Asian American Studies College of Letters & Science

Susette Min, Ph.D., Chairperson of the Department

Department Office

3102 Hart Hall; 530-752-2069; Asian American Studies; Facebook; Faculty

Department Background

Born out of social and global justice movements of the late 1960s, the Department of Asian American Studies at UC Davis is one of the very first programs in Asian American studies established nationally. The Department provides unique learning opportunities about the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian Americans in local and global contexts. We seek to develop and advance knowledge about the diversity of Asian American populations as immigrants and refugees, as ethnic minorities, and as a racial group in U.S. society. In examining the complexity of Asian American experiences, we foster critical thinking and comprehensive analyses of formations of race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, and sexuality that are manifested not only in the United States but also in other regions and nations across the globe.

A distinct feature of our department is our emphasis on applied knowledge. Our curriculum, for instance, encourages students to work in close collaboration with community groups that advance social justice and transformative social change. Many of our faculty are community-engaged scholars who work closely with Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) organizations and help to facilitate linkages between students and the broader API  community. Moreover, the faculty and staff in our department are consistently recognized for their strong mentorship and close engagement with students’ academic and personal growth. Our faculty and courses also focus on diverse Asian American populations as we seek to be inclusive of underrepresented Asian American groups and highlight cutting-edge research. Finally, our department has close relationships with its alumni who also help to support students and the overall curriculum.

The Department houses the George Kagiwada Library and Digital Media Lab. This unique library holds a vast collection of scholarly texts in Asian American studies as well as an archive of Asian American community newspapers and other primary source publications not found elsewhere. The Digital Media Lab helps to support course-based as well as individual students’ independent projects such as podcasts, videos and the like.

Asian American Studies (ASA)

ASA 001 — Historical Experience of Asian Americans (4 units)

Course Description: Introduction to Asian American Studies through an overview of the history of Asians in America from the 1840s to the present within the context of the development of the United States.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 002 — Contemporary Issues of Asian Americans (4 units)

Course Description: Introduction to Asian American Studies through the critical analysis of the impact of race, racism, ethnicity, imperialism, militarism, and immigration since post-World War II on Asian Americans. Topics may include sexuality, criminality, class, hate crimes, and inter-ethnic relations.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 003 — Methods in Asian American Studies (4 units)

Course Description: Diverse research methods used in the multidisciplinary field of Asian American studies and research by department faculty. Application of methods to case studies of Asian American communities and issues. Methods include: historical/ archival research, literary analysis, feminist methods, media analysis, visual critique, ethnography, interviews, community-engaged research, and quantitative methods. Faculty guest lectures on relevant scholarship and their own research.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH), Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD).

ASA 004 — Asian American Cultural Studies (4 units)

Course Description: Interdisciplinary course examines the multiple ways in which race, class, sexuality and gender, as well as the recent turn to transnationalism and postcolonial theory, have changed the ways we read Asian American literature and see art, theater and film.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 092 — Internship (1-3 units)

Course Description: Supervised internship in community and institutional settings related to Asian American concerns.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; enrollment dependent on availability of intern positions.

  • Learning Activities: Internship 3-9 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 098 — Directed Group Study (1-5 units)

Course Description: Primarily intended for lower division students.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 1-5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 098F — Student Facilitated Course (1-4 units)

Course Description: Student-facilitated (taught) course intended for lower division students.

  • Learning Activities: Variable 1-4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 099 — Special Study for Undergraduates (1-5 units)

Course Description: Special study for undergraduates.

  • Learning Activities: Variable 3-15 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 100 — Asian American Communities (4 units)

Course Description: Survey and analysis of Asian American communities within both historical and contemporary contexts. Presentation of the analytical skills, theories, and concepts needed to describe, explain, and understand the diversity of Asian American communities within the larger, dominant society.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 102 — Theoretical Perspective in Asian American Studies (4 units)

Course Description: Critically examines major theoretical perspectives and approaches central to the intellectual and political concerns of Asian American studies as a distinct field of intellectual inquiry and sustained site of critique.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD).

ASA 112 — Asian American Women (4 units)

Course Description: Experiences of Asian American women from major ethnic subgroups comparatively examined in their social, economic and historical contexts using theoretical perspectives from social sciences, humanities/arts: identity, racialization, immigration, gender, sexuality, labor, socialization, cultural expression, social movements and feminist theorizing.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 113 — Asian American Sexuality (4 units)

Course Description: Restrictive U.S. immigration laws, labor exploitation, race-based exclusionary laws, removal and internment, anti-miscegenation laws, and other examples of social control are surveyed to assess their role in shaping the sexuality of the different Asian American groups.

  • Learning Activities: Discussion/Laboratory 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 114 — Asian Diasporas (4 units)

Course Description: Asian diasporic communities and the experiences of its members in the United States and internationally. Community building, cyberspace, gender issues, labor, transnational practices, effects of globalization, political organizing, homeland politics, humanitarian projects, citizenship and nationalism.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); World Cultures (WC).

ASA 115 — Multiracial Asian Pacific American Issues (4 units)

Course Description: Introduction to the experiences of biracial and multiracial Asian Pacific people in the U.S., concentrating on theories of race, racial identity formation, culture, media, and anti-racist struggles. Critical approaches to the analysis of popular media and academic representations.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 116 — Asian American Youth (4 units)

Course Description: Social experiences of diverse groups of Asian American youth. Ways in which youth themselves actively create cultural expressions and political interventions.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Term Paper.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 121 — Asian American Performance (4 units)

Course Description: Performance work by, for, and/or about Asian Pacific Americans including dramatic literature, performance art, dance, and film. Ethnicity, gender and sexuality, class and age as they intersect with Asian Pacific American identities in and through dramatic performance.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 130 — Asian American Literature (4 units)

Course Description: Works of Asian American literature by writers from the major ethnic subgroups, examined in their social, economic and historical contexts. Intertextual analysis of their thematic and formal elements to form an understanding of Asian American literary traditions.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 131 — Ethnicity, Culture, & the Self (4 units)

Course Description: Cultural and social psychological influences on Asian Americans focusing on the individual.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD).

