Asian American Studies and History 216

Global Asians

Time: Winter Quarter 2016, Tues. & Thurs., 11:00-12:25 am.

Place: University 101
Professor: Ji-Yeon Yuh (pronunciation: Ji as in the letter G, Yeon to rhyme
with pun, Yuh to rhyme with huh) at j-yuh@northwestern.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2 to 3 p.m., and by appointment, in Harris 306

This is a comparative course that will examine the international migration

histories of different Asian groups in the 20th century and the development of
community and ethnic identity of those groups in different national contexts.
We will interrogate the concept of diaspora versus migration versus
immigration, and the notions of identity and community implicit in each
framework. We will discuss notions of group belonging and ideas of citizenship,
nationality and ethnicity, and also compare how different ethnic groups and
different national societies have handled ethnic/racial/cultural diversity. We
will, in short, be examining the crossing and construction of multiple borders,
the cultural encounters and the mixings of various Asian groups in various
socioeconomic and political contexts in different nation-states.

Academic Integrity
Northwestern University takes academic integrity very seriously. Under
University policy, faculty are required to refer possible cases to the dean’s
office. If it is determined that academic integrity has been violated, then the
student will receive appropriate sanctions. Sanctions range from a letter of
reprimand, a suspension spanning one to four quarters, or permanent
exclusion from the University. The standard sanction for an academic integrity
violation is a one-quarter suspension, which may be reduced or increased
depending on mitigating or aggravating factors.
I strongly urge you to familiarize yourself with the standards for
academic integrity. Following are a few basic standards that are commonly
violated.

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 1) You may not copy text from the Internet, newspapers, articles, books, and
other sources and use it as if it were your own writing.
2) You may not use ideas (including analyses, interpretations or
speculations) from the Internet, articles, books, and other sources without
citing exactly where you got them. Citing the source of your ideas and
information is called attribution and is very important. Ideas have
owners, and these owners must be properly acknowledged.
3) You may not collaborate and use the product of that collaboration as if it
were all your own work. Collaboration must be given prior permission by
the instructor, and it must be acknowledged as such in writing when you
turn in your assignment.
4) You must use proper citation for your attributions. In the field of History,
the Chicago style is preferred. Familiarize yourself with it and use it often.
When in doubt, attribute your sources.

A Word About Sources

Do not consider the Internet a source. Instead, consider it a vast, unruly,
lawless database that you cannot trust. It contains a lot of junk – most
websites, blogs, etc. qualify as such. So you need to consider the source and the
quality of the information you find on the Internet. This is particularly so when
writing academic papers. It is safest to use the Internet as a digital portal to a
brick-and-mortar library. Through the Northwestern Library website you can
access scholarly databases to find articles, books, films and other credible,
legitimate sources. It is also permissible to use the Internet as a quick and easy
reference, as an initial source of basic information. Forget what the war of 1812
was about? The Internet can easily remind you. But if you need more than
that, you will need to go far beyond the Internet. If you need guidance on using
library databases, contact the library to set up an appointment with a research
librarian.

Required Films
View on your own at the Multimedia Center in the library or via video stream.
In The Matter of Cha Jung Hee

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Bend It Like Beckham

Required Texts
All readings marked with an asterisk (*) are available on the course website on
Blackboard. The required books, listed below, are available for purchase at
Norris Books.

Rhacel Parrenas and Lok Sui, editors, Asian Diasporas

Neha Vora, Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora
John Lie, Zainichi (Koreans in Japan): Diasporic Nationalism and Post-colonial
Identity
Rhacel Parrenas, Force of Domesticity
Catherine Ceniza Choy, Global Families
Jeffrey Lesser, Discontented Diaspora

Course Requirements and Grading

1. Class attendance and participation (30%):
A. Attendance and participation in class and in section is required.
Absences will be reflected in a lower final grade.
B. In-class presentation of term project.
C. Self-Evaluation: At the end of the quarter, evaluate your course
performance and give yourself a grade. There will be a “test” on
Blackboard for the self-evaluation.
2. Team Term Project (40%): Each team must consist of 4 or 5 members. No one
may work alone and no team may have more than 5 members. Research a
topic and present your findings in class. Choose one of the following (all
projects must receive prior approval of the instructor):
a) Oral history project, 15-20 pages plus bibliography and
endnotes. Interpret 1 to 3 oral history interviews, placing
them in historical context. You may conduct your own
interviews (if so, please see me regarding the necessary
procedures and clearance) or you may draw on oral history
interviews available in archives, on the web, or published in

