Works of literature by Asian-American writers, including works written in English and translations of works originally written in Asian languages.
Athena Title
Asian American Literature
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in CMLT 2400H
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will gain knowledge of the various cultural traditions of Asian ethnic groups within the United States, including Asian Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indian, and Indonesian descent. They will become familiar with the history of diverse immigration experiences, the problems of assimilation encountered by each group, the linguistic issues specific to each community, and the modifications in source culture values that each group undergoes during the process of assimilation.
Students will learn to analyze individual literary works, identifying thematic, stylistic, and generic elements and interpreting each work within its social, historical and aesthetic context.
Students will improve their communication skills through oral presentations, in-class writing assignments and out-of-class essays. Students' comprehension of factual material will be assessed through objective tests and the final examination.
Topical Outline
The typical course consists of a series of readings in Asian American literature, as well as readings dealing with Asian American culture. Generally, the topics discussed will focus on the issues specific to the ethnic group represented by a
given work of literature (e.g., the problems specific to Chinese Americans will be central to the study of Kingston's The Woman Warrior). The works treated will vary with the instructor.
John Okada. No-no Boy
Maxine Hong Kingston. The Woman Warrior
Bharati Mukerjee. Jasmine
Amy Tan. The joy Luck Club
Joy Kogawa. Obasan
David Henry Hwang. M. Butterfly
Chang-rae Lee. Native Speaker
General Education Core
CORE IV: World Languages and Global Culture CORE IV: Humanities and the Arts
