From A Different Shore
Closing Lecture Remarks
So far in this unit you have learned about key concepts and theories on race and ethnic relations to historical events and current events that affect society through the lens of Asian Americans and their incorporation into American history. We looked at how the categories of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, and citizenship influenced the first period of migration across the Pacific, as well is its parasitical lingerings in the American imaginary.
Understanding the influence and contribution of Asian Americans is key to unlocking a part of U.S. history. The influence of Asian American cultures, largely interpreted through racism, effects our everyday lives and not just the historical past through ideologies of yellow peril, model minority, and Islamophobia. Even so, this does not limit the role and impact of Asian Americans as individuals and as a group who gives back to this nation.
So much of our own circumstances are engrained in social inequalities produced by capitalism. Mode of incorporation explains, for example, how people join new societies without improving their status vis-a-vis inequality. If someone from another country has a better class status due to inequality in their home society, they are likely as immigrants to the U.S. preserve their social status. In the same scenario, someone from another country who is at the bottom of social inequality is likely to be incorporated into the U.S. as an immigrant with low social status. This transfer of social status when someone immigrates is referred to by sociologists as the “mode of incorporation.” Your status in gender, race, class, and sexuality in your home society is likely to remain the same in U.S. society when you first immigrate.
Power and privilege operate in society individually and systemically, through the categories of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, and citizenship. Depending on the nation of origin, social class, educational attainment, gender and sexuality, as well as phenotype (“skin color”), the Asian immigrant experience in the U.S. is diverse and broad; and not as intelligent, submissive or passive, successful, or otherwise perceived by the White Spatial Imagination. Perpetuating the myth of the “Model Minority” is not social science nor objective. Instead, it is a form of xenophobia by the dominant group powerful to enforce strong cultural views toward racialized groups and individuals who are irrationally distrusted or feared. Now is your opportunity to demonstrate your ability to utilize course concepts and incorporate case studies in producing knowledge through cultural criticism in writing.
Most unit lectures close with this same class discussion format. If you read and closely follow all the instructions for this class discussion, you should be able to do well here on out. I will be leaving you feedback and a grade for this assignment. It is important you review my feedback so you can address any issues in the next assignment.
I look forward to reading each of your posts and comments. Contact me ahead of time if you need an extension. I accept late posts but not late comments or self-reflections. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, doubts, or need additional assistance.
Saludos,
Professor Fuentes
Overview and Criteria
Post by Thursday, Reply by Saturday
The three (3) steps to complete this assignment are explained below in more detail, but here they are in a nutshell:
Answer at least 2 question(s) or prompts.
Incorporate at least 2 course concepts in your discussion.
Leave 2 substantive/expansive comments.
There are two (2) dimensions that add up to the total points possible from this assignment.
Possible 25 Points = Your Post (Due Thursday)
Possible 10 Points = 2+ Comments (Due Saturday)
You’ll be graded on your ability to utilize course concepts to critically reflect on the unit’s lecture material. You must closely follow guidelines to earn maximum points.
⚠️ Post Submissions
I only grade the first post left by each student. If you submit a second post, it will not be graded. I only grade the first attempt. All other attempts after the first post will be ignored and ungraded. Recommendation:Work on your post outside of Canvas and don’t submit it until it meets your standards for submission.
25 Points: Post Guidelines
Your post should be no less than 400 words in length. Your post is worth up to 25 points. It should contain:
4 pt: proper grammar. free of spelling errors, meets min. word count,
4 pt: use proper in-text citations, 6 pt: apply course concepts,
6 pt: incorporate reading and/or lecture(s) material,
5 pt: directly address all aspects of the prompt(s).
10 Points: Peer Comments
Each comment you leave is worth up to 5 points (depending on quality of post). Being nice and respectful is important, but it doesn’t get you all the points. Your comments need to be substantive and expand on the conversation or original post in a meaningful way. Comments should contain at least one of the following:
Comments should provide new information about the original post (“substantive”).
Elaborate on a point made by the Poster or someone else on the thread (“expand”).
In other words, compliments and salutations do not count as satisfactory comments. Pro Tips
What mistake will cost you the most points?
Use of in-text citations for all prompts is required. Every student should develop the habit of attributing information to sources in college-level writing. You can use either APAor MLA style for in-text citations. An example of citing the book in your text is as follows: (Takaki 2008, p.33). An example of citing lectures in your text is as follows: (Fuentes, “Unit #: Name of Lecture.”). Both the green number and lecture title must be changed to the appropriate source for credit.
Don’t want to lose your work?
Copy and paste your posts on Canvas, but write them elsewhere (Word, Google, etc.). Canvas logs users out with inactivity. If this happens, you aren’t alerted and your work will be lost even if you try to “save” or hit “submit.”
Need assistance with Canvas?
Cuyamaca has the Online Student Help Teamwho are ready to provide you with any Canvas support in real-time. If you need help using Canvas Discussions, please review the following guide: Canvas Student Guide – Discussions.
Continuing the Conversation
You have a voice; what’s your say?
Guidance: Select course concepts (2+) introduced in this unit to answer two (2) or more of the below question(s) or prompts according Dr. Fuentes’ lecture materials or Dr. Takaki’s A Different Mirror (2008). You can also incorporate your own personal experiences or recent events, but there has to be a clear connection to concepts and case studies.*
What are ways that xenophobia and “yellow peril” affect our understanding of American History?
Discuss Chinese immigration during California’s Gold Rush (Ch. 8).
How is the “Model Minority” or “Islamophobia” normalized and accepted in society?
Discuss Japanese immigration to the U.S. (1880s to 1920s) (Ch. 10).
Analyze the ways the racialization of Asian hurts or aids Asian Americans.
Discuss the concept of the “Color Line” during WII (Ch. 14).
From your own lived experience, what is another example of xenophobia or racialization?
Discuss the American (ethnic) dilemma of WWII (Ch. 14).
Add your own link to an ig post, tweet, or tik tok and explain how it is an example of White Spatial Imaginary or ethnocentrism; OR Write your own question and incorporate course concepts to explain the importance behind your question (and the value of the potential answer).
*No external sources. Base your response on the lecture materials provided and, as an add-on, you can tie in your own personal experiences, stories, and examples.