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 books.
b) Creative project – web site, film/video, photos, artwork,
creative writing, etc. – with a short explanatory essay (3-4
pages) plus bibliography and endnotes. The explanatory
essay must connect your creative project to diasporic art,
literature, film and other creative work.
c) Traditional research paper, 15-20 pages plus bibliography
and endnotes.
3. Individual Reflection Essay (30%): Discuss your experience in the team
project: What did you learn? What did you contribute? Discuss how
teamwork worked or didn’t work in your team. What would you do
differently? What are your individual thoughts and ideas about the subject
of your project? What is your perspective and your analysis of the issues
raised in your project? Keep it to 5-7 pages. Due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday,
March 16.

Paper Format and Submission

All papers should be in MS-Word, double spaced, Times New Roman 12-point
font, with one-inch margins on all four sides of standard letter paper format.
Page lengths do not include bibliography and endnotes. Do not send pdf files.
All papers should be submitted as attached files to the appropriate discussion
forum on Blackboard.

Project Deadlines: Submit via Blackboard

Sunday, January 31 by 5 p.m.: Term Project Proposal Due, including
bibliography and sources.
Sunday, Feb. 21 by 5 p.m.: Turn in a first draft of your term project, with full
bibliography.
Weeks 8 and 9: In-Class Presentations
Monday, March 14, by 5 p.m.: Final Draft Due
Wednesday, March 16, by 5 p.m.: Reflections Paper Due

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 Course Schedule

Unit One: Globalization and Migration

*Cohen, Robin. “Diasporas and the nation-state: From Victims to Challengers.”
International Affairs, July 19, Vo. 72. Issue 3, p. 507-522.

Tuesday, Jan. 5
Introduction: Defining Diaspora

Thursday Jan. 7
No Class

Unit Two: Diaspora and Globalization

*Saskia Sassen, “Global Cities and Diasporic Networks”
*William Safran, “Diasporas in Modern Societies: Myths of Homeland and
Return”

Tuesday, Jan. 12
Globalization

Thursday, Jan. 14
International Migration

Unit Three Diaspora and Citizenship

Neha Vora, Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora
Asian Diasporas, Ch. 10 “Legal Servitude and Free Illegality: Migrant ‘Guest’
Workers in Taiwan”

Tuesday, Jan. 19
South Asian Diaspora

Thursday, Jan. 21
Citizenship

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Sunday, January 31, by 5 p.m.: Term Project Proposal Due, including
bibliography and sources

Unit Four: Family Ties

Catherine Ceniza Choy, Global Families
View on your Own: The Matter of Cha Jung Hee

Tuesday, Jan. 26
Marriage Migration

Thursday, Jan. 28
Korean International Adoption

Unit Five: Domestic Worker Diasporas

Rhacel Parrenas, Force of Domesticity

Tuesday, Feb. 2
Filipino Diaspora

Thursday, Feb. 4
Foreign workers and diasporas

Unit Six: Diasporic Nationalism

John Lie, Zainichi (Koreans in Japan): Diasporic Nationalism and Postcolonial
Identity
Asian Diasporas, Ch. 8 “Diasporic Politics and the Globalizing of America:
Korean Immigrant Nationalism and the 1919 Philadelphia Korean Congress”

Tuesday, Feb. 9
Korean Diasporas

Thursday, Feb. 11

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Japan’s Minorities

Sunday, Feb. 21, by 5 p.m.: Turn in a first draft of your term project, with full
bibliography.

Unit Seven: Homeland Dreams and Diasporic Returns

Jeffrey Lesser, Discontented Diaspora
Asian Diasporas, Ch. 9 “When Minorities Migrate: The Racialization of the
Japanese Brazilians in Brazil and Japan”

Tuesday, Feb. 16
Japanese Diaspora

Thursday, Feb. 18
Japanese return migration

Unit Eight: Project Presentations

Tuesday, Feb. 23: Four or Five Teams
Thursday, Feb. 25: Four or Five Teams
Tuesday, March 1: Four or Five Teams
Thursday, March 3: Four or Five Teams

March 8: Reading Week Begi4s

Term Project due on Monday, March 14, by 5 p.m.
Individual Reflection Essay due on Wednesday, March 16, by 5 p.m.