Asian American Pop! From boba to K-pop, Asian diasporic culture is undeniably the shared lexicon of a global mainstream. In this course, we will engage with recent literary, televisual, and cinematic works to discern what they express about Asian American history, identity, and cultural politics. What is the difference between appropriation and authenticity? What can “popular” representations tell us about “serious” topics such as capitalism, citizenship, and empire? How does Asian American popular culture enact collective desires for belonging and memory? In particular, we will attend to the gendered and sexual circuits of cultural formation, with units on Asian American girlhood and queer diasporas. Texts include: Flower Drum Song, Crazy Rich Asians, and Master of None. Authors may include: Ocean Vuong and Lysley Tenorio.

Reading Race in the 21st Century This course studies multi-ethnic literature by exploring how racial formation is represented through literature produced in the 21st century. We will study both the continuities and divergences in contemporary Black, Indigenous, and Asian American literary productions from their historical iterations. What shifts have taken place in the multi-ethnic literary canon and tradition between the past to current centuries? We will engage with themes such as the rise of genre fiction, changes to the literary marketplace, and the status of “national literature” in the global age. Authors may include: Colson Whitehead, Chang-rae Lee, Louise Erdrich, and Jhumpa Lahiri. (While ENGL 0224 Multi-Ethnic American Literature is not a prerequisite, it is encouraged.) 3hrs. sem. (This is an advanced course, so it is strongly recommended that you have completed previous ENGL coursework.) (Formerly ENGL 0306) 3hrs. sem.

Multi-Ethnic American Literature This course introduces multi-ethnic literature by studying the relationship between racial formation and literary representation. What role does literature play in the process of racialization? How are cultural representations of racialized difference formed in relation to its historical, material, and social conditions? We will critically analyze the nested issues of labour, law, and migration that have shaped Black, Indigenous, and Asian presence within North America. From there, we will explore the themes of assimilation, multiculturalism, diaspora, and empire in order to track the trajectory of minoritarian literature throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Authors may include: Maxine Hong Kingston, Tomson Highway, and Toni Morrison.

The Millennial Novel In describing the essential features of the “millennial novel,” author Brandon Taylor insists, “What matters are the vibes.” Historically, the millennial novel is produced by authors born between 1981 and 1996. Thematically, it is distinguished by how “more female, queer, and BIPOC characters get to confront the impending collapse of society.” In this course, we will study the new genre of the millennial novel by reading its exemplary texts such as Private Citizens, Luster, Such a Fun Age, and Severance. Along the way, we will supplement the novel form with other millennial aesthetics, such as the music of Taylor Swift, the cinema of Emerald Fennell, and television shows by Issa Rae and Michaela Coel. This is an advanced course, so it is strongly recommended that you have completed previous ENGL coursework. Sem.

Reading Literature: How to Do Things with Words How does language make and unmake the world around us? Is literature capable of intervening in the social and historical conditions of its own making? How does literary criticism participate in cultural transformation? To get a grasp on these questions, we will read widely in literature that explores the relationships between language, power, and social life, as well as criticism and theory that examines the interactions between aesthetics and politics. Our inquiry will survey the practical and theoretical foundations of literary study, as well as current debates about methodology in the field. Readings might include: Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and poetry by Phillis Wheatley Peters, John Keats, Dionne Brand, Solmaz Sharif, and M. NourbeSe Philip

Reading Race in the 21st Century This course surveys multi-ethnic American literature by exploring processes of racial formation through literature and literary representations produced in the 21st century. We will study both the continuities and divergences in contemporary Black, Indigenous, and Asian American literary productions from their historical iterations. What shifts have taken place in the multi-ethnic literary canon and tradition between the past to current centuries? We will engage with themes such as the rise of genre fiction, changes to the literary marketplace, and the status of “national literature” in the global age. Authors include: Colson Whitehead, Chang-rae Lee, Louise Erdrich, and Jhumpa Lahiri. (While ENGL 0115 Introduction to Multi-Ethnic American Literature is not a prerequisite, it is encouraged.) 3hrs. sem. (Students must have previously taken either ENGL 0103 or one course with a REC tag in order to register. )

Multi-Ethnic American Literature This course introduces multi-ethnic literature by studying the relationship between racial formation and literary representation. How is race constituted and what role does literature play in the process? How are cultural representations of racialized difference formed in relation to its historical, material, and social conditions? We will critically analyze the nested issues of labour, law, and migration that have shaped Black, Indigenous, and Asian presence within North America. From there, we explore the themes of assimilation, multiculturalism, diaspora, and American empire in order to track the trajectory of minoritarian literature throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Authors may include: Maxine Hong Kingston, Tomson Highway, Toni Morrison, and Viet Nguyen.

