Discourse on American law traditionally has marginalized Asian-Americans. This course disrupts the traditional view by placing Asian-Americans at the center. Since the nineteenth century, American law has profoundly shaped the demographics, experiences, and possibilities of Asian Americans. At the same time, Asian-Americans have had a tremendous impact on the shaping of American law. The course will consider the role of Asian-Americans in legal history as well as the past and present effects of law on Asian immigrants and Asian-Americans. Among the topics to be addressed are the Chinese Exclusion Act; the Japanese-American Internment; 1965 immigration reforms; hate crimes; racial profiling; transnational adoption; the mixed-race movement; bilingual education; and language rights. Other topics may be added based on student interest. While the course will challenge a black-white paradigm of race relations, it also will include substantial material on African-Americans, Latino(a)s Native Americans, white Americans, and other individuals and groups. The course will focus on legal cases and other aspects of the legal system, but it will be multidisciplinary in approach. Instructor will work with students to seek publishing opportunities. Although this course focuses on the Asian-American experience, it is not meant for Asian-Americans alone; It may be taken by anyone who has an interest in race relations and who is intellectually drawn to an unconventional inquiry.
Section Offerings for 2012-13
There are no offered sections in 2012-13. Please choose a different year.