Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities

1

Reflect on one of the following concepts

1. Orientalism

2. Migration

3. Transnationalism

4. Race

In your own words, explain what your chosen concept means. Why is it relevant or important to the study of Asian Americans? Use two quotes and cite at least 1 of the course readings.

Use approximately 500 words. Choose two quotes the readings that best support your argument. Correctly cite the quote in your response. Citations do not count toward the word count.

Post a short essay (600 words) in response to the thread prompt. Use academic language, proper citation, and good writing style in these short writing assignments.

Grading Rubric for Discussion Board (50 points total for both post and response)

Up to 40 points for Post

40 Excellent writing style, organization, argument, and support (with a well-chosen quote with proper citation of reading and page number). No more than 20% of post was quoted material. The essay was engaging and interesting, answered all prompt questions, incorporated terms and concepts from class, and free of typos, poor grammar, and lack of capitalization.

35 Good writing style, organization, argument, and support (with a well-chosen quote with improper citation of reading) but one or more elements missing.

30 Satisfactory writing style, organization, argument, and support (with a quote, could have been better selected)

25 Needs Improvement

0 No post

Up to 10 points Response to another student

10 Satisfactory completion, thoughtful and well-written

5 Needs improvement or unsatisfactory completion, not thoughtful or well-written

Paper 1: Book Review (2-3 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font)

• Student will select one book from a curated list of academic books (see List of Books for Review Essay below) related to topics in Asian American studies. The student is to read through the book and write a review of the chosen book. In the form of an essay, the book review should critically assess the argument made by the book’s author, describe how the author made their argument, and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the work. Students are encouraged to conduct library searches and draw on external sources (related works or other reviews of the same book) to frame their critical essay. Consider what you might want to research for your final paper when selecting a book.
• Please follow the provided Guidelines: APP 311 Book Review Assignment Guidelines 2024.pdf
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• List of Books for Review Essay:
• Choy, Catherine Ceniza. Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History. Durham: Duke University Press, 2003. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/18hbp0r/alma991003342629702905Links to an external site.

Espiritu, Yen Le. Asian American Panethnicity: Bridging Institutions and Identities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/1vc4mkk/cdi_globaltitleindex_catalog_335945901Links to an external site.

Lowe, Lisa. The Intimacies of Four Continents. Durham: Duke University Press, 2015. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/18hbp0r/alma991007556680002905Links to an external site.

• Man, Simeon. Soldiering Through Empire: Race and the Making of the Decolonizing Pacific. Oakland: University of California Press, 2018. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/18hbp0r/alma991071796717402901Links to an external site.
• Nguyen, Phuong Tran. Becoming Refugee American: The Politics of Rescue in Little Saigon. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2017. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/1vc4mkk/cdi_perlego_books_2383040Links to an external site.
• Shibusawa, Naoko. America’s Geisha Ally: Reimagining the Japanese Enemy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/18hbp0r/alma991003293919702905Links to an external site.

Srinivasan, Priya. Sweating Saris: Indian Dance as Transnational Labor. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2012. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/18hbp0r/alma991004733909702901Links to an external site.

Wu, Ellen. The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/18hbp0r/alma991072204998402901Links to an external site.

Xiong, Yang Sao. Immigrant Agency: Hmong American Movements and the Politics of Racialized Incorporation. Newark: Rutger University Press, 2022. Contact Professor for a copy of the book.

Yuh, Ji-Yeon. Beyond the Shadow of Camptown: Korean Military Brides in America. New York: New York University Press, 2002. https://csu-dh.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_UDH/18hbp0r/alma991067596330502901Links to an external site.

3

Preliminary Research Outline

Provide a tentative thesis statement for your research project. List the Digital Archives you will be using. Provide an outline of what each section of your research paper will include.

4

Final Research Essay

Paper 2 (Final Project): Research Essay: (5-6 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font)

Students will conduct a research project on a chosen Asian American community or a theme or framework from the course materials. The student must conduct a literature review of relevant works related to their chosen topic. Students must draw upon one or more of the provided Digital Archival Collections (see below) and utilize 4 different sources from the provided archives. Students must develop a clear and concise thesis statement, demonstrate that their argument is supported by the literature, and provide evidence which supports their thesis. Students are encouraged to draw on their Book Review essay to help frame their paper.

A Preliminary Research Outline describing what the students will discuss in their essay must be submitted to the Professor.

Please be sure to following the provided Guidelines for the Final Paper

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List of Archival Collections:

Asian American Art Oral History ProjectLinks to an external site.

1. Asian American Movement 1968Links to an external site.

Calisphere: Asian AmericansLinks to an external site.

The Chinese American Experience: 1857-1892Links to an external site.

1. Chinese Exclusion Act: Primary Documents in American HistoryLinks to an external site.

CSU Japanese American Digitization ProjectLinks to an external site.

Densho ProjectLinks to an external site.

1. Filipino American Digital Archives

Hmong Oral History Project Links to an external site.

Korean American Digital ArchiveLinks to an external site.

1. South Asian American Digital ArchiveLinks to an external site.

Texas Tech University: Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam ArchiveLinks to an external site.

Viet Stories: Vietnamese American Oral History ProjectLinks to an external site.

1. General Rubric for Academic Papers:

A- to A+ Excellent effort and result. Includes a thesis statement with a strong, convincing argument that explains why and is supported by the course material. Demonstrates thoughtfulness of the student’s own analysis and of the main points of the course. Very clear, accurate statements, arguments, and summarization; university-level grammar and sentence structure; well-organized paper, meeting word requirement; conclusive language with active voice and relevant, specific vocabulary. Includes properly cited sources with a bibliography. Resources: Center for Learning and Academic Support Services and Chicago Manual of Style (Notes and Bibliography).

B- to B+ Very good to good. Clarity and accuracy need some improvement; sentence-level structure sometimes lacking, with a few grammatical mistakes; paper organized yet not entirely cohesive; unsure voice occasionally inconclusive, sometimes passive and in need of more appropriate, specific vocabulary.

1. C- to C+ Sufficient. Noticeable lapses of clarity, some inaccurate statements, poorer arguments; some lack of grammatical integrity and inconsistent sentence structure; paper in need of better organization, perhaps not meeting word requirement; inconclusive, sometimes vague language, awkward voice with non-essential ‘padding’ using too little relevant, specific vocabulary.

D- to D+ Lack of clarity, statement and arguments inaccurate; poor, substandard grammar and sentence structure; poorly organized paper, perhaps not meeting word requirement; poor use of language without integral voice, some excess of non-essential ‘padding’ and predominance of non-specific vocabulary.

F Very little clarity with poor statements, weak and inaccurate arguments; unacceptably poor grammar and sentence structure; poorly organized paper perhaps not meeting word requirement; very poor use of language and with no consistent voice, dominated by non-essential ‘padding’ and lacking specific vocabulary.