Autumn 2014

Current and Upcoming Courses

Autumn 2014 | Electives

    Autumn 2014

      Asian American Studies - core courses


      Comparative Studies 2321: Introduction to Asian American Studies
      Martin Joseph Ponce, ponce.8@osu.edu
      MW 2:20-3:40, Campbell Hall 0243, 27129

      This course provides an introduction to Asian American Studies by examining some of the main themes, issues, and problems that the field has grappled with since its emergence as an academic interdiscipline in the late 1960s. Through readings of key scholarly and literary texts and viewings of documentary films and other visual artifacts, we will consider a variety of topics that extend from the 19th century to the present: Chinese immigration and exclusion, Japanese American internment and redress, Korean and South Asian diasporic nationalisms, U.S. colonialism in the Philippines and Filipino migration, U.S. and Asian settler colonialism in Hawai’i, the complex aftermaths of the Korean and Viet Nam/American wars, the Asian American movement and the activist roots of Asian American Studies, the “model minority” myth, the transformations of post-1965 Asian America, and the reconfigurations of race and religion after 9/11/2001. Throughout the course, we will remain attentive to the ways that race and ethnicity intersect with class, gender, sexuality, dis/ability, location, and other social differences to produce the heterogeneous imaginary known as “Asian America.” This course fulfills the Arts and Sciences General Education (GE) requirements in Cultures and Ideas, and Social Diversity in the United States. It is also a core course in the Asian American Studies minor.

      Comparative Studies 4921 Intersections: New Approaches to Theorizing Difference
      Rita Trimble, trimble.38@osu.edu
      TR 2:20-3:40, Evans Lab 2003
      Class # 17697

      This course, Intersections, builds an understanding of the interrelated nature of various axes of social classification, or “intersectionality,” as a useful rubric for theorizing difference.  Rather than imagining race, gender, class and sexuality as separate and at times additive modes of social experience, this course assumes and asks us to investigate how these always-emergent categories work in conjunction with one another in very profound ways that produce both typical and novel contexts for social relation.  This comparative and interdisciplinary course examines specific intersections while also emphasizing broad understandings of the social, political, and cultural processes that shape lived experiences of difference. 


      Asian American Studies - additional courses


      The following courses can count toward the 9 credit hours of Asian American Studies coursework, provided that students complete a final project on an Asian American topic.

      English 4581: Special Topics in U.S. Ethnic Literatures, “The Ethics of Comparative Racializations”
      Lynn Itagaki, itagaki.5@osu.edu
      WF 9:35-10:5, Denney Hall 0206
      Class # 20769

      Are all racial minorities Black? Is Yellow Black or White? Why are Asians considered a model minority and other racial groups stigmatized? Do biracial or multiracial Americans "count"? Why can't we all get along? What is the racial hierarchy from the past to the present that now determines our future? How is that racial hierarchy gendered in the hypermasculinization and hyperfeminization of groups? The inclusiveness of the term "Black" or "African American" has been contested by multiple diasporic populations of African descent from all over the world. "Asian American," a political category, has itself been contested by Pacific Islanders, South Asians, and those of the multiple Asian diasporas. "Latina/o" is not considered a racial identity by the US Census, and Arab Americans are considered white. What does it mean to be identified as Native American rather than through one's affiliation to or enrollment in tribes and nations? We'll talk about the complex histories of US and European imperialisms and international politics that produce uneven and often illogical racial identities in the US. Given that the category of race is an interracial formation, we will examine how writers of color merge forms and genres in order to advance an interracial ethics.

      History of Art 4001: Envisioning the Nation: Modern and Contemporary Art in Asia
      Namiko Kunimoto, kunimoto.3@osu.edu
      WF 11:10 – 12:30, Pomerene Hall 315
      Class # 19853

      This course will teach art history majors how to write about art in a clear and compelling manner. Students will also improve their ability to critically engage with texts and do in-depth visual analysis. Through our readings, discussion, and careful looking at images, students will consider the ways the state has been represented, reacted against, and questioned in Asian and North American art. How did events such as the Pacific War impact the art world and how did representation in turn inform competing ideologies of nationhood and gender? How has globalization affected artistic practice? While addressing these issues we will examine various works of modern and contemporary art, including film, installation, photography, painting, and performance art. This course is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of avant-garde art in Asia.

      Sociology 3487: Research Methods in Sociology
      Neha Gondal, gondal.2@sociology.osu.edu
      WF 8:00-8:55, Macquigg Lab 0160 **
      Class # 24552

      Are you interested in researching the Asian American community? This introductory course in social research methods familiarizes you with techniques for systematically studying the insights that people have about the world around them. While there are several methodologies used by social scientists to study the social world, in this course, we will learn about four broad approaches conventionally referred to as 'experimental,' 'quantitative,' 'qualitative,' and 'relational' techniques. We will begin with a discussion of the fundamental concepts, challenges, and issues involved in doing research. In this section, we will cover topics on the process and ethics of doing research, measurement issues, and causality. In the subsequent two sections, we will cover experimental techniques and some basic statistical methodologies for doing research that are generally used on large datasets such as the General Social Survey. Next, we will study some methodologies used to study a comparatively smaller sample of individuals, such as interviewing, participant observation, and content analysis. We will finish the semester by learning about a network analytic framework to study the social world. While these different techniques are mostly complementary and sometimes substitutable for each other, it is important to note that they often involve different assumptions about the organization of the social world. As we cover different topics, I will highlight the assumptions involved in each methodology. It is also important to bear in mind that not every approach to conducting sociological research will appeal equally to you. Nevertheless, in order to be able to offer informed criticism to any type of research, irrespective of whether it is your 'chosen' technique, you must have a reasonable familiarity with that way of doing research. This course can count as a core course in the Asian American Studies minor if you do a final project on the Asian American community. For more information, please contact Prof. Gondal.

      Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 2350: Women and Violence
      Krista Benson, benson.150@osu.edu
      online
      Class # 25371

      This course will explore the impact of violence in terms of power-based personal violence, interpersonal violence, war, and conquest.

      Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 4540: Women of Color: Art, Literature, and Culture
      Lynn Itagaki, itagaki.5@osu.edu
      WF 11:10-12:30, Caldwell Lab 0115
      Class # 31436

      This course examines literary and filmic texts by and about US women of color over the past three decades. This course will examine the way literary and filmic texts attempt to expose and heal deep political, economic and social rifts in American society, especially over issues of gender and racial justice. We will focus on the narrative elements such as point-of-view, style, structure, and voice. Our topics will include "third-world," transnational, women of color and post-feminisms. This course will continually return to the filmic and literary works with questions of context and influence. How do activists, artists and writers, working within certain contexts, attempt to resolve long-standing political, social and economic issues regarding gender, sexual, and racial justice?


      Electives


      The Arts & Sciences AAS minor sheet lists possible electives in Asian studies or U.S. race/ethnicity studies. To determine whether a course counts as an elective for the AAS minor, please contact the AAS Coordinator, Prof. Ponce.