Asian American Studies 116: Asian American Social Movements: Mobilizing for Peace and Justice Fridays,
2 - 4:50 p.m. Instructor:
Glenn Omatsu ClassWeb Magazine | Syllabus | HW Assignments | UCLA AAS 116 | Resources |
CLASS DESCRIPTION: This class is dedicated to the memory of Professor Yuji Ichioka, the founder of Asian American Studies who passed away in fall 2002. Professor Ichioka emphasized the responsibility of teachers and students in Asian American Studies to share their knowledge with the community, to respond to community needs with research, to confront all forms of oppression, and to work for social justice. This class follows these founding principles of Asian American Studies. This class addresses the challenges facing Asian Americans following September 11, 2001. According to Professor Ichioka, the terrorist attacks and the U.S. terrorist responses ushered in a new era of world history with profound implications for people in the U.S., especially young Asian Americans. U.S. military intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Philippines and other regions plus corporate domination of the world confront activists with new challenges requiring creative and imaginative organizing strategies. As Professor Ichioka often stated, the responsibility of people in Asian American Studies is not simply to critique injustice from "ivory towers" of academia but to work at the grassroots level in our communities to collectively create alternative visions for society. This class also focuses on the key role that Asian Pacific American students can play in this period. This class provides students with hands-on activist training to help them confront class polarization, which increasingly is becoming a major feature of Asian Pacific American communities. Students will receive training in ways that they can use campus resources, including their academic skills, to support community efforts around peace and justice. |