DEPARTMENT OF ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES
300 Murray Krieger Hall; (949) 824-4523
Core Faculty
Yong Chen, Ph.D. Cornell University, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies (Asian American history)
Dorothy Fujita-Rony, Ph.D. Yale University, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies and History (U.S. history, Asian American studies)
Claire Jean Kim, Ph.D. Yale University, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies and Political Science (racial and ethnic politics, protest and social movements, contemporary political theory)
John M. Liu, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment, Asian American Studies (race/ethnic/ minority relations; economy and society)
Steven Mailloux, Ph.D. University of Southern California, UCI Chancellor's Professor of Rhetoric and Asian American Studies (rhetoric, critical theory, American literature, law and literature)
Glen Mimura, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies (minority, diasporic, and third cinemas; cultural studies of media, nationalism, and globalization; queer theory and racialized sexuality)
R. Radhakrishnan, Ph.D. State University of New York, Binghamton, Professor of Asian American Studies, English, and Comparative Literature (critical theory, Asian American literature and theory, postcoloniality, postmodernism, transnationalism and globalization, democracy and minority discourse, nationalisms and diasporas)
Linda Trinh Võ, Ph.D. University of California, San Diego, UCI Chancellor's Fellow and Department Chair and Associate Professor of Asian American Studies (Asian American communities, Asian American women, Vietnamese Americans, immigration and race relations, social inequalities, urban studies, ethnographic methods)
Affiliated Faculty
Kei Akagi, B.A. International Christian University, UCI Chancellor's Professor of Music
Laura H. Y. Kang, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz, Associate Professor of Women's Studies, Comparative Literature, and English
Kyung Hyun Kim, Ph.D. University of Southern California, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures
Jennifer Lee, Ph.D. Columbia University, Associate Professor of Sociology
Daphne Pi-Wei Lei, Ph.D. Tufts University, Associate Professor of Drama
Simon Leung, B.A. University of California, Los Angeles, Associate Professor of Studio Art
Sanjoy Mazumdar, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor of Planning, Policy, and Design and of Environmental Health, Science, and Policy
Yong Soon Min, M.F.A. University of California, Berkeley, Professor of Studio Art
Kaushik Sunder Rajan, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Charles J. Wheeler, Ph.D. Yale University, Assistant Professor of History
Bert Winther-Tamaki, Ph.D. Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, Associate Professor of Art History
The Department of Asian American Studies examines the historical and contemporary experiences of Asians in the United States and in a global context. The curriculum seeks to provide an analysis of cultural, political, and economical organization of Asian American communities. Students are invited to participate and partake in broadening their understanding of multicultural perspectives within U.S. society. The Department offers a B.A. degree program in Asian American Studies, an honors program, a minor, and a graduate emphasis. The Department also contributes to the Culture and Theory Ph.D. program, which uses the strengths of interdisciplinary programs and departments, particularly African American Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, Asian American Studies, Critical Theory, and Women's Studies. This interdisciplinary degree uses a problem-oriented rather than a disciplinary approach to issues of race, gender, and sexuality in relation to diasporas, transnational, and postcolonial contexts, all of which are broadly based in the humanities, social sciences, and arts.
In addition to regular UCI faculty, lecturers who teach on a quarterly basis are an integral part of the Department. A current list of participants is available in the office.
Scholarship Opportunities. The Ching-Suei Su Endowed Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to sophomores or juniors who are majoring in Asian American Studies, East Asian Languages and Literatures, or Linguistics (with an emphasis on an East Asian language) and who demonstrate academic excellence and campus or community service.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Many career opportunities exist for students who graduate with a B.A. degree in Asian American Studies, such as service with national and international organizations which seek knowledge of American multicultural society in general, and of Asian American peoples and cultures in particular; positions as area specialists with state and federal government agencies; careers in the private sector with corporations or private organizations which have a significant portion of their activities in the U.S. and the Pacific Rim; and positions of service and leadership within Asian American communities. Students may also continue their education and pursue professional or graduate degrees.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR'S DEGREEUniversity Requirements: See pages 58-63.
