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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
ASAMD032.
Course Title (CB02)
Vietnamese Literature from Traditional to Asian American Expressions
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the humanities and Asian American Studies through a diasporic perspective on Vietnamese and Vietnamese American literature. Students will explore traditional and modern literature, including exile writings by Vietnamese immigrants leading to Vietnamese American expressions. The course will focus on several major themes in literature: colonization, war and representations of Southeast Asians, and the migration experience. Students will develop a historical and aesthetic understanding of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American creative expressions.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is transferable to UC and CSU. It is a °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE, CSU GE, and IGETC course. It belongs on the Certificate of Achievement in Asian American Studies. This course introduces students to Vietnamese and Vietnamese American Literature.

Foothill Equivalency

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

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Formerly Statement
(Formerly INTL D011.)

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
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC2°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC2CSU GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG3BIGETC Area 3B - HumanitiesApproved

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

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 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

Assignments

  1. Readings of varied purpose, length, style, form, and rhetorical strategy
    1. Literary texts, such as poetry, fiction, graphic novels, and memoirs
    2. Supplemental readings to provide more in-depth knowledge on specific topics, issues, and theoretical frameworks
  2. Writing that demonstrates the skills of summary, analysis, and synthesis
    1. Two book reviews (three pages each) requiring critical analysis of different literary genres and styles
    2. One five-page paper to analyze either a major issue in literary criticism, or a major work in terms of historical and aesthetic significance, or on the development of Vietnamese American literature
  3. Group Projects that demonstrate research, collaboration, and oral communication
    1. Group presentations on a literary text
    2. Group projects researching the historical context of a given literary text

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Writing assignments such as a research paper or book reviews to evaluate student's ability to synthesize course materials and to discuss issues related to Vietnamese literature
  2. Midterm and final exam with essay questions discussing content from lectures and readings to evaluate student's ability to provide a historical and aesthetic understanding of literature in relation to cultural conditions and to understand and interpret major works of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American literature.
  3. Group presentations and projects will be evaluated using a rubric assessing comprehension, historical accuracy, depth of analysis, and level of participation

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

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

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Bui, Thi. "The Best We Could Do." New York: Abrams ComicArts, 2018.
Lam, Andrew. "Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora." Berkeley, California: Heyday Book, 2005.
Nguyen, Viet Thanh. "The Sympathizer." New York: Grove Press, 2015
Pham, Andrew. "Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landcape and Memory of Vietnam." New York: Picador USA, 1999.
Vuong, Ocean. "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous." New York: Penguin, 2019.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Duong, Nicole. "Daughters of the River Huong." AmazonEncore, 2011.
Hayslip, Le Ly, and Jay Wurts. "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places." New York: Doubleday, 1989.
Huang, Guiyou. "Asian American Literary Studies." Edinburg: Edinburg Univeristy Press, 2005.
Lai, Thanhha. "Inside Out and Back Again." Harper Collins, 2013
Lieu, Nhi T. "The American Dream in Vietnamese." University of Minnesota Press, 2011.
Nguyen Du. "The Tale of Kieu." Trans. Huynh Sanh Thong. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.
Nguyen Ngoc Bich, ed. "War and Exile." Vietnamese PEN Abroad, East Coast USA, 1989.
Phan, Christian P. "Vietnamese Americans: Understanding Vietnamese People in the United States" (1995-2010). Xulon Press, 2010
thuy, le thi diem (stylized lower case). "The Gangster We Are All Looking For". New York: Borzoi, 2003.
Tran, Barbara. "Watermark: Vietnamese American Poetry and Prose." Asian American Writers Workshop, 1998.
Tran, Lena. "Compassionate Vietnamese American CEOs." Happy About, 2013.
Tran Truong and Chung Hoang Chuong. "The Book of Perceptions." Kearny Street Workshop, 1999.
Truong, Nhu Dinh and Thi Truong Nga Tran. "The Last Boat Out." GASlight Publishing, 2006.
Truong Monique. "The Book of Salt." Houghton Mifflin and Hartcourt, 2003.
Woodside, Alexander. "Vietnam and the Chinese Model." Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Identify and analyze the social contexts and literary characteristics of traditional, modern, and contemporary Vietnamese and Vietnamese American literature.
  • Apply relevant critical frameworks from Asian American studies and literary theory
  • Evaluate Vietnamese and Vietnamese American literature in social, cultural, and historical context
  • Recognize the contributions of women writers and the changing roles of women in society as illustrated in the development of Vietnamese American literature and debates about gender in Asian American studies.
  • Analyze the circumstances and conditions of the Vietnamese diaspora and the emergence of Vietnamese American literary expressions.
  • Examine Asian American Studies as an interdisciplinary field of study and as the context for the emergence of Vietnamese American literature

CSLOs

  • Compare and contrast the styles, genres and themes of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American literary expression.

  • Interpret and analyze cultural, psychological, and social issues as presented and discussed by Vietnamese and Vietnamese American writers in their creative expressions.

  • Select from a variety of Vietnamese American texts to highlight prominent themes within literature of the diaspora.

Outline

  1. Identify and analyze the social contexts and literary characteristics of traditional, modern, and contemporary Vietnamese and Vietnamese American literature.
    1. Genres, forms, and styles in the folk tradition, including oral poetry, folklore, and mythology
    2. Pre-Western influences and linguistic borrowing
    3. Colonial influences through the Vietnam War
    4. Post-war literature
  2. Apply relevant critical frameworks from Asian American studies and literary theory
    1. Critical race and post-colonial theories
    2. Intersectional feminist theory
    3. Diaspora and trauma studies
  3. Evaluate Vietnamese and Vietnamese American literature in social, cultural, and historical context
    1. The impact of war on literary expressions
    2. The role of migration
    3. Divisions between North and South
    4. Post-unification writings
    5. Contents and themes of exile literature and refugee memoirs
  4. Recognize the contributions of women writers and the changing roles of women in society as illustrated in the development of Vietnamese American literature and debates about gender in Asian American studies.
    1. Vietnamese women writers: challenging male dominated tradition
    2. Exile and home: Vietnamese women's perspectives on war and dislocation.
    3. "The Tale of Kieu" as metaphor for the Vietnamese woman conditions.
    4. Asserting self-identity through literature.
  5. Analyze the circumstances and conditions of the Vietnamese diaspora and the emergence of Vietnamese American literary expressions.
    1. Growing up in America: Andrew Lam and Nguyen Qui Duc.
    2. From Vietnam to America: Lely Hayslip and the Vietnam War.
    3. Remembering Vietnam: Andrew Pham and Le Thi Diem Thuy.
  6. Examine Asian American Studies as an interdisciplinary field of study and as the context for the emergence of Vietnamese American literature
    1. Recognize the origins and development of Asian American Studies as a field of inquiry in the humanities and social sciences
    2. Connect the expansion of Asian American Studies and Asian American Literature as it relates to a canon of Vietnamese American Literature
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