Multi-Ethnic American Literature

This course introduces ethnic American literature by investigating how cultural representations of “ethnic America” are formed in relation to its social, political, and material histories. We will begin by critically analyzing the nested issues of labour, legality, and immigration that have shaped Black, Asian, and Indigenous presence within North America. From there, we will move on to the themes of assimilation, multiculturalism, diaspora, and U.S. empire in order to track the trajectory of ethnic American literature in the late-20th and 21st centuries. Authors include: Frank Chin, Maxine Hong Kingston, Tomson Highway, Toni Morrison, and Viet Nguyen. 3 hrs. lect./disc. (Diversity) (Rec)