Courses

100-Level Courses

ASAM 101 - Introduction to Ethnic Studies: 
Perspectives through which people of color have come to see themselves in terms of their own heroes, cultures and contributions to the societies in which they live and the world in general. (AFAM 101, ASAM 101, CHIC 101 and WGST 101 are the same course)

ASAM 190 - Survey of American History with Emphasis on Ethnic Minorities: 
Survey of American history from prehistoric times (before 1492) to the present with special emphasis on the role of race and ethnicity. Credit will not be given for both HIST 180 and 190. (HIST 190, AFAM 190, ASAM 190 and CHIC 190 are the same course.)

200-Level Courses

ASAM 201 – The History of Asian Pacific Americans: 
Origins and evolution of Asian American communities and cultures, with an emphasis upon the southern California region, through selected books, oral histories, films, outside speakers and excursions. (HIST 201 and ASAM 201 are the same course.)

ASAM 202  – Ideas, Imagination and Intersections in Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies: Understand contemporary Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies by examining their roots and agency to imagine a society beyond our nation’s historical legacies. Students consider their life experiences through core concepts, research and creative works, and intersectional topics and identities in ES/ASAM.

ASAM 220 – Vietnamese Communities in the U.S.: 
Historical and cultural overview of Vietnamese communities in the U.S., especially Orange County. The vital role of voluntary agencies, mutual assistance associations, and religious centers. Examines Vietnamese business, entertainment, family, education and hobbies.

ASAM 230 – Civic Engagement Through Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies: 
Service-learning course introducing purpose of AAPI Studies, opportunities to develop cultural competency while serving AAPI communities and structured critical reflection for determining life purpose. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 units.

ASAM 250 – Introduction to Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the U.S.: 
Introducing multi-ethnic literatures of the U. S., the course considers texts within their cultural, historical, and socio-political contexts. Relates multi-ethnic literature to the creative and performing arts. Themes covered may include diaspora, migration, memory, history, citizenship, and/or ethnic identities. (CHIC 250, AFAM 250, ASAM 250 and ENGL 250 are the same course.)

300-Level Courses

ASAM 300 – Introduction to Asian Pacific American Studies: 
Interdisciplinary exploration of the experiences of several Asian American groups. Addresses questions of cultural assimilation and cultural persistence, family and gender roles, and literary and popular culture representations.

ASAM 303 – Community, Liberation and Action in Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies: Examine Asian American Studies’ historical legacies, community formation and social movements to address issues impacting APIDA communities, e.g., justice, identity, oppression. Apply knowledge of activism, creativity and liberation to design, implement and evaluate transformative action projects.

ASAM 307 – Research and Writing in Ethnic Studies: 
Introduction to research and writing in ethnic studies. Issues of research in ethnic studies (e.g., quantitative v. qualitative analysis, reliability/validity) and specific methods of research (e.g., archives, interviews, oral history). Extensive writing. A C (2.0) or better is required to satisfy the upper-division writing requirement. (ASAM 307, AFAM 307 and CHIC 307 are the same course.)

ASAM 308 – Asian American Women: 
Interdisciplinary examination of Asian and Pacific Islander American women’s experience. Compares and contrasts the experience of women from various parts of Asia and explores the social, cultural and political issues they face in the U.S. and abroad. (ASAM 308 and WGST 308 are the same course.)

ASAM 320 – Asian Pacific American Cultural Studies
: Asian American life as portrayed through novels, short stories, plays, poetry, film, music, painting, dance and other expressive forms. Examines historical and contemporary works by a variety of Asian and Pacific Americans.

ASAM 322 – Asian Pacific Americans and Religion: 
Historically, religion plays a significant role for immigrants. Explores religion as a cultural dynamic in the incorporation and persistence of Asian Pacific Americans into American society, especially in Orange County and the greater Los Angeles area. (ASAM 322 and RLST 322 are the same course.)

ASAM 325 – Asian American Film and Video: 
Introduction to major themes in Asian American film and video history and criticism. Asian American aesthetics, history and politics will be examined in areas of film and video direction, production, writing and acting.

ASAM 327 – Asian American Literature
: Introduces early literary expressions of the Asian American experience. Readings include poetry, short stories, novels and autobiographies. Fundamental understanding of Asian American literary history and awareness of the cultural diversity in America. (ASAM 327 and ENGL 327 are the same course.)

