History 525 (18270-4): Topics in Women’s History

History 525: Topics in Women’s History

Asian American Women’s History

Spring Quarter 2005 Professor J. Wu

MacPherson Laboratory 2019 Office: 261 Dulles

Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:30-3:18 Phone: 292-9331

Office Hours: Monday 3:30-4:30 and by appointment Email: wu.287@osu.edu

Course Description and Objective

This course explores the experiences, consciousness and representations of Asian American Women from the mid-19th century through the present. The term Asian American refers to immigrants as well as those born in the United States of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Pilipino, South Asian and Southeast Asian ancestry. The readings and discussions will examine the intersections of gender, race, class, and nationality in the lives of Asian American women.

Course materials represent a variety of disciplines (Anthropology, Sociology, Literature) and sources (life histories, films, etc.) that contribute to the field of Asian American Women’s History. I encourage you to engage each assignment critically. What does the source tell us about the experiences of Asian American women? What is the purpose of the author or filmmaker and what are her/his underlying assumptions in creating this work? What types of evidence are used to support an argument or perspective? You will be asked to share your insights through discussions and paper assignments. In other words, this course encourages you to develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills.

Enrollment:

All students must be officially enrolled in the course by the end of the second full week of the quarter. No requests to add the course will be approved by the department chair after that time. Enrolling officially and on time is solely the responsibility of each student.

No additions to Approved Schedules will be permitted after the third Friday of the Quarter. Exceptions can be granted by the student’s enrollment unit on the basis of clearly documented clerical error or unusual and extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control.

Readings: The books are available for sale at SBX. They are also on reserve at the Main Library.

Catherine Ceniza Choy, Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History

Shamita Das Dasgupta, ed., A Patchwork Shawl: Chronicles of South Asian Women in America

Yuri Kochiyama, Passing it On: a Memoir

Miriam Ching Yoon Louie, Sweatshop Warriors : Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Factory

Mari Matsuda, Where is Your Body?: And Other Essays on Race, Gender, and the Law

Aihwa Ong, Buddha is Hiding: Refugees, Citizenship, the New America

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: The Life of a Wartime Celebrity

Ji-Yeon Yuh, Beyond the Shadow of Camptown: Korean Military Brides in America

Recommended:

Yen Le Espiritu, Asian American Women and Men: Love, Laws, and Love

Course Assignments and Expectations:

As an advanced undergraduate/graduate course, the success of this class depends upon your active participation. All reading and writing assignments must be completed by the appointed date and time. Incomplete assignments and lack of participation will not only adversely affect your grade but will also lessen the overall learning experience for everyone in the course.

1. Seven Reading Responses (35%) and class participation (15%). These responses (1-2 pages) are graded +/check/-. This is your opportunity to reflect upon the main themes for the readings, to articulate your reactions, and raise questions for discussion. These responses are intended to help you conceptualize the readings in a succinct and coherent manner. I recommend writing one paragraph summarizing the main argument or arguments from the readings and an additional one or two paragraphs offering your critiques. These responses are due by 10:30 a.m. in my office, 261 Dulles, on the day that we discuss the reading. You do not need to submit a response for the week that you lead class discussion.

2. Co-leading discussions (15%). You will be expected to co-lead at least one discussion. You should meet with your fellow co-facilitators to generate a list of questions. You also might experiment with more creative forms of discussion, such as debates, role-playing, etc. If you have any questions, feel free to meet with me beforehand.

3. A research paper, visual exhibit, and presentation that examines the experiences of Asian American women (35%). The length of the paper will be 7-9 pages for undergraduate students and 13-15 pages for graduate students. You may wish to use this assignment to conduct more research about a particular Asian American group, or to examine the differences or similarities between Asian American groups by focusing on a particular subject, such as immigration, family, sexuality, feminism, etc. You might consider conducting oral histories, i.e. interviews with Asian American women, to explore how their life experiences reflect the broader historical trends that we explore in our class. The exhibits will be displayed at the Exposures Gallery in the Ohio Union. The presentations will be scheduled during the last week of class, so you will have an opportunity to receive feedback on your projects before the final paper is due.

Absences: If you will be unable to attend class, please inform me beforehand. If an emergency arises and you are unable to reach me before the class, contact me as soon as possible to explain your absence. You will not be able to pass the course if you have too many absences.

Late Assignments: No late assignments will be accepted.

Plagiarism: All work presented in class or turned in must be a student's own. Plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct will be dealt with in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the University’s Committee on Academic Misconduct and will seriously affect a student’s grade.

Class Schedule:

Week 1 Center Asian American Women in History

March 29 Introduction to Course - Lecture

March 31 View: Slaying the Dragon