Introduction to Ethnic American Literature

L223 — Spring 2022

Instructor
Alberto Varon
Days and Times
1:15p - 2:30p TR (3 CR)
Course Description

We will examine writers from an array of ethnic traditions, including, African, Asian, and Anglo American, Latinx, and American Indian, whose work collectively paints an inclusive and fully realized picture of American life in the late 20th and 21st centuries. We'll ask 2 basic questions: what does it mean to be an American? and how does literature both represent and create that experience?  Authors include Sherman Alexie, Junot Diaz, Alice Walker, Gene Luen Yang, Alex Rivera, Jhumpa Lahiri, Justin Simien, and Chimamanda Adichie. Concepts include race, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, globalization, transnationalism, border theory, neoliberalism, im/migration, and history.