Required Readings: Iris Chang, The Chinese in America: A Narrative History, NY: Viking, 2003. Haiming Liu, The Transnational History of a Chinese Family, Rutgers University, 2005.

Required Readings:
Iris Chang, The Chinese in America: A Narrative History, NY: Viking, 2003.
Haiming Liu, The Transnational History of a Chinese Family, Rutgers University, 2005.

Week 1
Lecture 1 topic: Introduction to Asian American Studies and Chinese American Studies.
Readings: Chang, Introduction Chapter; Liu, Introduction Chapter.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Chang's book (Introduction chapter), 1. What are some of the important aspects of Chinese American experience, 2. In what way their experience was similar to other minority groups, 3. What is middleman minority? 4. How did Chang define Chinese identity?

Based on Lius book, (Introduction chapter) 1. Discuss the significance of immigrant letters. 2. Discuss the meaning of family as a network. 3. What was a transnational life, 4. How do we understand sojourning traditions in Chinese migration, 5. What were some of the push and pull factors in Chinese migration? 6. What was a reverse migration? 7. How does the Chang family history illustrate Chinese migration in general?

Week 2
Lecture 2 topic: Background of Chinese Immigrants
Readings: Chang, Ch.1. The Old Country, Ch. 2 America: A New Hope; Ch.3 Journey and Arrival in San Francisco. Liu, Ch.1 Origin of the Chang Family.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1. Describe 19 century Guangdong, China. 2. When and how did opium trade begin? 3. What is "coolie trade" and where were the Chinese sent as "coolie" laborers. 4. When and how did the Chinese first arrive in America? 5. What were some of the important cultural traditions (such as education) in imperial China and discuss how they are relevant to Chinese American experience? 6. What were some the push factors for immigration discussed in Chang,s book? 7. What were some of the important characteristics of early Chinese immigrants? 8. How does Chang describe Chinatown in San Francisco, and cultural practices that Chinese brought to the city? 9. What does the English-Chinese phrase book tell you about Chinese life in America? 10. What were some of the most important events in 1852 related to Chinese immigration? 11. Discuss the following concepts and events: Opium War, Extra-territorial privileges, treaty ports, foreign settlement, Burlingame Treaty, Taiping Revolution.

Based on Lius book, (Ch.1 Origin of the Chang Family), 1. What were some of the most interesting aspects of the Chang family history to you and some of the most interesting characteristics of their village in China? 2. What was the inheritance system in Chinese family culture? 3. What were some of the most important family values described in this chapter? 4. What was the Chinese civil service examination system? 5. What was a gentry family? 6. What was the significance of an ancestor hall in Chinese society? 7. What was the education situation in rural China?

Week 3
Lecture 4 topic: Chinese Immigrants at Work
Readings : Ch. 4 Gold Rushers on Gold Mountain; Ch. 5 Building the Transcontinental Railroad. Liu, Ch. 2 Yitang as a Merchant Immigrant.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1 Describe Chinese experience in mining. 2. Explain why they worked as a group. 3. What was Foreign Miner's Tax? 4. How did the Chinese deal with tax collectors? 5. How do you understand the People v. Hall case of 1854? 6. Describe Chinese life in San Francisco at that time. 7. What kind of businesses the Chinese established in the city? 8. Discuss the significance and meaning of Chinese language newspapers or theatre for Chinese immigrants. 9. How did the Chinese become railroad laborers? 10. Why was the United States so eager to build the continental railroad? 11. Why did Leland Stanford change his attitude towards the Chinese several times? 12. What was the most dangerous job in the construction of the railroad? 13. Give examples of Chinese resistance against discrimination and bigotry.

Based on Liu's book, (Ch. 2) 1. Find out about important social and economic characteristics of Guangdong, family values and structure. 2. What were some of the factors affecting the rise and fall a Chinese family, family politics and conflicts? 3. Discuss the importance of family school and ancestral halls. 4. Discuss in what way family functions as a cornerstone in Chinese society. 5. Find out how and why Yitang was able to enter America? 6. How did he establish himself in Los Angeles Chinatown? 7. What was his ties to his home country? 8. What have you learned about Chinese American life in Southern California through Yitang's second marriage?

