AAAS 348 (Fall 2013): Class, Race, and Gender—“Hapas, Hafus, Mestizos, and Muggles”

Posted in Asian Diaspora, Course Offerings, Media Archive, United States on 2013-09-16 01:05Z by Steven

AAAS 348 (Fall 2013): Class, Race, and Gender—“Hapas, Hafus, Mestizos, and Muggles”

California State University, Los Angeles
Asian and Asian American Studies Program
Fall 2013

Michelle Har Kim

HAPA (from the Hawai‘ian Dictionary, Māmaka Kaiao)

  1. Portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less. (Eng. half) Cf. hapahā, hapalua, etc. Ka ’ike hapa, limited knowledge. Ua hapā na hae, the flags are at half-mast, ho’o.hapa To lessen, diminish.
  2. Of mixed blood, person of mixed blood, as hapa Hawai‘i, part Hawaiian. See hapa haole.
  3. A-minor in music. See lele 7.

What assumptions do many of us make about how mixed-race Asians are supposed to look, speak, and understand themselves? Is it true that mixed-race people in general, Asian and otherwise, are able “see,” understand, or translate two or more cultural worlds? Continuing on with this theme of visuality, looking, and seeing, this course will create a space for talking about how we and others see mixed-race and race generally as a thing that has always-already and naturally been around—or something that we construct and create ourselves for certain reasons. Questions regarding identity and authenticity will surely lead us to more issues including gender, sexuality, money, and class.

Students are required to make time for regular readings, writing, and online and Moodle access. One hard-copy text is required: the Asian American Literary Review’s 2013 Special Issue on Mixed Race. Assignments will be taken from this journal and other texts to be announced. Discussions will anchor themselves through submitted reaction papers in which you will have creative and critical opportunities to compare visual pieces with assigned readings.

For the month of October, we will draw from an online Synchronous Teaching Program Digital Lab as we participate in the Asian American Literary Review’s Mixed Race Initiative. This hub will link us with other students studying mixed race, in an exciting effort to participate in a conversation beyond bounds of our classroom.

For more information, click here.

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