ENG 362 Asian American Writers

ENG 362 Asian American Writers CRN 16072/Fall 2005 MW 12-12:50pm; MCK 214 Professor Tolentino Office hours: MWF 3-4pm and by appointment, 444 PLC Phone: 346-0061 E-mail: [email protected]

Course Description This course studies the development of Asian Pacific American literatures. We begin by studying how Asian immigration has been central in defining United States citizenship and cultures. We will read novels, short stories, critical essays, and poems by Òcanonical,Ó less known, and emergent writers to examine questions of form, visibility, and voice that have been used to broaden and revise notions of literature and identity.

Books L Thi Diem Thœy, The Gangster We Are All Looking For (2003) Chang Rae Lee, Native Speaker (1995) Hisaye Yamamoto, Seventeen Syllables (2001) Lois Ann Yamanaka, Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre (1993)

Books can be purchased at the University of Oregon Bookstore or checked out from Knight Library Reserves. A course packet of xeroxed articles (marked ÔRÕ on syllabus) is available at The Copy Shop, 539 E. 13th Ave. Articles are also on E-reserve: log in with fall05/password apple.

Requirements This class emphasizes critical reading and writing skills. You are responsible for all of the assigned readings and should be prepared to discuss them in class. Since we will be doing close readings and literary analysis, you will need to bring the assigned book/articles to class. Punctual, regular attendance is required. After 2 unexcused absences (absences without a doctorÕs note or other documentation), your final grade will be reduced by 1/3 letter grade (B- will become a C+) for each unexcused absence. If you do not complete all of the assignments, you will not receive a passing grade for the course.

Grading Two papers, 3-4 pages. Due in class on Oct. 14 and Nov. 21 (50%) Topics will be provided at least one week before the due date. You are expected to write nuanced and analytical essays. If you want to write on a different topic, please consult with me at least 3 days before the due date. Papers are due at the beginning of class - hard copy only, no e-mail attachments. Papers that have not been spellchecked/proofread or that are submitted late will be marked down one letter grade. No papers will be accepted more than one week after the due date. Midterm on Oct. 31 (30%) Take Home Final due Dec. 5 by 5pm (20%)

If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make an appointment to meet with me soon.

Week 1 Asian/American M 9/26 Introduction

W 9/28 Hisaye Yamamoto, ÒThe Legend of Miss SasagawaraÓ; ÒWilshire Bus.Ó Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2001. 20-33; 34-38.

F 9/30 Sucheng Chan, ÒChanging Fortunes, 1941-1965.Ó Asian Americans: An Interpretive History Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991. 121-142. R

Week 2 M 10/3 Hisaye Yamamoto, ÒThe High-Heeled Shoes: A MemoirÓ; ÒSeventeen Syllables.Ó Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories. 1-19.

W 10/5 Hisaye Yamamoto, ÒThe Brown HouseÓ; ÒYonekoÕs Earthquake.Ó Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories. 39-56.

F 10/7 Hisaye Yamamoto, ÒA Fire in Fontana.Ó Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories. 150-157. Paper 1 topics handed out

Recommended: King Kok Cheung, ÒInterview with Hisaye Yamamoto.Ó Articulate Silences: Hisaye Yamamoto, Maxine Hong Kingston, Joy Kogawa. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1993. 71-86.

Week 3 M 10/10 Mae Ngai, ÒFrom Colonial Subject to Undesirable Alien: Filipino Migration in the Invisible Empire.Ó Re/collecting Early Asian American History. Ed. Josephine Lee. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2002. 111-126. R

W 10/12 Bienvenido Santos, ÒScent of ApplesÓ Scent of Apples: A Collection of Stories by Bienvenido N. Santos. Ed. Leonard Casper. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1967. 21-29. R

F 10/14 Bienvenido Santos, ÒThe Day the Dancers Came.Ó Scent of Apples: A Collection of Stories by Bienvenido N. Santos. Ed. Leonard Casper. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1967. 113- 128. R Paper 1 due

Week 4 M 10/17 Chang Rae Lee, Native Speaker, 1-99

W 10/19 Chang Rae Lee, Native Speaker, 100-171

F 10/21 Chang Rae Lee, Native Speaker, 172-211

Week 5 M 10/24 Chang Rae Lee, Native Speaker, 212-292

W 10/26 Chang Rae Lee, Native Speaker, 293-349

F 10/28 Midterm Review

Week 6 M 10/31 Midterm

W 11/2 Language Politics Shani Mootoo, ÒOut on Main St.Ó Contours of the Heart: South Asians Map North America. Eds. Lavinia Shankar and Rajini Srikanth. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998. 54-63. R

F 11/4 No Class – Prof. Tolentino at conference – start reading Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre

Week 7 M 11/7 Lois Ann Yamanaka, Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, 15-76

W 11/9 Lois Ann Yamanaka, Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, 79-107

F 11/11 Lois Ann Yamanaka, Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, 111-140 Paper 2 topics handed out

Week 8

M 11/14 Refugee Citizenship Sucheng Chan, ÒNew Immigrants and Refugees.Õ Asian Americans: An Interpretive History. 145-165. R

W 11/16 Monique T.D. Truong, ÒKelly.Ó Amerasia 17, 2 (1991): 40-48. R

F 11/18 Ka Vang, "Ms. Pac-Man Ruined My Gang Life.Ó Charlie Chan is Dead 2: At Home in the World. Ed. Jessica Hagedorn. 488-494. R

Linh Dinh, ÒLetter to My BedÓ and ÒThe Dead.Ó Watermark. Eds. Barbara Tran et al. New York: Asian American WritersÕ Workshop, 1998). 16; 122. R

Week 9 M 11/21 Film: Daughter From Danang (dir. Gail Dolgin, 2002) Paper 2 due

W 11/23 No Class – start reading The Gangster We Are All Looking For

F 11/25 No Class- Thanksgiving Break

Week 10 M 11/28 L Thi Diem Thœy, The Gangster We Are All Looking For. 3-77.

W 11/30 L Thi Diem Thœy, The Gangster We Are All Looking For. 78-124.

F 12/2 L Thi Diem Thœy, The Gangster We Are All Looking For. 125-158. Take home final handed out