Vietnamese American Cultural Studies

What is the role of Vietnamese American cultural production in Asian America? How do we reckon with dominant narratives of gratitude and freedom, or seek alternative histories by centering diasporic memory? And what does the 'post'-war generation have to say? To explore these questions, our class will examine writing and visual art from Vietnamese American cultural producers, including Trinh Mai, Thi Bui, Ocean Vuong, Adele Pham, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Soleil Ho. We'll think about connections between Vietnamese American cultural studies and Asian America through issues of abolition, sexual violence, representation, model minority, and more. Assignments will include free writes, discussion posts, a midterm, and a collaborative final project. Students will be encouraged to exercise their creativity and make connections to their everyday lives and communities.