ASA 132 — Health Issues Confronting Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (4 units)

Course Description: Health issues confronting Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Cross Listing: SPH 132.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS).

ASA 141 — Asian Americans & the Political Culture of Fashion in the U.S. & Asia (4 units)

Course Description: Historical, cultural and sociopolitical development of fashion in Asia and the U.S. as it relates to the Asian Diasporas. Specific aspects of material culture: textiles, clothing and fashion.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s), Term Paper, Project.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 150 — Filipino American Experience (4 units)

Course Description: Examination of the relationship between the Filipino-American community, the Philippine home community and the larger American society through a critical evaluation of the historical and contemporary conditions, problems and prospects of Filipinos in the U.S.

  • Learning Activities: Discussion/Laboratory 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); World Cultures (WC).

ASA 150B — Japanese American Experience (4 units)

Course Description: Different analytical approaches to understand Japanese American history, culture and society.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Term Paper.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 150C — Chinese American Experience (4 units)

Course Description: Survey of the historical and contemporary experiences of Chinese in the United States, starting with the gold rush era and concluding with the present-day phenomenon of Chinese transnational movement to the United States and its diasporic significance.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC).

ASA 150D — Korean American Experience (4 units)

Course Description: Interdisciplinary survey of the historical and contemporary experiences of Koreans in the United States from the late-19th century to the present.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); World Cultures (WC).

ASA 150E — Southeast Asian American Experience (4 units)

Course Description: Historical survey of Southeast Asian experiences with special focus on United States involvement and post 1975 migrations. Defines international and transnational conditions that led up to the large exodus and resettlement of Southeast Asians.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 150F — South Asian American History, Culture, & Politics (4 units)

Course Description: South Asian American experiences, focusing on the histories, cultures, and politics of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan communities in the U.S. Interdisciplinary approaches to migration, labor, gender, racialization, ethnicity, youth, community mobilization.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 155 — Asian American Legal History (4 units)

Course Description: Legal history of Asian Americans, from the mid-19th century to present. Laws and administrative policies affecting Asian American communities, including those governing immigration, social and economic participation, WWII internment, and affirmative action.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD).

ASA 189A — Topics in Asian American Studies: History (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies; history.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); World Cultures (WC).

ASA 189B — Topics in Asian American Studies: Culture (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies; culture.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS).

ASA 189C — Topics in Asian American Studies: Physical & Mental Health (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies; physical and mental health.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS).

ASA 189D — Topics in Asian American Studies: Policy & Community (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies: policy and community.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD).

ASA 189E — Topics in Asian American Studies: Comparative Racial Studies (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies: comparative racial studies.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 189F — Topics in Asian American Studies: Asian Studies & Asian American Studies (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies: asian studies and asian american studies.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS).

ASA 189G — Topics in Asian American Studies: Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies: race, class, gender, and sexuality.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Social Sciences (SS).

ASA 189H — Topics in Asian American Studies: Society & Institutions (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies: society and institutions.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS).

ASA 189I — Topics in Asian American Studies: Politics & Social Movements (4 units)

Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies: politics and social movements.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated when topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); American Cultures, Governance, & History (ACGH); Domestic Diversity (DD); Oral Skills (OL); Writing Experience (WE).

ASA 192 — Internships (1-5 units)

Course Description: Supervised internship in community and institutional settings related to Asian American concerns.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; enrollment dependent on availability of intern position with priority to Asian American Studies minors; consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Internship 3-15 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 194 — Asian American Studies Capstone Course (4 units)

Course Description: Synthesis of the approaches and methods learned by students in Asian American Studies and development of specialization in their areas of interest. Development of a research proposal for thesis project.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s), Project, Extensive Writing.
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Open to junior or senior level standing in Asian American Studies or consent of instructor.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.

ASA 195 — Asian American Studies Senior Thesis Seminar (4 units)

Course Description: Synthesis of the approaches and methods learned in Asian American Studies. Production of an original research paper on a topic of student's interest, building on the research proposal submitted in the capstone seminar.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s), Extensive Writing, Project.
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Restricted to junior and senior level standing in Asian American Studies. Completion of ASA 194 required.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.

ASA 197T — Tutoring in Asian American Studies (1-5 units)

Course Description: Tutoring in lower division Asian American Studies courses in small group discussion. Weekly meetings with instructor.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Tutorial 1-5 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated 1 time(s) for a given course and also for a different course.
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 198 — Directed Group Study (1-5 units)

Course Description: Primarily intended for upper division students.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 1-5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 198F — Student Facilitated Course (1-4 units)

Course Description: Student-facilitated (taught) course intended for upper division students.

  • Learning Activities: Variable 1-4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 199 — Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates (1-5 units)

Course Description: Special study for advanced undergraduates.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Variable 1-5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 199FA — Student Facilitated Course Development (1-4 units)

Course Description: Under the supervision of a faculty member, an undergraduate student plans and develops the course they will offer under 098F/198F.

  • Learning Activities: Variable 1-4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

ASA 199FB — Student Facilitated Teaching (1-4 units)

Course Description: Student facilitated. Under the supervision of a faculty member, an undergraduate student teaches a course under 098F/198F.

Prerequisite(s): ASA 199FA.

  • Learning Activities: Variable 1-4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.