Week 4
Lecture 4 topic: Chinese Exclusion Laws Part 1.
Readings: Chang, Ch. 6 Life on the Western Frontier; Ch. 7 Spreading Across America. Liu, Ch.3 Herbal Medicine as a Transplanted Culture,

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1. What was the impact of Chinese immigration on their home district? 2. What were some of social problems in the home district? 3. Explain and describe the contribution Chinese laborers made in California agriculture. 4. How did Chinese organize themselves and who were the leaders of such organization? 5. What was a "little sister"? 6. What kind of women were sold or kidnapped as prostitutes or wives in China? 7. What was their life like in America? 8. How did immigration officers view Chinese woman immigrants? 9. What was a Rescue Mission? 10. What was merchant wives' life like? 11. What parts of the United States that the Chinese spread to by late nineteen century? 12. What was the response of white workers towards 75 Chinese in North Adams, Massachusetts? 13. Who was Yung Wing? What was the image of Chinese in American society at that time?
Based on Lius book, (Ch. 3) 1. Discuss the significance of Chinese herbal medicine. 2. Comment on the relationship between Chinese herbalists and American patients. 3. Discuss the challenges and frustrations the herbalists experienced.

Week 5
Lecture 5 topic: Chinese Exclusion Laws Part 2
Readings: Chang, Ch.8 Rumblings of Hatred; Ch.9 The Chinese Exclusion Act. Liu, Ch. 4 Between Troubled Home and Racist America.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1. Discuss social background and motivations of anti-Chinese movements. 2. Discuss racial environment for the Chinese, list important city, state and federal laws against the Chinese, especially the major content of Chinese exclusion laws of 1882, and the Burlingame Treaty between the US and China before the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. 3. Explain the impact of such laws on the Chinese. 4. Describe the racial riot in Rock Springs, Wyoming in 1885, in Seattle in September 1885 and in Hell's Canyon, Oregon in 1877. 5. Explain the 1892 Geary Act, the 1902 Amendment and the 1904 Immigration Act. 6. Explain the "paper son" and Angel Island Immigration Station. 7. Explain the Boxer Rebellion, Hundred Days Reform of 1898, and the Chinese Empire Reform Association.
Based on Liu's book, 1. find out immigration process for the Chinese, and the strategies they used. 2. Find out the naming system in Chinese family culture. 3. Discuss what have you learned about Chinese family, women as you read how Sam's wife handled immigration interrogation.

Week 6
Lecture 6 topic: Chinese Paper Sons.
Readings: Chang, Ch.10 Work and Survival in the Early Twentieth Century; Ch.11 A New Generation Is Born; Ch. 12 Chinese America during the Great Depression. Liu, Ch.5 Asparagus Farming.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1. What was the political situation in China? 2. How did the Chinese make their cultural practices such as food and medicine adaptable to American society? 3. Describe Chinese laundry business. Describe the Tape v. Hurley case and discuss its significance in Chinese American experience. 4. How does the teaching about China in American schools impact the identity of American-born Chinese? 5. Why did Chinese children dislike Chinese language schools? 6. What was the job market situation like for Chinese college graduates? 7. Describe generation gap with specific examples from the book. 8. How did the Chinese survive the Great Depression? 9. Describe how Chinatown became a tourist site and comment both the possible and negative side of such survival strategy. 10. What do you think of the Forbidden City nightclub? 11. What were the media images of the Chinese? 12. What do you think of the essay debate sponsored by Ging Hawk Club and how does it reflect on Chinese American identity at that time?
Based on Lius book, 1. Discuss the contributions made by the Chinese immigrants in California agriculture, 2. the significance of Chinese asparagus farming, characteristics of Sam Chang's laborers, his identity and cultural orientation, and his perception of American society.
Midterm 1 scheduled: .

