Karintha Lowe

From Karen Tei Yamashita’s novel, I Hotel, to Emmanual Han’s photographic series, America Fever, contemporary Asian American artists and writers have often mined the historical record for creative inspiration. In this course, we will explore how 20th- and 21st-century Asian American novelists, poets, photographers, and painters have turned to the arts in order to reimagine major events in US history. Beginning with the Gold Rush (1848-1855) and concluding in the early 2000s, our chronology will be expansive, as we pay particular attention to how artists and writers have turned to their chosen media forms in order to craft more inclusive representations of American history. At the same time, we will interrogate the ethical implications and historical limitations of reconstructing and reimagining the past—especially in relation to themes of migration, violence, erasure, and identity. In reading across time periods and genres, students will ultimately develop a deeper understanding of the key themes and methods that inform the interdisciplinary field of Asian American studies. Likely artists will include: Stephanie Shih, Martin Wong, Zarina, Albert Chong, Hung Liu, Linda Sok, and Phung Huynh. Likely authors will include: C. Pam Zhang, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ocean Vuong, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Mohsin Hamid. Readings will be supplemented by primary sources and mini lectures, which will contextualize our creative readings within larger socio-historical frames.

This course will introduce students to the major themes and methods of Asian American cultural studies. Each week, we will revisit a key “site” of Asian American history—the sugarcane plantation, the shoreline, the railroad, the internment camp, and the protest—and explore how Asians in America have differently documented themselves in relation to those spaces through art and literature. We will ask questions, including: How might a poem, photograph, or film differently represent the experience of migration? What common images emerge in the literature and art surrounding a particular historical event? What power or authority does the “documentary” hold in relaying the lived experiences of Asians in America? In answering these questions, course discussions will center on themes of memory, testimony, identity, and the power of representation. The course will also include field trips to area collections in documentary photography and filmmaking. Other assignments will include visual and literary analysis essays and creative-writing responses, as well as a curatorial project where students will have the opportunity to research Asian American documentarians and pitch artworks for exhibition at the Hudson River Museum.

This small seminar will provide students with the opportunity to engage in community-based work at the Hudson River Museum. Much of our course work will be held on-site at the Hudson River Museum, where we’ll work together on a series of curatorial and public programming projects related to the Community and Partnerships Gallery. Students should have previous experience working in an arts or nonprofit setting, as much of our course work will be directly aimed at engaging the local community with the Hudson River Museum’s exhibitions, collections, and events. Ultimately, students will gain firsthand experience working in the fields of curation and community engagement, as well as in events planning.