Dear Wesleyan,
As you continue trying to figure out how this new registration system works, let me draw your attention to a very interesting course being offered next year. The class is called Intimacy and Asian Migrations (AMST 211/EAST 251/FGSS 204) and is being taught by a visiting History professor from the University of California, San Diego. Professor Nayan Shah has written a book entitled Contagious Divides: Epidemics and Race in San Francisco’s Chinatown (2001), which focuses on issues of public health, race, and citizenship.
His course, “Intimacy and Asian Migrations,” explores the history of interracial and intercultural intimacy generated by the migrations from Asia in the Americas, 1800-present. It will focus on social and sexual ties, spiritual and political alliances, and cultural practices generated in the convergence of peoples through migration, imperialism, capitalism, and global transformations. The class will meet Wednesdays from 1:10-4:00 and is currently only open to juniors and seniors.
Please note that this is the last class being offered under the Freeman Asian American Initiative. This initiative began four years ago in response to the student body’s growing interest in establishing an Asian American Studies department here at Wesleyan. The $1.9 million grant has brought distinguished Asian American Studies scholars to campus for teaching and research residencies, supported funding for a two-year post-doctoral fellows program, sponsored several lectures, performances, and workshops, and funded many summer research projects abroad in Asia. Next year is also the final year to apply for the Freeman Asian/Asian American Initiative Summer Research Grant. Though this research program has been quite popular, the Wesleyan community has not been taking full advantage of the many resources this Initiative has provided. Most notably, the subscription to these Asian American Studies courses has been dismal and quite disappointing. I am currently taking a class taught by Professor Evelyn Hu-DeHart, an internationally recognized expert in her field and yet, our classroom is not half as packed as it should be.
This is a call to students who have any interest whatsoever in seeing Asian American studies here on campus. Take this course next year to show the administration that we are actually interested in seeing this program remain at Wesleyan. Let’s finish this Initiative strong by flooding this course with enrollment requests (even if you’re a rising sophomore). I mean come on, sex and Asian America, what more could you want, people?
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