"Asians in America" highlights the experiences of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States and beyond. We have witnessed discrimination and hostility against East Asians in the U.S. with the start of the corona virus pandemic. We have seen hostilities against Muslim Americans in the wake of 9.11. How and why did these sentiments come about? What does it mean to be an Asian in America today? In "Asians in America," we travel back in history to examine a variety of Asian experiences in America. We will start with that of the Chinese immigrant laborers working on the transcontinental railroad in the mid 19C. The course will explore key events such as the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), the internment of Japanese Americans during WW2, Vietnamese refugees' arrival in the 1970s, and the Korean American riots in LA in the 1990s. We will also look at representations of Asia in World's Fairs, literature, and popular culture. Throughout, we will contemplate the categories of Asia, Asian, and Asian-American.

"Asians in America" highlights the experiences of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States and beyond. We have witnessed discrimination and hostility against East Asians in the U.S. with the start of the corona virus pandemic. We have seen hostilities against Muslim Americans in the wake of 9.11. How and why did these sentiments come about? What does it mean to be an Asian in America today? In "Asians in America," we travel back in history to examine a variety of Asian experiences in America. We will start with that of the Chinese immigrant laborers working on the transcontinental railroad in the mid 19C. The course will explore key events such as the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), the internment of Japanese Americans during WW2, Vietnamese refugees' arrival in the 1970s, and the Korean American riots in LA in the 1990s. We will also look at representations of Asia in World's Fairs, literature, and popular culture. Throughout, we will contemplate the categories of Asia, Asian, and Asian-American.