Fall 2012 Courses

ASAM 22. Asian American Wellness (1/2 credit).
T. Kato-Kiriyama, PZ, W 6:00-9:00 p.m.
This course will examine the social, cultural, historical, and political pressures experienced by the Asian American community, and its impact on mental health. Within the Asian American community there are more than thirty different ethnic groups, each with very specific histories and experiences in the US; students will be exposed to the ways in which race, class, (im)migration have shaped this experience. Specific mental health issues prevalent in the Asian American community will be explored. With a foundational exposure and understanding of the Asian American community, students will be given tools to record theirs and their family’s experiences with mental health. Students will learn creative writing as a means to connect to social, historical, and contemporary issues, and also as a means of self-expression. Students will create public education materials, including a blog and video that discusses pressures experienced by Asian Americans and strategies to mediate these pressures.

ASAM 82. Racial Politics of Teaching.
K. Yep/C. Fought, PZ, TR 2:45-4:00 p.m.
This class examines how race and ethnicity are constructed in schooling from sociological, linguistic, and ethnic studies standpoints. Specifically, we will discuss how race and ethnicity are constructed in schooling, and ways teachers/educators may refine their pedagogies in relation to race and ethnicity. Students will do a research project.

ASAM 102. Fieldwork in Asian American Communities (1/2 credit).
K. Yep, PZ, Bi-weekly Monday evenings
The goals of this class are for students to understand the difference between service-learning and social justice education and to understand the roles of power, privilege, and positionalities in working in partnership with community members. The college students will be teaching a support citizenship exam class, a English writing support class, or provide coaching one-on-one with adult immigrants who have naturalization exam dates.

ASAM 115. Theories and Methods in Asian American Studies.
K. Yep, PZ, TR 12:00-1:10 p.m.
This course identifies methodological tools that distinguish Asian American Studies as a field of investigation. Asian American Studies not only documents the experience of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders but also provides an approach to teach, community-build, and research.

ASAM 135. Filipin@ American Experiences.
T. Honma, PZ, T 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Examines the interplay of historical, social, political, and cultural factors that have influenced, and continue to influence, Filipin@ American experiences in the U.S., similarities and differences within the Filipin@ American community, as well as with other Asian American and ethnic/racial groups, will be examined. Course includes a community engagement project.

ASAM 179C. Queering Asian America.
Staff, HM, F 1:15-4:00 p.m.
Using the concepts of diaspora and Queer Theory as a foundation, this course is an interdisciplinary exploration of the experience of Queer Asian American communities. We will look at the lives and issues that impact Queer and Asian American diaspora through film, video, performances, literature, contemporary art and community organizations. This course will investigate the complexity of intersectional identities of gender and sexuality that Asian American Queers face both within predominantly heterosexual Asian American Community, within the largely White Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersexed, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQIQQ) community and transnational contexts.

ASAM 190a/190PO. Asian American Studies Senior Seminar: Applications, Analysis, and Future Directions.
S. Goto, PO, MW 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
This is the capstone seminar for senior Asian American Studies majors (minors optional). The seminar is designed to bring seniors together to discuss and assess their understanding of Asian American Studies practice and theory at the Claremont Colleges and beyond. We will engage in minor research activities, read & analyze provocative books and articles, and revisit key issues & controversies.

EA 102. Community Mapping: Immigrant Geographies (CP).
A. Kim, PO, W 1:15-4:00 p.m.
This course is an introduction to Community Mapping, using Geographic Information Systems software (ArcGIS). The theme for this semester is “Immigrant Geographies” and we will be using a limited set of available secondary data to analyze and visualize the urban experiences of immigrants in Los Angeles. Students will gain a basic understanding of the software as a tool for social mapping. By the end of the course, each student will create maps illustrating a variety of aspects of city life, including but not limited to, socio-economic status, immigration patterns, housing rents and land values, educational attainment, and poverty levels in different communities. This year, our community partner is the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance and the class will go on at least one field trip to the study site.

ENGL 189J. Topics in Asian American Literature
J. Jeon, PO, MW 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
This course is a general introduction to Asian American literature that tracks the major historical events, ideological problems, and social movements of Asians in America since the nineteenth century. We will examine a number of literary forms (fiction, memoir, drama, poetry) and investigate writing by authors from a number of different ethnic immigrant groups (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indian). Through these engagements, this course aims to introduce students to the major issues in this field of study; to explore overlaps with adjacent critical fields–such as postcolonial, queer, and gender studies—and to consider new directions for a literature and discourse that is often described as on the cusp of significant change.

MS 100AA. Asian Americans in Media: A Historical Survey.
M. Ma, PZ, TR 12:00-1:10 p.m., T 7:00-10:00 p.m.
This is a historical survey of Asian American involvement in media production, beginning with the silent film era and ending with contemporary projects in film, video, and new media. In this course, we will focus on the shifting yet continuous participation of Asians in the production of media in North America, and look at how changing political, social, and cultural discourses have shaped media representations of Asians throughout this period. Prerequisites: any intro-level Media Studies or Asian American Studies course.

SOC 150AA. Contemporary Asian American Issues.
J. Nazareno, PO, M 1:15-4:00 p.m.
Survey of contemporary empirical studies focusing on Asian American experiences in the U.S. and globally; major themes include race, class, gender, sexuality, marriage/family, education, consumption, childhoods, aging, demography, and the rise of transmigration. Readings and other course materials will primarily focus on the period since 1965.

THEA 001E. Acting for Social Change.
J. Lu, PO, TR 1:15-4:00 p.m.
Acting for Social Change is an introduction to the fundamentals of acting, drawing upon different techniques such as psychological realism and physical theatre. Students will perform a self- written monologue, a documentary monologue transcribed from a live interview, and a two or three person scene from a play. They will also be introduced to Playback Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed, two forms of theater that are applied commonly today to create dialogue, heal conflict and trauma, and build community.