Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
ASAMD022.
Course Title (CB02)
Asian American Women
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2024
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the study of Asian American women in American society from a historical and sociological perspective. Emphasis is placed on Asian American feminist scholarship; cultural representations; cultural productions; immigration, refugee, and diasporic experiences; resistance to racism, sexism, classism, and patriarchy; and labor and work issues. The course is designed for all students interested in Women and Gender Studies, as well as those interested in Asian American Studies.
Faculty Requirements
Discipline 1
[Interdisciplinary Studies]
FSA
[FHDA FSA - ETHNIC STUDIES]
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is transferable to CSU and UC and fulfills a GE requirement for °®¶ą´«Ă˝, CSU GE, and IGETC. It belongs on the Liberal Arts A.A. Degree at °®¶ą´«Ă˝. This course provides students with critical thinking skills essential to their growth and development as gendered beings with a specific focus on understanding Asian American women.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶ą´«Ă˝ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC2°®¶ą´«Ă˝ GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
2GDX°®¶ą´«Ă˝ GE Area D - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC2CSU GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
CGDYCSU GE Area D - Social SciencesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG3BIGETC Area 3B - HumanitiesApproved
IG4XIGETC Area 4 - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

(Not open to students with credit in the cross-listed course(s).)

(Also listed as WMST D022.)

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

In-class essays

In-class exploration of Internet sites

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Field observation and field trips

Guest speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Collaborative projects

Assignments

  1. Read and critically engage with a variety of sources including scholarly works as well as poetry, fiction, and first person narratives.
    1. Read and critically engage with a variety of scholarly works by Asian American women authors.
    2. Students will actively read and engage with Asian American women’s poetry, fiction and non-fiction essays.
    3. Students will actively read and engage with Asian American women’s historical essays and articles.
  2. Writing may include any of the following: a brief personal narrative, thematic review of Asian American women’s prose and poetry, research paper related to an individual or collective of Asian American women, scholars, artists, or activists, preparation for in-class presentations of written work, and research related to final paper or project on an Asian American woman, scholar, artist,or activist or collective of scholars, artists, or activists.
    1. Analytical writing may include a brief personal narrative with reflection on assigned texts.
    2. Students will write thematic review of Asian American women’s prose and poetry as assigned.
    3. Students will write a research paper related to an individual Asian American woman, scholar, artist, or activist, or a collective of Asian American women, scholars, artists, or activists, or a historical event concerning Asian American women.
    4. Students will write discussion questions in preparation for in-class presentations of written work. and research related to final paper or project on a Asian American woman, scholar, artist, activist, or a collective of scholars, artists, or activists.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Student reading will be evaluated through regular quizzes, or through short writing assignments due weekly. They should be able to explain the role of key social, political and historical events that shaped the present situations of Asian American women.
  2. Writing will be evaluated weekly based on ability of the student to analyze and respond to material presented. This includes narrative journal entries, an analytical research paper and thematic reviews of prose and poetry, and a final.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None
Essential College Facilities:
  • None

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Boggs, Grace L, Scott Kurashige, and Danny Glover.The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century.Berkeley: University of California Press,2012
Chang, Jeff. New York: Picador. 2014Who We Be: The Colorization of America.New York: Picador.2014
Ferguson, Kathy E, and Monique Mironesco.Gender and Globalization in Asia and the Pacific: Method, Practice, Theory.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,2008
Rojas, Maythee.Women of Color and Feminism.New York, NY: Seal Press,2009.
Choy, Catherine CenizaAsian American Histories of the United StatesBeacon Press2022

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

None.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Summarize experiences, history, labor, and productions and contributions of women of Asian American descent within the wider American history and Women's Movement. Students will also analyze Asian American women’s experiences, history, labor, productions and contributions, and use the critical lens of contemporary feminist theories and social justice awareness to investigate the socio-political aspects of Asian American women’s experiences.
  • Investigate the impact of patriarchy; colonization/imperialism; diaspora; multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender; orientalism; forces of globalization and global capitalism; and neocolonialism on Asian American women, as well analyze their impacts on Asian American women’s history, experiences, identities, and representations.
  • Investigate Asian American feminist responses to patriarchy, colonization/imperialism, multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender, orientalism, forces of globalization and global capitalism, and neocolonialism. This will involve deconstructing Asian American women’s writings, films, music, art, and other cultural productions.
  • Analyze the writings of past and present Asian American women and scholars, as well as Asian American women’s art, writings, and other cultural productions, and the effects of colonialism and neocolonialism on Asian American women’s productions in the diaspora.
  • Summarize the impact of activism by and/or about Asian American women, which are part of a larger Asian cultural diaspora of awakening and support.
  • Summarize the historical and cultural impacts of Asian Exclusion Acts; Dragon Lady and Lotus Blossom stereotypes; Yellow Peril; mail order brides and war brides; the reasons for migration and immigration; Family Reunification Act; types of labor with significant contributions by Asian American women; Asian American women’s participation in Yellow Power and the Third World Liberation Front, and Asian American women’s responses to these significant events.

CSLOs

  • Demonstrate knowledge about the experiences, history, labor, and productions and contributions of women of Asian American descent within the wider United States history and Women's Movement, and use/apply the critical lens of contemporary feminist theory, social justice awareness and ethnic studies frameworks to discuss these experiences of women of Asian American descent.

