Department of English

Outbreaks of war between the United States and East Asia spanned the twentieth century, and each transpacific conflict redefined Asian Americans, who found themselves cast as enemy or ally. This course will consider an array of popular wartime representations of Asians during the Pacific War, the Korean War, and the War in Vietnam--and then turn to Asian American responses to these portrayals. Our discussions will focus on critical and artistic strategies for presenting these complex subject positions during moments of political crisis. Course texts will include novels by Julie Otsuka, Susan Choi, Le Thi Diem Thuy, among others, and films including Letters from Iwo Jima, Pork Chop Hill, and Apocalypse Now.

Course requirements: in-class presentation, short paper, and final research paper.  

Satisfies the College's Cultural Diversity in the US (CDUS) requirement.

KEYWORDS: war, enemy, Pacific, Korea, Vietnam, Asian America