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This course will focus on the experience of at least three US ethnic groups. Ethnic groups include: Native American, Asian American, African American, Latino American, Pacific Islander American, Middle Eastern American, European American, and Multi-ethnic American.
I. Historical Contexts
A. Literary traditions, including ancient tales and oral traditions when applicable
B. Artistic traditions
C. Social traditions, including family, gender, and community structures
D. Political and economic traditions, including distribution of power and wealth, colonization
and imperialism
II. Contact
A. Push/pull factors
B. Liminality
C. Reception: racism, classism, oppression, assimilation, acculturation, colonization, and
power-dynamics
III. Forging Ethnic Identities
A. Emergent and evolving literary traditions
B. Emergent and evolving artistic traditions
C. Emergent and evolving social traditions
D. Emergent and evolving political and economic traditions
IV. Contemporary Trends in Literature (at least one required)
A. Intersectionality and positionality
B. Exploration of place
C. Literary criticism
V. Theoretical Perspectives (at least one required)
A. Marxism and Critical Theory
B. Ethnic Studies and Postcolonial Criticism
C. Gender Studies and Queer Theory
D. Cultural Studies
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Texts will vary from classic literature and contemporary literature and will draw from Novels, Short Stories, Poems, Films, Newspapers, Music, Essays, and other Works of Art.
For African American literature:
Invisible Man. Ellison, Ralph. Random. 1963 (classic)
Native Son. Wright, Richard. Harper Collins. 1993 (classic)
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass, Frederick. Dover. 1995 (classic)
Beloved. Morrison, Toni. NAL-Dutton. 1991 (classic)
The Color Purple. Walker, Alice. Harbrace. 1982 (classic)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou, Maya. Bantam. 1983 (classic)
Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston, Zora Neale. Harper Collins. 1990 (classic)
For Asian American literature:
China Men. Kingston, Maxine Hong. Random. 1989 (classic)
Joy Luck Club. Tan, Amy. Putnam. 1989 (classic)
Fifth Chinese Daughter. Wong, Jade Snow. U of Washington Press. 1989 (classic)
Yokohama, California. Mori, Toshio. U of Washington Press. 1985 (classic)
A Gesture Life. Lee, Chang Rae. Putnam. 1999 (classic)
Bone. Ng, Fae Myenne. Harper Collins. 1994 (classic)
Fish Head Soup and Other Plays. Gotanda, Philip. U Washington Press. 1995 (classic)
For Latinx American literature:
Barrio Boy. Galarza, Ernesto. U of Notre Dame. 1971 (classic)
El Teatro de la Esperanze: Anthology of Chicano Drama. Huerta, Jorga. Teatro de la Esperanza. 1973 (classic)
Bless Me, Ultima. Anaya, Rudolfo. Quinto Sol Publ. 1972 (classic)
Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. Cisneros, Sandra. Vintage. 1990 (classic)
Zoot Suit and Other Plays. Valdez, Luis. Arte Publico Press. 1992 (classic)
For European American literature:
Giants in the Earth. Rolvaag, Ole Edvart. Harper Collins. 1965 (classic)
The Soul of an Immigrant. Panunzio, Constantine. Ayer. 1969 (classic)
Shawl. Ozick, Cynthia. Knopf. 1989 (classic)
The Invention of the White Race. Allen, Theodore. Verso. 1994 (classic)
My Antonia. Cather, Willa. Bantam. 1994 (classic)
For Native American literature:
Ceremony. Silko, Leslie Marmon. Viking Penguin. 1986 (classic)
Love Medicine. Erdrich, Louise. Harper Collins. 1993 (classic)
Bone Game. Owens, Louis. U of Oklahoma Press. 1994 (classic)
Calling Myself Home. Hozan, Unda. Greenfield Review Press. 1991 (classic)
In Made Love and War. Harjo, Joy. Wesleyan U Press. 1990 (classic)
Earth Song, Sky Spirit. Trafzer, Clifford. Doubleday. 1992 (classic)
Reservation Blues. Alexi, Sherman. Warner Books. 1996 (classic)
For Middle Eastern American Literature:
Midnight's Children. Rushdie, Salman. 2006 (classic)
One Story, Thirty Stories: An Anthology of Contemporary Afghan American Literature. Saed, Zohra and Muradi, Sahar. 2010 (classic)
The Kite Runner. Hosseni, Khaled. 2003 (classic)
Persian Girls. Rachlan, Nahid. 2006 (classic)
Born Palestiani, Born Black. Hammad, Suheir. 2008 (classic)
The Alchemist's Diary. Charara, Hayan. 2001 (classic)
Pacific Islander American Literature:
From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii. Trask, Haunani Kay. 1999 (classic)
Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre. Yamanaka, Lois-Ann. Bamboo Ridge Press. 1993 (classic)
Last Virgin in Paradise. Hereniko, Vilsoni. 1993 (classic)
Pouliuli. Wendt, Albert. 1980 (classic)
Da Word. Tonouchi, Lee. 2001 (classic)
Pidgin to Da Max. Simonson, Douglas and Sasaki, Pat and Sakata, Ken. 1981 (classic)
Multi-cultural Literature:
Half + Half: Writers on Growing up Biracial + Bicultural. O'Hearn, Claudine Chiawei. Pantheon. 1998 (classic)
Everything I Never Told You. Ng, Celeste. Penguin Group. 2015
Mixed Feelings. Jogia, Avan. Andrews McMeel Publishing. 2019
Part Asian, 100% Hapa. Fulbeck, Kip. Chronicle Books. 2006 (classic)
Mixed: An Anthology of Short Stories on the Multicultural Experience. Prasad, Chandra. W. W. Norton & Company. 2006 (classic)
Black, White, Other: Biracial Americans Talk about Race and Identity. Funderburg, Lise. Harper Perennial. 2017
Mixed Race Hollywood. Beltran, Mary C. NYU Press. 2008
Sample Background Works:
Strangers From a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. Takaki, Ronald. Penguin. 1989 (classic)
American Mosaic: Multi-Cultural Readings in Context. Ricoand, Barbara Roche and Mano, Sandra. Houghton Mifflin. 1991 (classic)
Ethnic Writers in America. Simon, Myron. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1972 (classic)
The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions. Allen, Paula Gunn. Beacon Press. 1986 (classic)