ASIAN AM 220: STUDIES IN DIASPORA: THE CHINESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE MW, 12:30 – 1:50 pm University Hall 102 Northwestern University Spring 2017 Professor Justin K.H. Tse Office: Crowe 1125 | Office Hour: 12:30 – 1:30 pm, Wednesdays Email:
[email protected] COURSE DESCRIPTION In this course, we will try to survey the various ideologies, movements, and communities that make up what is called ‘Chinese America’ through some texts that I have chosen, some of which are fictional, others historiographical, and still others sociological. Throughout the class, students will write weekly reflections; there will also be a short midterm paper and a longer final essay. REQUIRED TEXTS Chu, Louis. Eat a Bowl of Tea: A Novel of New York’s Chinatown. New York: Lyle Stuart Books, 1961. 9780818403958. $16. Hsu, Madeline Y. The Good Immigrants: How the Yellow Peril Became the Model Minority. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2017. 9780691176215. $26.95. Him Mark Lai (ed. Madeline Y. Hsu). Chinese American Transnational Politics. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2010. $30. Zhou, Min. Contemporary Chinese America: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Community Transformation. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2009. 978-1592138586. Additional readings on Canvas. GRADES Weekly Reflections (20%) Personal Reflection (10%) Midterm Essay (30%) Final Paper (40%) LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Differentiate between and synthesize the diverse histories and communities formed by Chinese Americans • Analyze and construct arguments about Chinese Americans, with theoretical frameworks and source materials drawn out of the scholarly literature in Chinese American studies • Learn and apply skills in both humanities and social sciences – inquiry, analysis, and creative thinking, written communication and oral classroom participation, and problem solving – to central ideas and ideologies that constitute Chinese American communities • Develop and apply skills to citizenship in a diverse and globalized world, including thoughtful disagreement, by examining a diverse array of Chinese Americans interacting on a global stage POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Late assignments: All assignments are due on the dates agreed upon, either as stated in the syllabus or as agreed in advance with the professor. Late papers will be downgraded in an effort to provide a fair grading system for all students. Disability Accommodation Statement Any student requesting accommodations related to a disability or other condition is required to register with AccessibleNU (
[email protected]; 847-467-5530) and provide professors with an accommodation notification from AccessibleNU, preferably within the first two weeks of class. All information will remain confidential. Academic Integrity All student work in this class may be analyzed electronically for violations of the University’s academic integrity policy and may also be included in a database for the purpose of testing for plagiarized content. Suspected violations of academic integrity will be reported to the Dean’s Office. For more information on Northwestern’s academic integrity policies, see http://www.weinberg.northwestern.edu/handbook/integrity.
COURSE OUTLINE 3/27 INTRODUCTION PART 1: CONTEMPORARY CHINESE AMERICA: DUAL DOMINATION? 3/29 Contemporary Chinese America: Historical and Sociological Perspectives READ: Zhou, ‘Introduction’; Hsu, ch. 1; L. Ling-chi Wang (2007), ‘The Structure of Dual Domination: Toward a Paradigm for the Study of the Chinese Diaspora in the United States,’ Amerasia Journal, 33(1), 143-166. 4/3 Education, Migration, and Enclave in Chinese America READ: Zhou, Parts I-II; Hsu, ch. 2-3; L. Ling-chi Wang (2007), ‘Chinatown in Transition,’ 4/5 Amerasia Journal, 33(1), 31-48. 4/10 Race and Economics in Chinese America READ: Zhou, Part III; Hsu, ch. 4-5; Alexander Saxton (1975), ‘Ideological Baggage,’ in The 4/12 Indispensible Enemy (Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press), 1945. 4/17 Family and Refugees in Chinese America READ: Zhou, Part IV; Hsu, ch. 6-7; Wei Li (1998), ‘Building Ethnoburbia: The Emergence and 4/19 Manifestation of the Chinese Ethnoburb in Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley,’ Journal of Asian American Studies, 2(1), 1-28. 4/24 What Is Chinese America? READ: Zhou, Part V, Conclusion; Hsu, ch. 8-9 4/26 MIDTERM PAPER DUE: 4/28, midnight PART II: JOOK SING CHINESENESS? 5/1 The Many Ideologies of Chineseness READ: Hsu/Lai, Introduction, ch. 1; Chu, p. 1-63; Madeline Hsu (2003), ‘Unwrapping 5/3 Orientalist Constraints: Restoring Homosocial Normativity to Chinese American History.’ Amerasia Journal 29(2), 231-253. 5/8 Nationalism, Communism, Jook Sing READ: Lai, ch. 2-3; Chu, p. 64-124; Peggy Pascoe (1989), ‘Home Mission Women, Race, and 5/10 Culture: The Case of “Native Helpers”,’ in Relations of Rescue: The Search for Female Moral Authority in the American West, 1874-1939 (New York: Oxford University Press), 112-145. 5/15 Ideology and Chinese American Community Organization READ: Lai, ch. 4-5; Chu, 125-201 5/17 5/22 Chinese America Across Cities READ: Chu, 202-250 5/24 5/29 Jook Sing Chineseness NO READING: WORK ON PAPER 5/31 6/5 PAPER DUE ASSIGNMENTS Weekly Reflections (20%): For each week, write a short reflection (about 1-2 pages) on: what does each week’s reading say about what ‘Chinese America’ is? This is due on the Monday of each week as a preparation to attend lectures and will be worth 3 points each, graded for completion based on whether you have attempted to answer the question. Do not be afraid to voice confusions and struggles; these are part of scholarly reflection. Personal Reflection (10%): Most people take a course on Chinese American experience in order to learn about their identities. But the study of the Chinese American experience is about the ideologies and material realities that constitute Chinese America. As the course begins, write a personal reflective paper (500-800 words) on: what did you expect Chinese American studies to be about, and based on the introductory chapters in Zhou and Hsu, to what extent do you think the actual study of Chinese America will match your expectations? Due: April 4, 2017. Midterm Essay (30%): In the first part of our course, we will have surveyed contemporary sociological experiences of Chinese America and their history. Using the readings provided, write 1,000-1,500 words on: to what extent is the term ‘dual domination’ helpful for understanding Chinese Americans and their agency to create communities of their own in the United States? Due: April 28, 2017 Final Paper (40%): Having surveyed the many ideologies that constitute ‘Chineseness,’ use the readings provided to write 2,500-3,000 words on: to what extent is the term ‘jook sing’ helpful for understanding the ‘Chineseness’ by which ‘Chinese America’ is ideologically constituted? Due: June 5, 2017
