojourning, transnational adoption, tourism, international sport, corporate expatriation, and media flows. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Anthropology 324L (Topic: Transnational Korea), Asian American Studies 330 (Topic 5), 330F, Asian Studies 379 (Topic 6). Prerequisite: For Asian studies majors, twelve semester hours of upper-division coursework in Asian studies; for others, upper-division standing.

AAS 330G. Urban Unrest.

Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 360F, American Studies 321 (Topic 8), Anthropology 324L (Topic 46), and Urban Studies 327U. Analysis of the roots of urban unrest, exploring a range of origins: joblessness, state violence, white flight, backlash against civil rights gains, new immigration, and interracial strife. Beyond race and class, subjects include exploring unrest as a mode of pushing the normative boundaries of gender and sexuality in public space. Course material will draw from film, literature, history, geography, and anthropology. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 360F, 372F (Topic 13), American Studies 321 (Topic 8), Anthropology 324L (Topic 46), Asian American Studies 330 (Topic 6), 330G, Urban Studies 327U, 354 (Topic 14). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330I. Asian Diaspora on Indigenous Lands.

Same as Geography 328L. Explore Indigenous and Asian entanglements and solidarities on Turtle Island (North America) and the Pacific. Examine settler colonialism, racial capitalism, war and militarism, racism and power, and environmental change. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 335 (Topic: Asian Dias on Indigen Lands), 330I, Geography 328L. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330J. Asian Mobilities.

Same as Asian Studies 361 (Topic 50). Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Asian Mobilities), 330 (Topic 7), 330J, Asian Studies 361 (Topic: Asian Mobilities), 361 (Topic 50). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330K. Asian Americans in the South.

Same as American Studies 324F. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 321 (Topic: Asian Americans in the South), 324F, Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Asian Americans in the South), 330K. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330L. Anthropology of the Himalayas.

Same as Anthropology 323P and Asian Studies 361 (Topic 27). Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Anthropology 323P, 324L (Topic: Anthropol of the Himalayas), Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Anthropol of the Himalayas), 330L, Asian Studies 361 (Topic: Anthropology of the Himalayas), 361 (Topic 27). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330M. Reproductive Justice and Race.

Same as Sociology 335R and Women's and Gender Studies 340 (Topic 78). Examine the links between reproductive care and social inequality, and explore reproductive outcomes for women in the context of social justice. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Reproductive Justice & Race), 330M, Sociology 321K (Topic: Reproductive Justice & Race), 355R, Women's and Gender Studies 340 (Topic: Reproductive Justice & Race), 340 (Topic 78). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 330N. Migration Crisis.

Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 360J, Mexican American Studies 364J, and Race, Indigeneity, and Migration 330N. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 360J, 374D (Topic: Migration Crisis), Asian American Studies 330N, 335 (Topic: Migration Crisis), Mexican American Studies 364J, 374 (Topic: Migration Crisis), Race, Indigeneity, and Migration 330N. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 335. Topics in Asian American Studies.

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic.

Topic 1: Bridging Community Through Service Learning. Explores culture in community life and how it affects the collaboration of service providing entities. Through service learning, students will take what they learn in the classroom and apply those theories and techniques within the community. Special emphasis will be given to the understanding of the Asian/Asian American community and multiculturalism in community services. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 335 (Topic: Bridging Community Thru Service-Learning), 335 (Topic 1), Social Work 360K (Topic: Bridging Community Through Service Learning). Additional prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 358Q. Supervised Research.

For Asian American studies majors only. Supervised, student-derived research in Asian American studies. Individual instruction. May be repeated for credit when the research projects vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, Rhetoric and Writing 306, and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

AAS 377. Capstone Seminar.

Restricted to Asian American studies majors. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and completion of fifteen hours of Asian American Studies coursework.

AAS 378. Community Internship.

Supervised internship in a community, civic, or government organization or program that facilitates the economic, political, and social development of the Asian American community. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester, with additional field hours to be arranged. May be repeated for credit. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

AAS 379. Conference Course in Asian American Studies.

Supervised individual study of selected problems in Asian American studies. Conference course. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

AAS 679H. Honors Tutorial Course.

Supervised individual reading for one semester, followed by a semester of research and writing to produce a substantial paper on a specific topic in Asian American studies. Conference course for two semesters. Prerequisite: For 679HA, upper-division standing and admission to the Asian American Studies Honors Program; for 679HB, Asian American Studies 679HA.

Graduate Courses

AAS 381. Topics in Asian American Studies.

Theoretical and methodological training through key texts in Asian American studies. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, consent of instructor, and consent of the graduate adviser; additional prerequisites vary with the topic.

AAS 391C. Conference Course.

Designed to expand the graduate student's opportunity for individual consultation. Complements courses fulfilling the Asian American studies graduate portfolio. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and written consent of the instructor and graduate adviser; consent forms are available from the graduate coordinator.

Professional Courses