School Requirements: See pages 259-260.
Departmental Requirements for the Major
A. Five core courses: Asian American Studies 60A, 60B, 60C, 100 (taken to satisfy the upper-division writing requirement), 101.
B. Eight upper-division electives (two from each of the following areas): Asian American Studies 110-129 (Humanities/Arts), 130-149 (Social Science/Social Ecology), 151-160 (Asian American Sub-groups), 161-170 (Ethnic/Race/Gender Relations).
C. One course in history, cultural, or political institutions of Asia selected from the following departments: Anthropology, Art History, East Asian Languages and Literatures, Film and Media Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology,Studio Art.
D. One elective course selected from Asian American Studies or from the interdisciplinary programs in African American Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, or Women's Studies. Electives may include four-unit Independent Studies/Special Studies courses: Asian American Studies 190-199. Students may request, by petition, one lower-division course to count as an elective. This course must be primarily focused on issues relevant to Asian American Studies.
Students must meet on a quarterly basis with their designated faculty advisor who will review their plan of study.
Residence Requirement for the Major: A minimum of five upper-division courses required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI.
Honors Program in Asian American Studies
The Honors Program in Asian American Studies provides an opportunity for outstanding students to develop their research skills through an intensive study of a topic that is of special interest to them. The program is open to senior Asian American Studies majors who have a 3.3 GPA in Asian American Studies (at least five courses) and a 3.0 GPA overall, and who have successfully completed Asian American Studies 100 (Research Methodologies) before spring quarter of their junior year.
Honors students participate in a three-part sequence, Asian American Studies H190A-B-C, in which they develop research skills, pursue fieldwork, and complete an honors thesis on a topic of their choice under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. During fall quarter, the first part of this sequence introduces students to a range of key methodological issues in Asian American Studies. In the second part, students work closely with their Faculty Advisor to develop research and writing skills; the first draft of their thesis is to be completed at the end of winter quarter. During spring quarter, students revise their thesis and complete it by the end of the quarter. The thesis is evaluated by the Faculty Advisor and must also be approved by the Department Chair of Asian American Studies. Upon successful completion of the sequence, students graduate with Honors in Asian American Studies.
Requirements for the Minor
A. Asian American Studies 60A, 60B, 60C, 101.
B. Four upper-division courses selected from Asian American Studies 100-169, 190-199.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: Four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI. Two of the four may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, provided course content is approved in advance by the Department.
Graduate Emphasis in Asian American Studies
The Department of Asian American Studies offers a graduate emphasis in Asian American Studies, which is available in conjunction with selected departmental graduate programs. Students in the graduate emphasis complete a minimum of four courses, including Asian American Studies 200A and 200B, and two electives, one of which is selected from the student's own department or area of interest, and the other from a discipline outside that department or area.
Subject to the requirements of participating academic units, Ph.D. students in the emphasis should have at least one Asian American Studies core faculty member on their qualifying examination and dissertation committees. With the approval of the Asian American Studies Graduate Committee, affiliated faculty members can sit in place of the core faculty. (There are no requirements concerning qualifying examinations or theses for master's students.)
Applicants to the emphasis must be admitted to a participating UCI graduate program. For complete information about application policies and procedures, as well as the requirements of the emphasis, see one of the Asian American Studies faculty members.
Courses in Asian American Studies
LOWER-DIVISION
60A Introduction to Asian American Studies I (4). Examines and compares the diverse experiences of major Asian American groups since the mid-nineteenth century. Topics include: origins of emigration; the formation and transformation of community; gender and family life; changing roles of Asian Americans in American society. Same as History 15C and Social Science 78A. (III, VII)
60B Introduction to Asian American Studies II (4). Examines the renewal of Asian immigration following World War II. Focuses on domestic and international conditions influencing the liberalization of U.S. immigration laws, and the impact of contemporary Asian immigration on the U.S. political economy and social order. Same as Social Science 78B. (III, VII)
60C Introduction to Asian American Studies III (4). Analyzes the Asian American experience in comparative perspective, which includes comparisons of different ethnic and racial groups, and across gender and class. Possible topics include labor, economy, politics, migration, nation, popular culture, gender, family, sexuality, and multiraciality. Same as Social Science 78C. (III, VII)
UPPER-DIVISION
100 Research Methodologies for Asian American Studies (4). Explores various research methodologies for Asian American Studies combining theoretical knowledge with field research. Goals: conduct field research about immigrants and refugees from Asia. Topics vary: migration and labor, assimilation and cultural preservation, cultural expressions in the diaspora. Prerequisites: satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement.
