ENGLISH 333: Asian-American Literature Fall 2013 Instructor Dr. Liahna Armstrong Office: L & L 403F Email: lotus@cwu.edu Office phone: X. 3178 Office hours: Tu 3:45-4:30; Thu 11-12 + by appointment and email any time Class meets: Tu Th 2:00-3:40 in L & L 307 Texts Required: Asian-American Literature: An Anthology, by Shirley Geok-lin Lim (NTC Publishing Co., 2000) Abbreviated as Lim Bones: A Novel, by Fae Myenne Ng (Harper-Perrenial, 1994) Ng 4 films to be viewed on your own, listed below Occasional essays/articles either handed out in class or electronically posted on Blackboard. 1
Course films Picture Bride, dir. Kayo Hatta, 1994 [Japanese-American] Available streaming only on Netflix [Chinese-American] Available on DVD only on Netflix The Joy Luck Club, dir. Wayne Wang, 1993 The Namesake, dir. Mira Nair, 2007. [Indian-American] The Debut, dir. Gene Cajayon, 200 [Filippino-American] Course description This course is designed to introduce students to the rich, complex tradition of Asian-American literature and cinema. We will focus mostly on East and Southeast Asian subcultures in the United States, reading a variety of fictional and non-fictional works and viewing a cross-section of films, all of which provide insights into Asian-American life. Learner outcomes Become familiar with Asian-American experience in its diversity and complexity, as reflected in the readings and films. Be able to identify and critically analyze issues that surface in Asian-American subcultures, particularly Chinese-, Japanese-, Filipino-, Vietnamese-, and Korean- and Indian-American experiences, as conveyed in literature and cinema. Develop an appreciation for the challenges, struggles, satisfactions, and triumphs of Asian-American immigrant families and their descendants. Demonstrate a basic facility with literary and cinematic analysis. Assignments and projects 2
A set of weekly readings, to be completed before class on Tuesday or Thursday, as assigned. BRING YOUR BOOK TO CLASS. A periodic film viewing, to be completed on your own, by assigned date. Regular attendance and participation. Normally, there will be one formal written assignment, based on the readings and/or films, per week. Additionally, there will be occasional Blackboard posts on the Forum. Written assignments will be short (usually 1 double-spaced page). Please double space assignments, and submit as Word documents by email or hard copy in class. Be sure that your name is at the top of the paper. You do not need covers for your papers. If you submit by email, please type in the subject line: a-a lit Midterm and final exams covering readings, discussions, and films. Format: short essay questions. Evaluation criteria: Attendance/ Participation/ 20% Short written assignments/blackboard posts/quizzes 40% Midterm exam (Take Home) 20% Final exam 20% TOPICS AND READINGS Week 1 (Sep 26: Introduction to Asian-American Lit and Film Week 2 (Oct 1, 3) Reading Film Viewing Writing Oral Short response #1 Introduction, xix-xxii Due Oct 3 3
The Immigration Experience, 1-3 Sailing Unknown Seas, 4-1 America is in the Heart, 13-20 East Goes West, 21-3 Island, 31-35 Coming to America, 36-41 South Wind Changing, 42-51 Two Lives, 52-56 Assimilation, 57-59 Preparation: Read and think about Questions after each reading. Week 3 (Oct 8, no class Oct 10) Struggles and Recognition, 123-126 Thousand Pieces of Gold, 127-131 Leaves from the Mental Portfolio, 132-44 Guilty on Both Counts, 151-155 Wilshire Bus, 156-161 No-No Boy, 162-169 Shrapnel Shards, 224-227 We Cannot Walk, 218-223 Short response #2 Due Oct 8 Preparation: Read and think about Questions after each reading. View the film carefully and consider how it addresses questions of Japanese immigration experience, women s experience. Week 4 (Oct 15, 17) HO on Picture Bride Picture Bride, Short response #3 The Individual Inside/Against, 229- to be viewed Due Oct 15 4
231 by Oct 15 The Chessmen, 239-245 And the Soul Shall Dance, 246-253 Before Time, 254-255 Week 5 (Oct 22, 24) HO on The Joy Luck Club The Joy Luck Short response #4 Club, to be Due Oct 22 No Name Woman, 256-67 viewed by Oct ABC s, 268-70 22 Transformation, 271-275 Nobody Knows, 294-300 Preparation: Read and think about Questions after each reading. View the film carefully and consider how it addresses questions of Chinese-American daughters and Chinese mothers. Week 6 (Oct 29, 31) Gender Identities, 303-05 Eat a Bowl of Tea, 306-310 Hector Pueblo, 314-324 Forgiveness from Heaven, 330-335 Farewell to Manzanar, 336-343 American Knees, 348-356 Desire as the Gesture, 352-353 First Mango, 354-355 Short response #5 Due Oct 29 Preparation: Read and think about Questions after each reading. Week 7: (Nov 5, 7) 5
The Namesake, Short response #6 The Arranged Marriage, 78-80 tol be viewed Due Nov 7 Lunch Vignettes, 118-120 by The Management of Grief, 279-293 Nov 7 Take Home Midterm Sari Petticoats, 344-347 passed out Preparation: Read and think about Questions after each reading. View the film and consider how it dramatizes ideas from the readings. Week 8: (Nov 12, 14) Parents and Children, 357-360 Poem for My Father, 373-374 The Gift, 375-377 Labor of Love, 384-386 The Youngest Daughter, 387-389 So What, Who Cares? 390-397 Breaking Tradition, 398-400 The Eve of the Spirit Festival, 405-414 Midterm due Nov 12 Week 9: (Nov 19, 21) Ng, Bones Short response #7 Due Nov 21 Preparation: Consider how the novel incorporates many of the ideas and issues in Asian- American culture that we have explored thus far. Week 10: (Nov 26; No class Nov 28, Thanksgiving) American Place and Displacement, 419-423 3
Clay Walls, 427-433 Displacement, 445-457 Scent of Apples, 458-465 Monkey Bridge, 466-476 A Man of Steel, 488-494 Foreign Ways, 495-496 Dreamhouse, 504-506 Preparation: Read and think about Questions after each reading. View the film and consider how it dramatizes ideas from the readings. Week 11: ( Dec 3, 5) Language and Vision, 513-520 Into Such Assembly, 517-520 Modern Secrets, 21-522 The Stubborn Twig, 523-529 Finding the Center, 548-550 Short response #8 Due Dec 5 Final Exam: Monday, Dec 9, 2-4 PM 4