What is “Asian American” about Asian American literature and culture? Is it the identity of an author, the representation of a character, a familiar narrative trope, a political orientation, an aesthetic or style, or perhaps something else entirely unseen? This question will guide us through the limitations and possibilities of cohering a set of works through racial identity and identification. The punchline is that there is no neat answer to this question, and we’ll see that Asian American writers (as well as artists and filmmakers) draw from a rich aesthetic repertoire, one that reflects recognizable forms and traditions but also pushes the boundaries of these established ways of writing about the world and its pressing issues. So, along the way, we’ll look at how these writers and artists have creatively and urgently responded to larger questions about identity, migration, war, capitalism, colonialism, and solidarity. In our discussion seminar, we may read works by Maxine Hong Kingston, Theresa H.K. Cha, Ocean Vuong, David Henry Hwang, Shani Mootoo, Charles Yu, and others, plus theoretical essays scattered throughout. In addition to a midterm essay and regular discussion posts, students will have the opportunity to propose a critical or creative research project as a final assignment

Can virtual reality automate empathy with others? How do video games make race and racism playable? Who labors to make our digital worlds possible? How does AI reproduce an imaginary of the human that reinforces whiteness? This course examines the dreams and nightmares that make up our collectively experienced “digital age,” which has a long history before the Internet and social media. We will think with theory, literature, art, and media to understand the embodied stakes of digitality and address questions of race and identity in online and virtual spaces. We will study how technologies perpetuate new and old forms of domination, and we will learn from writers and artists who imagine alternative digital futures. Certain days will be dedicated to hands-on activities with new media technologies such as VR and ChatGPT. No technical knowledge is required. In addition to written assignments, students will propose a final research or multimedia project based on individual interest. (DP) [3] (Diverse Perspective, HCA) 

Asian Americans are everywhere: studying, eating, working, writing, singing, playing, and acting. We will take the title of The Daniels’ “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” as a lens to understand the proliferation of Asian American representation across cultural texts, including fiction, memoir, poetry, music, film, and video games. We’ll think of Asian American culture as a maximalist project—pervasive, experimental, excessive, too much, and spilling over neat categories of identity, nation, genre, and media form. Focusing on writing and discussion, this first-year seminar will introduce students to the importance of race when asking larger questions about history, power, and culture though close-reading diverse media. Cultural texts may include writing by Maxine Hong Kingston, Ted Chiang, Bharati Mukherjee, Cathy Park Hong, and Thi Bui; art by Nam June Paik; music by No-No Boy; film and games such as Try Harder!, EEAAO, and All Our Asias.

Coming soon

Coming soon: Race and Gaming, New Media Theory, Asian American Speculative Fiction