101 Globalization, Diaspora, and Racialization (4). Studies the relationship between globalization and racialization and comparatively examines the racialization of Asians in the U.S. with the experiences of other Asians in the diaspora. Attention paid to the cultural expressions of racialization as creation, representation, adaptation, and resistance. Same as Social Science 177A.
110 Asian American Writers (4). Literary analysis of Asian American writers' representations of issues of identity, class, history among others. Variety of literary forms—novel, poem, drama, essay—included in a study of a variety of Asian American ethnic groups. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
111 Asian American History (4). Introduction to important themes in the history of people of Asian ancestry in the United States from the nineteenth century to the present. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
112 Asian American Art History (4). Investigation of Asian American experience expressed by art and visual culture throughout the twentieth century. Art by Asian Americans of diverse backgrounds as well as the history of cultural visualization of Asian identities in American art/visual culture. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
114 Asian American Film and Video (4). Topics include histories of Asian American film and video, including documentaries, experimental, short subjects, feature-length independent film, and other forms of cinematic expression. Explores issues of identity (national, racial, gendered, among others). May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
115 Asian American Media and Arts (4). Includes the study of Asian American history and society through the analysis of a variety of media forms such as painting, music, cinema, video, and other artistic representations. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
116 Asian Americans and Popular Culture (4). Focuses on Asian Americans' relationship to popular culture as both producers and consumers. Topics include consumer cultures and subcultures, cyberspace and public space, popular music, indy comics and other print media. (VII)
117 Sexuality in Asian and Asian American Film and Video (4). Analyzes sexuality and gender roles in specific social, historical, and political contexts represented in selected Asian and Asian American films and videos, in terms of feminine/masculine constructions, the body, family roles. (VII)
118 Asian American Performance and Writing (4). Intensive performing workshop producing work inspired by community, personal experience, international issues. Focuses on new ways of understanding ethnicity, class, and gender issues through performance. (VII, IX)
131 Asian American Politics (4). Provides various overviews of politics within Asian American communities. May compare with African American and/or Latino politics. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
132 Comparative Minority Politics (4). Examines the political experiences of Blacks, Latinos, and Asian Americans in the United States from roughly 1950 to the present. Focuses on how each group has pursued political empowerment via both conventional political channels and social movements. Same as African American Studies 151, Chicano/Latino Studies 147, and Political Science 124C. (VII)
133 Asian American Family (4). Examines the representations and experiences of Asian American families from diverse standpoints. Analyzes the similarities and differences among family structures with particular attention to cultural values, gender roles, and domestic violence. Same as Social Science 177D. (VII)
134 Asian American Community Public Health (4). Focuses on major issues and concepts of community health and their application to public health programs for Asian American populations. Analyzes individual, institutional, community, and policy factors that influence a person's health status within a larger environmental context. (VII)
135 Special Topics in Asian American Social Sciences and Social Ecology (4). Explores a broad range of issues in Asian American social sciences and social ecology. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
136 Asian Americans and Public Policy (4). Introduces public policy, basics of policy analysis, and current-day public policy issues. Focuses on Asian Americans in relation to immigration, welfare, urban development policies. (VII)
137 Asian American Labor (4). Explores history of Asian Americans and work from the nineteenth century to the present. Areas of study include migration, colonialism, family, social organization, and work culture. Same as History 152A. (VII)
138 Race and Urban Space (4). Examines how ethnic and racial processes shape and structure interactions in urban settings, such as schools, housing, employment, and public spaces, with attention to the international impact of globalization and postcolonial forces. (VII)