ASAM 340 – Asian American Communication
: Introduction to Asian American communication. Influences of Asian American cultural heritage, ethnic identity, generation and language fluency on communication. Similarities and differences in communication among the various Asian American ethnic groups. (ASAM 340 and HCOM 340 are the same course)

ASAM 342 – Asian Pacific American Families
: Asian Pacific American families have ranged from the seemingly solitary bachelor to the extended clan. Explores these, and many other ways of being a family, as it has been a basic part of Asian Pacific American history and culture.

ASAM 344 – Asian Pacific American Identities
: Interdisciplinary explorations of the ways in which those of Pacific Islander, Southeast, South and East Asian descent have met the challenge of being American at the personal level. Social construction of racial/ethnic identities, cultural conflict, self-determination and personal growth.

ASAM 346 – Asian American Psychology
: Major issues in the Asian American community from a psychosocial perspective, including ethnic identity development, generational conflicts, the model minority myth, interracial relationships, attitudes toward mental health services and alternative healing/therapeutic approaches. (ASAM 346 and PSYC 346 are the same course.)

ASAM 360 – Multiple Heritage Asian American and Pacific Islanders: 
Overview of the mixed heritage Asian American population in the U.S. Surveys the historical avenues that led to the United States and to inter-ethnic alliances. The many challenges this multi-ethnic population faces.

ASAM 362A – Filipina/o American Experiences: 
Introduction to Filipina/o American Studies, covering point of origin, immigration, legal barriers, economic struggles, civil rights and other current issues up to 1965.

ASAM 362B –  Contemporary Issues in Filipino America: Social justice and community issues in Filipina/o American communities in the U.S. after 2000. Issues may include institutional racism, environmental justice, gendered labor, urban redevelopment and cultural representations

ASAM 364 – South Asian American Experiences
: Interdisciplinary course exploring the experiences of South Asian Americans originally from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. Questions regarding influence of American culture on South Asian American identity, intergenerational concerns and cultural continuity, among others.

ASAM 365 – Vietnamese American Experiences
: Cultural, economic, political, social and transnational experiences of Vietnamese Americans. Participation through oral history, field trips to Orange County’s Little Saigon and projects involving the Vietnamese community.

ASAM 366 – Korean American Experiences: 
Historical events and contemporary issues, such as Korean American immigration, identity, inter-ethnic relations, gender issues, and entrepreneurship within the context of social, political and economic conditions of Korea and the United States.

ASAM 382 – World War II Japanese American Evacuation
: World War II eviction and detention of people of Japanese ancestry in the United States, pivoting on the significance of this experience in the areas of civil and human rights, cross-cultural relations and international affairs. Not available for graduate degree credit. (HIST 382 and ASAM 382 are the same course.)

400-Level Courses

ASAM 458 – The Vietnam Wars

Origins, conduct, consequences and legacies of the Vietnamese wars. (POSC 458 and ASAM 458 are the same course). Prerequisite: POSC 100 or HONR 201B; or graduate standing. 400-level Undergraduate Course available for Graduate Credit

ASAM 464E – The Vietnam War from the Vietnamese Perspective

The Vietnam War from various Vietnamese perspectives: historical, cultural and psychological; North vs. South; personal, regional, national and global; men and women; elite class and ordinary people. (HIST 464E and ASAM 464E are the same course).

ASAM 477C – American Immigration History

History of American immigration in a global context. Changes and continuities in the political, cultural, and economic contexts that generated the movement of diverse peoples and structured their experiences of integration within the U.S. (HIST 477C, AFAM 477C, ASAM 477C and CHIC 477C are the same course.)

ETHN 490 – Ethnic Studies Senior Seminar

Senior capstone learning experience and seminar. Required course for Ethnic Studies majors (AFAM, ASAM, CHIC). Requires completion of core requirements for AFAM, ASAM or CHIC. 

ASAM 495 – Internship in Asian American Studies

One hundred twenty (120) hours practical experience in some organization serving the Asian Pacific American community. Regular meetings with faculty advisor. May be repeated once for credit. Requires approval of supervising instructor(s).

ASAM 496 – Student-to-Student Tutorials

Consult Student-to-Student Tutorials in this catalog for a more complete course description. May be repeated for credit for a maximum of 3 units. Requires approval of supervising instructor(s).

ASAM 499 – Independent Study

Supervised research and/or service learning projects in Asian American Studies to be taken with consent of instructor and program coordinator. May be repeated for credit for a maximum of 6 units. Requires approval of supervising instructor(s).