ETHS 320 CDQ - Immigrant Narratives

Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 4
Maximum Credit(s) Awarded: 4

This course investigates the issue of immigration, border, and identities in twentieth- and twenty-first-century immigrant narratives in the United States. Focusing on works of various genres, such as fiction, film, essays, and poetry, by primarily women writers and filmmakers of diverse ethnic and racial ancestries, we will explore these key questions: What are the major themes and issues in immigrant narratives? What does it mean to cross borders, and what are the causes, possibilities, and problems of border crossings? How are immigrants from historically marginalized racial and social groups raced, gendered, and classed? How do race and ethnicity intersect with other salient social identities such as class, gender, sexuality, religion, and nationality in immigrant experiences and identity constructions? In what ways do immigrant women and men challenge or negotiate boundaries that seek to oppress, exclude, or constrain? In what ways do immigrant narratives challenge or accommodate the U.S. national discourse of immigrant assimilation and upward mobility? In what ways can literary and cultural studies empower us as we seek to understand the urgent issues of immigration, identity, and belonging in today’s national and global contexts?

Offered Spring

Course Fee: No
Prerequisite(s): W tag or ENG 110