139 Asian Americans and Education (4). Introduces students to the major issues facing Asian Americans in K-16 education and schooling experiences through scientific, historical, and interdisciplinary approaches, in both mainstream and minority education. (VII)
140 Asian Americans and the Law (4). Analyzes from a legal perspective historical events and current issues related to the Asian American community. Focuses on interpreting and understanding case law. (VII)
141 Asian American Psychology (4). Examines the social and psychological concerns of Asian Americans; e.g., coping with racial prejudice, maintaining bicultural identities, dealing with cross-cultural conflicts in interracial relationships, and trying to reconcile generational differences between immigrant parents and their American-born children. Same as Psychology 174A. (VII)
142 Muslim Identities in North America (4). Explores multiple identities of Muslims in North America, including indigenous Muslims (e.g., African American Muslims and Sufis) and immigrants of many national origins. Explores religious, political, cultural, ethnic, class differences among American Muslims, turning to Islamic institutions near UCI to conduct small research projects. Same as Anthropology 125Z. (VII)
143 Religious Traditions of Asian Americans (4). Studies the religious traditions of Asian Americans, focusing on the transplantation of religious institutions, establishment of sacred spaces, celebration of religious holidays, socialization of children, as well as birth, marriage, gender relations, death, family. Same as Sociology 136. (VII)
150 Special Topics in Asian American Studies (4). Analyzes a variety of themes in Asian American Studies—identity, history, culture—from various interdisciplinary perspectives in humanities, arts, social sciences. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
151 Asian American Ethnic Groups (4). Topics include study of the history, culture, and social formations of diverse Asian American subgroups such as Pacific Islanders, Hmong, Thai, Indonesian, Indian subcontinental, among others. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
151C The Korean American Experience (4). Explores the factors that have distinctly shaped the Korean American experience, including patterns of racial domination, the profile of immigrant flow, immigrant roles in the urban political economy, politics in Korea, and the role of the church. Same as Social Science 178C. (VII)
151D The Vietnamese American Experience (4). Studies the resettlement of Vietnamese in the United States following their exodus from Southeast Asia. Topics discussed include the Vietnam War, the 1975 evacuation, boat and land refugees, the shaping of Vietnamese communities, and Vietnamese American literature. Same as Social Science 178D. (VII)
151E The Japanese American Experience (4). Studies the settlement of Japanese in Hawaii and the continental United States since the late nineteenth century. Topics covered include sugar plantations, development of rural Japanese America, World War II internment, post-War community development, and persistence of Japanese American identity. Same as Social Science 178E. (VII)
151H Southeast Asian American Experience (4). Analyzes experiences of refugees and immigrants from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Examines political and economic factors for their exodus and how they reconstruct their identities, families, and communities. Issues include educational experiences, public policies, social services, occupational options, homeland relations. Same as Social Science 178H. (VII)
151J Chinese American Experience (4). Analyzes the experiences of Chinese in the United States. Immigration, Chinese exclusion, racial and gender identity. Historical overview and contemporary issues covered. Same as Social Science 178J. (VII)
151K Filipina/Filipino American Experience (4). Explores the experience of Filipina/Filipino Americans from the era of Spanish colonization of the Philippines to present-day community formations in the United States, with special emphasis on the twentieth century. Topics include colonialism, nation, migration, gender, and culture. Same as Social Science 178K. (VII)
161 Ethnic and Racial Communities (4). Examines various theoretical analyses of race and ethnicity, particularly as they apply to Asian Americans. Also explores the relationship of Asian Americans to other racialized minorities in the U.S. Same as Social Science 175B. (VII)
162 Asian American Women (4). Examines the representations and experiences of Asian American women from diverse perspectives. Explores the commonalities and differences among various groups of Asian American women, with particular focus on history, culture, values, and family roles. Same as Social Science 177B. (VII)
163 Asian American Women's Film (4). Explores the social significance of film and video made by Asian American women in relation to issues of race, representation, and social change. These film and video makers use these media to raise complex issues of class, politics, and race interacting with gender. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
