124820 SE Cultural and Media Studies Seminar (MA) (2025S)

The Asian American population is a sizable and heterogeneous group, comprising among others, individuals of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indian, or Pakistani descent. Given the sheer size and diversity of this group, as well as the complexity of its representation within popular culture, it is impossible to address the full scope of these issues within the confines of a single class. Consequently, the primary focus of this class will be on the representation of individuals of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and South Pacific Islander descent.
The history Asian Americans in popular culture is marked by a persistent American fascination with Asian beauty and culture, as well as pervasive anti-Asian racism, sexism, and xenophobia. Wong Liu Tsong, better known as Anna May Wong, rose to fame during the silent film era, but even in the early days of Hollywood, Wong and other actors and actresses of Asian descent were quickly forced into stereotypes such as the "dragon lady" or the "yellow peril" villain. These stereotypes were, of course, heavily influenced by early anti-Chinese immigration laws, the war against Japan, the creation of Japanese internment camps, and later the Korean and Vietnam wars. To make matters worse, Asian roles were often played by non-Asians, reinforcing harmful prejudices. In the mid-20th century, a few Asian American actors like Bruce Lee and Sessue Hayakawa successfully challenged stereotypes and brought more nuance to their roles. However, it wasn't until the 21st century that representation truly began to change, with films like The Joy Luck Club (1993), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and television shows like Fresh Off the Boat (2015-2020), Nora from Queens, starring Awkwafina (2020-2023), and “Xo, Kitty” (2023-present) offering multifaceted portrayals of Asian American life. Today, Asian Americans continue to gain more visibility and agency in the entertainment industry, literature, and popular culture in general, though challenges related to underrepresentation and stereotypical roles persist.
In this course, we will examine historical and contemporary representations of Asian Americans in various media, including film, television, stand-up comedy, literature, and theater. While revisiting some of the iconic Asian American performers such as Anna May Wong, the focus will be on contemporary representations that discuss Asian American experience and culture. These include the 2007 semi-autobiographical play Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang, Rachel Khong's 2024 novel Real Americans, and Margaret Cho's comedy show Beautiful. Other films and TV shows that will be discussed include some of the previously mentioned ones.

Importantly, the students will develop tools and methods to analyze and deconstruct representations of Asian Americans through Cultural Studies and Critical Whiteness concepts. We will further apply an intersectional perspective, to focus on how stereotypes in popular culture are interwoven with and confirm racial, sexual, gendered, and ableist stereotypes, ideologies, and hierarchies. At the same time, we will analyze how popular culture, when created from an Asian American intersectional positionality, can critically question stereotypes and oppression, potentially offering venues for critique and resistance to white cultural hegemony.