Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2025 - ENGL 443W E100

Seminar in Literatures of Diaspora and Migration (4)

Asian/American: Cultural Identity and Nation

Class Number: 2313

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 12 – Aug 8, 2025: Wed, Fri, 4:30–6:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Yiwen Liu
    yiwen.liu@sfu.ca
    Office: AQ6102
    Office Hours: Fridays, 1-2 PM

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units or two 300-division English courses.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Advanced seminar in the literatures of diaspora and migration. May be organized by author, genre, period, or critical approach. Course focuses on writing in English. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

As identity categories, Asian American and Asian Canadian are born out of civil rights movements in the last three decades of the 20th century. Like all categories, these terms are both empowering and confining. On the one hand, they provide a productive means to address racialized experiences in white settler nation-states. On the other hand, the terms reinforce a nation-based framework despite their intention to expose the racist foundation of these nation-states. Employing the notion of “Asian/American,” this course aims to understand “Asian” not as a modifier to the national identity of American or Canadian, but as a diverse diasporic group who always and already partake in the making of North America. By examining novels, documentary films, poetry, and scholarly texts, this course invites you to think through how the cultural identity of Asian/American can be situated against and alongside national discourses.

The course follows the historical trajectory of Asian/American communities. We will first discuss how early Asian migrants and diasporas in Canada formulate, transform, and reclaim their cultural identity in times of juridical denial of rights (e.g. the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Continuous Journey Regulation) and violent displacement (e.g. Japanese internment). We then examine how the Cold War in Asia shapes generations of Asian/American communities (e.g. the Korean War, the Vietnam War). Finally, we will look at how the Asian/American diasporic community reconnects with peoples, cultures, and languages in Asia while remaining critical of the rising Asian nation-states in the post-Cold War time.

Grading

  • Active Participation and Attendance 15%
  • Group Research Presentation (15-20 mins), 1-page Notes, and Discussion Facilitation (25-30 mins) 25%
  • First Paper (2000 words) 25%
  • Research Paper (proposal + annotated bibliography + peer review + 2500 words) 35%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Please acquire the required texts on your own. They are available at the SFU Bookstore for purchase. Other course materials, such as films, literary excerpts, and scholarly texts will be made available through Canvas.

REQUIRED READING:

Joy Kogawa. Itsuka.


ISBN: 978-1987915853

Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.


ISBN: 978-0525562047

Madeleine Thien. Do Not Say We Have Nothing.


ISBN: 978-0345810434

Kawika Guillermo, Stamped: An Anti-Travel Novel.


ISBN: 978-1633916944

Yilin Wang, The Lantern and the Night Moths.


ISBN: 978-1778430381

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.