  • Define important terms within Asian American Women's Studies such as patriarchy; colonization/imperialism; diaspora; multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender; orientalism; forces of globalization and global capitalism; and neocolonialism; and recognize their significance within Asian American women's history, experiences, identities, and representations.

  • Identify and explain important events and themes within Asian American women's history such as Asian Exclusion Acts, mail order and war brides, Dragon Lady and Lotus Blossom stereotypes, and the Third World Liberation Front.

  • Recognize the effects of colonialism and neocolonialism on Asian American women in the diaspora.

Outline

  1. Summarize experiences, history, labor, and productions and contributions of women of Asian American descent within the wider American history and Women's Movement. Students will also analyze Asian American women’s experiences, history, labor, productions and contributions, and use the critical lens of contemporary feminist theories and social justice awareness to investigate the socio-political aspects of Asian American women’s experiences.
    1. Explore experiences, history, labor, and productions and contributions of women of Asian and Asian American descent within the wider American history and Women's Movement.  Examples include Asian American women who advocated for Vincent Chin, better wages for Asian immigrant garment workers, and better work conditions for Asian nail salon workers.
    2. Analyze Asian American women’s experiences, history, labor, productions and contributions. Examples include the works of historians/writers Helen Zia, Sucheng Chan, Judy Wong, Judy Wu, and Catherine Ceniza Choy.
    3. Investigate the socio-political aspects of Asian American women’s experiences using the critical lens of contemporary feminist theories and social justice awareness. Examples include Asian American contributors to Third World Feminism and intersectional feminism that takes into account issues of race, class, and sexualities in addition to gender.
  2. Investigate the impact of patriarchy; colonization/imperialism; diaspora; multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender; orientalism; forces of globalization and global capitalism; and neocolonialism on Asian American women, as well analyze their impacts on Asian American women’s history, experiences, identities, and representations.
    1. Investigate the impact of patriarchy; colonization/imperialism; diaspora; multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender; orientalism; forces of globalization and global capitalism; and neocolonialism on Asian American women. Examples include how exported labor of Asian women domestic workers, nannies, and nurses impacts global capitalism.
    2. Analyze their impacts on Asian American women’s history, experiences, identities, and representations.  Examples include filmmaker Renee Tajima-Pena’s “Asian Americas” multi-part documentary
  3. Investigate Asian American feminist responses to patriarchy, colonization/imperialism, multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender, orientalism, forces of globalization and global capitalism, and neocolonialism. This will involve deconstructing Asian American women’s writings, films, music, art, and other cultural productions.
    1. Investigate Asian American feminist responses to patriarchy, colonization/imperialism, multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender, orientalism, forces of globalization and global capitalism, and neocolonialism. Examples include writers such as Maxine Hong Kingston, Hisaye Yamamoto, Jessica Hagedorn, Monique Truong, Fae Myenne Ng.
    2. Deconstruct Asian American women’s writings, films, music, art, and other cultural productions. Examples include filmmakers Domee Shi and Alice Wu; musicians Olivia Rodrigo, Yoko Ono, and Nobuko Miyamoto; artist Kristina Wong
  4. Analyze the writings of past and present Asian American women and scholars, as well as Asian American women’s art, writings, and other cultural productions, and the effects of colonialism and neocolonialism on Asian American women’s productions in the diaspora.
    1. Analyze the writings of Asian American women scholars as well as Asian American women’s art, writings, and other cultural productions in historical movements and scholarly organizations. Examples include scholar and filmmaker Elaine Kim, artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, activist Amanda Nguyen, rap artist Ruby Ibarra, and spoken word poet Ishle Yi-Park.
    2. Analyze contemporary writings and productions of Asian American women. Examples include films and comedy by Ali Wong, Mindy Kaling, Margaret Cho.
  5. Summarize the impact of activism by and/or about Asian American women, which are part of a larger Asian cultural diaspora of awakening and support.
    1. Explore the impact of activism, including Asian American women in student movements and feminist movements.  Examples include activists Grace Lee Boggs, Esther Young Lim, Reshma Saujani.
    2. Explore the work of Asian American activists in global struggles across the diaspora. Examples include activists Yuri Kochiyama, and Rinku Sen.
  6. Summarize the historical and cultural impacts of Asian Exclusion Acts; Dragon Lady and Lotus Blossom stereotypes; Yellow Peril; mail order brides and war brides; the reasons for migration and immigration; Family Reunification Act; types of labor with significant contributions by Asian American women; Asian American women’s participation in Yellow Power and the Third World Liberation Front, and Asian American women’s responses to these significant events.
    1. Explore the historical and cultural impacts of Asian Exclusion Acts; Dragon Lady and Lotus Blossom stereotypes; Yellow Peril; mail order brides and war brides; the reasons for migration and immigration; Family Reunification Act; types of labor with significant contributions by Asian American women; Asian American women’s participation in Yellow Power and the Third World Liberation Front. Examples include how these phenomenon and stereotypes shaped how Asian women were represented in films and ads in America through the 20th century, as represented in “Slaying The Dragon”
    2. Examine Asian American women’s responses to these significant events. Examples include artists and writers such as Kristina Wong, Ali Wong, Nanatchka Khan, and Sandra Oh who are writing and performing roles that expand prior representations and resist stereotypes.
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