CFP: Asian Americanist Critique Outside Asian American Literature Courses

American Literature Association Conference, San Francisco, May 27-30, 2010

Circle for Asian American Literary Studies—Pedagogy Roundtable

Proposal deadline: January 15, 2010

As specialists in Asian American literature working in contemporary configurations of English studies, we often teach courses that are not organized around nor focused solely on Asian American literature as a body of work. At the same time, scholars and teachers of other categories of literature often turn to Asian American texts in their courses. In both of these instances, we place Asian American texts in conversation with other texts, but perhaps more importantly, we suggest the importance of Asian Americanist critique for courses and texts beyond the standard body of works we consider in the field. This roundtable panel focuses on pedagogical practices we use for such situations, especially as they reveal our investments in Asian Americanist critique as a kind of knowing that queries the contours of literary studies and the classroom as a site of learning.

To make our discussion more concrete, this call for ten-minute presentations asks for reflections on paper assignments, discussion activities, creative projects, or other concrete examples of what you do in the classroom to teach particular Asian American texts in these courses. Which texts have worked best for you? What activities or teaching strategies have helped to encourage students to read Asian American texts in critical ways without the benefit of a full quarter or semester to explore Asian Americanist issues, backgrounds, and contexts? Alternately, how has teaching particular Asian American texts transformed readings and discussions of non-Asian American texts in those courses?

Please submit a brief description (250-words) of an assignment that you want to share on the panel in the body of an email message to plai2@stthomas.edu. Please mention any technological needs for your presentation on your abstract. Also, please note that if your abstract is selected and you agree to present on this panel, you will need to become a member of CAALS before presenting.  For more information, please visit our website at https://caals.org/