Week 7
Lecture 7 topic: Changes in China
Readings: Chang, Ch. 13 The Most Important Historical Event of Our Times: World War II. Ch.14 A Mass Inquisition: The Cold War, the Chinese Civil War, and McCarthyism. Liu, Ch.6 Education as a Family Agenda.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1.What was the war situation in China in 1930s? 2. How did the Japanese invasion devastate Chinese people and society? 3. Have you heard of Nanjing Rape or Massacre? 4. Provide examples to show what roles Chinese Americans played in resistance against the Japanese invasion in China. 5. Provide statistics to show the Chinese in US military service and explain its significance. 6. What do you think of the Times article on how to tell the Japanese from Chinese? 7. Who was Pearl Buck? 8. Who was Madame Soong Mei-ling, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-tung? 9. Explain the Magnuson Act of 1943 and the 1945 War Bride Act. 10. What was the international background of the Confession Program? 11. What were the strategies of US government in dealing with Chinese immigration issue? 12. What were the impacts of the Cold War and Confession Program on the Chinese community and family life?

Based on Lius book, (Ch. 6) 1.Discuss in what way, education was an important family agenda in the Chang family experience? 2. What have you learned about education tradition and reforms in education in Chinese society through the Chang family story? 3. Discuss how Chinese parents value education, monitor and involved in their childrens education. 4. Discuss how political crisis such as foreign invasion in China impact the identity of Chinese youth during that period.

Week 8
Lecture 8 topic: Chinese during WWII
Readings: Chang, Ch. 15 New Arrivals, New Lives: The Chaotic 1960s; Ch. 16 the Taiwanese Americans; Ch. 17 The Bamboo Curtain Rises: Mainlanders and Model Minorities. Liu, Ch.7 China as a Cultural Home.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1. Describe the war between the nationalist government and communist forces in China and the final collapse of the KMT government. 2. Describe the return of Chinese to China during the 1940s. 3. Based also on Chapter 14, explain the impact of McCarthy's anti-communist campaign on the Chinese community. 4. What is the Drumwright Report? 5. How did it impact Chinatown? 6. What is the Confession Program? 7. How did the image of China as a political enemy affect Chinese Americans? 8. Explain why some of the Chinese scientists returned to China. Explain and discuss the Tsien Hsue-shen's case? 9. Describe Vincent Chin's and Jim Loo's death and explain how such cases should be defined as racially motivated murder cases. 10. Explain the general anti-Asian sentiment in America and how it was linked the global economy. 11. How did changes in U.S.-China relationship impact Chinese immigration and Chinese American community? 12. How would immigrants from Taiwan differ from those of mainland China in their historical background? 13. Find out the admission rate of Asians compared with white Americans at Ivy League and leading public universities such as UC Berkeley and explain what the main barriers are for Asian Americans. 14. Explore why Chinese Americans have performed well at school. 15. Also explain what the Lau v. Nichols (1974) case is and its significance. 16. What are some of the major challenges (such as language proficiency, school environment) to Asian Americans in education?

Based on Lius book, (Ch. 7) 1 What is "reverse migration"? 2 How did the Chang family members use "reverse migration" for their social mobility? 3 Do some of the contemporary Asian Americans also use the same strategy? 4 In what way did China give a stronger sense of belonging to the second generation of the Chang family and made them view China as their cultural home? 5 How did America make them feel insecure about their legal residency, citizenship rights, and acceptance of American society? 6 Is any there any parallel example between the Chang family experience and contemporary Asian Americans?

Week 9
Lecture 9 topic: Chinese Community during the Cold War.
Readings: Chang, Ch.18 Decade of Fear: The 1990s; Ch.19 High Tech vs. Low Tech.

Short-answer questions on readings:
Based on Changs book: 1. Provide examples and statistical data to explain the astronaut family" and "parachute children family" and their social and political background. 2. Discuss the challenges and problems of such families. 3. Make comparison between family separations among contemporary Chinese Americans and pioneer Chinese Americans. 4. Explain some of the important international events such as the Tiananmen Incident of 1989, the 1997 political change in Hong Kong and their impact on Chinese immigration. 5. Why does the author define 1990s as an important decade for Chinese Americans? 6. How is it related to some of the important technology breakthrough and economic changes in American society? 7. Explain what H-1b visa is and the problem of this policy. 8. Describe the Wen Ho Lee case, compare the treatment of Lee and the treatment of Duetch when both violated the security codes in handling sensitive documents and discuss the implication and significance of Lee's case to Chinese Americans. 9. Describe the contemporary smuggling immigration from Fujian, China to America, and the changes of the Chinese community in New York due to the Fujian immigrants. 10. Discuss why illegal Chinese immigrants are still coming in spite of the hardships and dangers during the process.