Time Schedule:
Gail M. Nomura
AAS 498
Seattle Campus
Class description
AAS 498: Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest examines the history of the more than century-long presence of the Japanese in the Pacific Northwest (and British Columbia). The course studies the development of Japanese American communities in the Pacific Northwest despite long standing government sanctioned discrimination and powerful non-government forces committed to restricting or erasing the Japanese from the American and Canadian landscapes. Students will learn not only the history of this ethnic group but learn the skills of historical research through their assignments in archival research and oral history. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the course, topics include immigration studies, family, women, politics, economics, sociology, education, architecture, law, music, religion, documentary film making, oral history, and the literary, visual and performing arts.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
The course format will include lectures, guest speakers, video documentaries, films, classroom discussion, individual and group presentations, and some field work.
Recommended preparation
Some prior coursework in Asian American history is recommended but not required.
Class assignments and grading
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Linda Tamura, Hood River Issei, An Oral History of Japanese Settlers in Oregon’s Hood River Valley
Yasuko Takezawa, Breaking theSilence, Redress and Japanese American Ethnicity Louis Fiset, Imprisoned Apart, The World War II Correspondence of an Issei Couple Monica Sone, Nisei Daughter Robert Shimabukuro, Born in Seattle
Course requirements include some short writing assignments and a longer research paper.
