Katherine Hughes/Technician
Starting next semester, NC State will offer its first course, FL 394, focused on Asian-American culture and literature. Taught by Nathaniel Isaacson, Asian-American Literature aims to bring awareness to topics of the Asian-American experience both throughout history and current events in the United States.
NC State will offer an Asian-American studies course for the first time. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Isaacson is an assistant professor of modern Chinese literature with a Ph.D. in Asian languages and cultures from University of California-Los Angeles.
When Natalie Nguyen, assistant director of the GLBT Center, also reached out to Isaacson about the possibility of creating this course, Isaacson said he knew that now was the right time to officially get it started.
Nguyen said she spoke to students who expressed that they felt NC State was lacking in curriculum of Asian-American culture. She said students wanted to see a class that was a representation of their experience and wanted the opportunity to learn more about Asian-American history.
Nguyen said that from talking to students, she has noticed that students who are first, second and third generation each have different experiences of being incorporated into American society. She said that often their parents can’t be a good resource for students because the conditions are always changing, and coming to the U.S. as an immigrant is such a different experience than being born and raised in the U.S.
Nguyen also explained that Asian-Americans were a more prevalent part of American history, especially in the mid-late 1900s, in which many people were unaware. The hope is that this course will allow students to see another perspective of history in the U.S. that people are often unaware of or that they have not heard before.
The course will focus on the commonalities between the Asian-American experience and the experience of other ethnic groups or minority groups within the U.S. Topics that will be covered range from the civil rights movement, immigration and current issues in today’s society.
http://www.technicianonline.com/news/article_6ce75ab0-8e71-11e5-97ea-77055fd84233.html
