Asian American Community Studies (AACS)
Located in one of the most diverse counties in the United States, the Asian/American Center of Queens College is establishing an exciting new academic program.
The goals of the AACS program are to:
- Offer interdisciplinary knowledge of the Asian American experience and encourage awareness about the culturally diverse communities of the New York City area.
- Provide service-learning opportunities to create a critical mass of students with a sense of agency and understanding of contemporary issues.
- Enhance possibilities for career paths and further studies.
- Strengthen partnerships with local communities.
The AACS program offers courses such as “Global Communities in Queens”(AACS 107) and “Asian American History”(AACS 200), as well as a capstone course in “Community Internships” (AACS 360). Minoring in Asian American Community Studies is an excellent way to incorporate interdisciplinary studies into the undergraduate experience of any Queens College student.
AACS Courses
The following is a list of some AACS courses offered, ordered by department:
(click course title for detailed course information)
English
Comedy and Humor in Asian American Cultural Productions
This senior seminar examines comedy and humor in contemporary Asian American literature, film, and popular culture in order to claim a uniquely Asian American comedic tradition. Historically, U.S. popular culture has employed comedy and humor to make fun of, to exclude, and to mark Asian Americans as “alien.” We will discuss how Asian American comedy uses the same medium to counter such stereotypes and to disrupt fixed notions of race, gender, sexuality, class, and so on.Questions we will address include, but are not limited to, the following: How have Asians and Asian Americans been made the object of humor in popular and literary culture? How do we account for the lack of popular representations of Asian Americans as agents (rather than objects) of humor? How do we account for the critical neglect of Asian American comedic cultural productions in the field of Asian American studies? What kinds of social, cultural, political, and psychic work does Asian American humor do? How are comedy and humor both effective and limited for political projects and effecting social transformation? We will discuss texts such as Maxine Hong Kingston’s Tripmaster Monkey, Gish Jen’s Mona in the Promised Land, Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats, and Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, as well as films such as Alice Wu’s Saving Face, Danny Leiner’s Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and Grace Lee’s The Grace Lee Project, and the stand-up comedy of Margaret Cho.
Global Literatures in English
A historical study of the diversity of modern and contemporary Anglophone literatures and related literatures translated into English, encompassing the complex transnational and postcolonial nature of much modern writing in English. Asian American authors include Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Jhumpa Lahiri, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, and Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.
History
Asian Americans: Race and Resistance
This course will engage students in learning about Asian American history within local, national, and global contexts. Students will gain an appreciation for the complexity of Asian American migration and diaspora, and the diversity of Asian American communities and their experiences. This course will also explore the ways that American society and government have viewed and interacted with its Asian American population throughout history, and the impact that these interactions have had on shaping American policy and culture.
Political Science
Seminar in American Politics: Race, Class, and Power in America
See the most recent course bulletin for more details.
American State and Local Government
See the most recent course bulletin for more details.
Urban Studies
Planning the Future of Downtown Flushing
Flushing, Queens, is a diverse immigrant neighborhood undergoing much development and dynamic change. This class will study a recent plan by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to renew and redevelop downtown Flushing. In particular, we will focus on NYCEDC’s proposal for Municipal Parking Lot #1, the largest remaining city-owned property in downtown Flushing. NYCEDC envisions the five-acre site redeveloped as an upscale retail, office, and housing complex with a town plaza and youth center. Through the “lens” of Municipal Parking Lot #1, this class will study historic and current development policies and socio-demographic shifts that contribute to Flushing’s transformation and status as a regional economic center. We will also learn about NYCEDC’s planning process and engage with key community stakeholders to assess public support for NYCEDC’s downtown Flushing development proposal.
Asian American Queens Neighborhoods
This course will provide an overview of Asian American communities with a focus on local neighborhoods in Queens. Students will be introduced to the history of immigration in America, the history of Asian American communities, and usage of U.S. census data. Many facets of Asian American neighborhoods will be discussed, including the evolution of communities over time, intergroup relations, and the role of community-based organizations. Students will be taken on field trips to local Queens neighborhoods during class time for walking tours and visits to various neighborhood organizations. Through field visits, course readings, guest lectures, and class discussions, we will explore multiple aspects of the Asian American experience, including economic entrepreneurship, political participation, health, youth and higher education, media, religion, and identity.
Social Movements in Asian American Communities
This course will examine social advocacy and organization in Asian American communities nationwide, with a focus on Queens and New York City. Course material will cover major Asian American social movements throughout history. Examples include: Japanese American Redress Movement, 1960s campus organizing and the creation of Asian American studies programs, and Asian Americans’ active participation in the Civil Rights Movement and anti-war protests. Students will also learn about contemporary issues around which Asian American communities have organized, such as immigration reform, post-9/11 protection of civil rights, and labor organizing in Asian immigrant workplaces. The course will involve lectures from guest speakers and visits with Asian American advocacy organizations.
Fieldwork in Urban Studies
See the most recent course bulletin for more details.