What? Why? How?

In the course AAS 232: Introduction to Asian American Fiction and Film, I aspire to learn more about Asian American narratives and their historical and political contexts, so that I can negotiate my own identity as an aspiring Chinese American writer. I hope to get a greater understanding of Asian American literature and media and relate racial and intraracial dynamics portrayed in these works of art to present-day events and personal experiences. Gaining skills in analyzing Asian American literature would be invaluable for me as an English major as this is the first course I have taken in my life that elevates wide-ranging works by people of my racial background to a full syllabus that is worthy of serious study. As such, this course will likely give me examples and role models if I do decide to continue in a career in creative writing, academia, or teaching, and confidence to keep studying and working in a field where Asian Americans may experience invisibility or marginalization.

This semester, I hope to gain a knowledge of the diversity of Asian American narratives, encounter works I would otherwise never experience, and engage with a community of scholars sharing the same goals. I will pursue these goals by studying each text and film with focus and depth, while taking notes on fascinating ideas and multicultural concepts as well as learning from my peers' contributions in order to participate in a regenerative community of Asian American knowledge.

These goals are also especially relevant to me outside of this course as an Asian American woman studying the humanities, as I hope to learn more about what has been previously done by people of my background and take away literary techniques and historical knowledge that I will put toward future personal projects. I am sure the knowledge gained in this course could turn up in the future in my work e.g. in the form of poems, short stories, journalism, essays, comparative literature, geospatial narrative mapping, and potentially a full-length book or thesis. As this is my first exposure to college-level study of Asian American narratives, this course will likely influence how I act and think about real life and my own experiences far into the future as I will be spending these months in the Spring 2021 semester studying ideas that may potentially be windows and mirrors into the lives of my forebears and into my own. As such I know I will come away with an enriched understanding of the significance of Asian American lives and use this to come to my full potential at Stony Brook University.