164 Special Topics in Ethnicity, Gender, and Race (4). Topics include analysis and comparison of various themes related to ethnicity, gender, and race within the Asian American communities. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII)
165 Vietnamese American Women (4). Focuses on sociopolitical forces that have shaped the lives of Vietnamese American women, including colonization, militarization, dislocation, and diaspora. Examines how women negotiate their participation in the labor force, and issues of identity formation and cultural representation. Same as Social Science 177C. (VII)
166 Asian Americans and Race Relations (4). Analyzes Asian American race relations and racialized interconnections, as well as Asian Americans in racial hierarchy. Topics include racial categorization, citizenship, immigration, equity. (VII)
167 Asian American and African American Relations (4). Addresses relationships of Asian American and African American communities in the United States. Topics include race, class, gender, labor, economic systems, political mobilization, community, civil rights, activism, cultural expression. Same as African American Studies 117 and History 152B. (VII)
171A Comparative International Migration (4). Examines the migration patterns to the three largest nations that receive immigrants (i.e., permanent settlers)—Australia, Canada, and the United States. Same as Sociology 175D. (VIII)
H190A Asian American Studies Honors Seminar I (4). First of a three-quarter honors sequence. Students explore key methodological issues in Asian American Studies and craft their own research project. Methodologies may include library research, historical research, literary review, cultural analysis, ethnographic interviews, participant observation, and data collection. Prerequisites: successful completion of Asian American Studies 100; 3.3 GPA in Asian American Studies courses and 3.0 GPA overall.
H190B Asian American Studies Honors Tutorial II (4). In the second of the three-part honors sequence, students work closely with a Faculty Advisor on their chosen research project. Emphasis is given to the writing process. At the end of the quarter, students are to complete the first draft of their thesis. Prerequisite: Asian American Studies H190A.
H190C Asian American Studies Honors Tutorial III (4). In the last of the honors sequence, students revise their thesis based on constructive comments from their Faculty Advisor. A final draft of the thesis is evaluated by the Faculty Advisor and the Department Chair of Asian American Studies. Prerequisite: Asian American Studies H190B.
199 Independent Study (1 to 4). Directed reading and research in consultation with a faculty member. Substantial written work required. Prerequisite: consent of sponsoring faculty member. May be repeated for credit.
GRADUATE
200A Theory and Methods in Asian American Studies (4). Introduction to the interdisciplinary intersection of the social sciences, humanities, and other fields that constitute the theory and methodology of Asian American Studies. Focuses on the interventions and contestations within Asian American Studies that have transformed the discipline in recent years. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
200B Contemporary Issues in Asian American Studies (4). Examines the interrelations between history, theory, and race in the aftermath of the twentieth-century decolonial movements, offering an account of race through postcolonial and postnationalist approaches in comparative, multiregional contexts. Considers the interventions made by transnational feminist and racialized queer critiques. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
201 Graduate Topics in Asian American Studies (4). Seminars on various topics in Asian American Studies. Prerequisite: graduate standing. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
202 Immigration and Globalization (4). Examines immigration to three leading immigrant-receiving nations: the United States, Canada, and Australia, as both cause and consequence of globalization. Specific attention to Asian migration, as well as assimilation and its relationship to multiculturalism. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Same as Sociology 266.
250 Advanced Topics in Asian American Studies (4). Seminar covering various areas of research within Asian American Studies as an interdisciplinary field. Recommended for advanced graduate students.
290 Directed Research (4 to 12). Directed graduate study/research in Asian American Studies. Prerequisite: graduate standing. May be taken for credit for a total of 24 units. Formerly Asian American Studies 299.
291 Directed Reading (4). Readings focused on specialized topics. Prerequisite: graduate standing and consent of instructor. May be taken for credit for a total of 12 units.
399 University Teaching (4). Limited to teaching assistants. Must be admitted to the graduate emphasis in Asian American Studies. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be taken for credit six times.