Reading Race in the 21st Century This course surveys multi-ethnic American literature by investigating processes of racial formation through literary representations produced in the 21st-century. We will study the continuities and divergences in contemporary Black, Indigenous, and Asian American literary productions from their historical iterations. What shifts have taken place in the multi-ethnic literary canon and tradition between the past to current centuries? How has the 21st century yielded new or alternate ways of telling familiar stories? What are the different forms and genres that BIPOC authors turn to in order to articulate social concerns? We will engage with themes such as the rise of genre fiction, changes to the literary marketplace, and the status of “national literature” in the global age. Authors may include: Colson Whitehead, Chang-rae Lee, Louise Erdrich, or Jhumpa Lahiri. (While ENAM0115 Introduction to Multi-Ethnic American Literature is not a prerequisite, it is encouraged.) 3hrs. sem.

Asian American Indie Cinema From The Joy Luck Club (1993) to Crazy Rich Asians (2018), we have seen Asian American films sporadically achieve mainstream and commercial success in the last few decades. In these discussions, however, less attention is often paid to the rich and storied tradition of Asian American independent cinema. From its inception, Asian American cinema has necessarily had to be “independently” produced and distributed due to the historical, political, and material circumstances of Asian American racial formation. In this course we will survey, view, and analyze selections from the canon of Asian American indie cinema. What social themes do Asian American filmmakers engage with in their works? Which cinematic traditions do they borrow from or re-envision? Films studied may include: Chan Is Missing (1982), Double Happiness (1994), Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), Saving Face (2004), and Minari (2020).

Race and Representation In this seminar we explore cultural representations of race in popular and mass media. How are racial identity and racial difference represented in the media around us? What political, historical, and social contexts shape racial representations? Conversely, how might cultural representations of race shed light on its politics and histories? The foundational premise of this course is that popular culture has much to tell us about “serious” topics, such as capitalism, state violence, and structural inequities. We will commit to the idea that the pieces of culture we consume for fun or entertainment are worthy of critical study and rigorous critique. In this vein, we will critically analyze popular cultural texts that span a wide range of media, such as literature, television, film, and music.

Towards a Poetics of Community Why read literature? One answer: such reading is not individual but communal. It links readers to each other in aesthetic experience, in ethical and hermeneutic debate, and in appreciation for writers and fellow readers. As we read literary texts from different times, cultures, and genres, we will examine how they anticipate, create, or recreate readerly communities, and how these communities in turn help shape the texts as they are experienced. We will also strive to form our own readerly community—one that is as inclusive and as intellectually generous as possible. We will begin with close analysis of poetry in various forms from various historical periods. We will then read dramas by such playwrights as William Shakespeare, Margaret Edson, and/or Lolita Chakrabarti, as well as two works from among such prose writers as Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Marilynne Robinson, Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison, Ian McEwan, Walter Moseley, and Jean Rhys.

Reading Race in the 21st Century This course surveys multi-ethnic American literature by exploring processes of racial formation through literature and literary representations produced in the 21st century. We will study both the continuities and divergences in contemporary Black, Indigenous, and Asian American literary productions from their historical iterations. What shifts have taken place in the multi-ethnic literary canon and tradition between the past to current centuries? We will engage with themes such as the rise of genre fiction, changes to the literary marketplace, and the status of “national literature” in the global age. Authors include: Colson Whitehead, Chang-rae Lee, Louise Erdrich, and Jhumpa Lahiri. (While ENAM0115 Introduction to Multi-Ethnic American Literature is not a prerequisite, it is encouraged.) 3hrs. sem.

Jennifer Wang

Reviews and ratings for Jennifer Wang at Middlebury College.Jennifer Wang teaches Asian American Pop!, Reading Race 21st Century, Multi-Ethnic American Lit and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Jennifer Wang good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

A lot of reading, class description is not accurate. A lot of history and theories/concepts. Assignments were not necessarily difficult nor is the materials hard, but her grading is very particular and not clear on what she wants on them. Written Exams & pop quizzes are open-note but difficult and require a lot of critical analysis. Your own interpretation will not be correct. Otherwise, the discussions were fun and lecture was interesting. If you really enjoy reading and nit-picking ideas this is not a bad class.

Jennifer Wang is clearly very smart, but sometimes her attitude of superiority gets to me. The exams specifically, even though the material and discussions were interesting, were incredibly unclear, and she does not make comments on your writing to help you improve, just writes a number in a circle. The way she talks, overall, is incredibly convoluted, and many people in my class share that they get confused halfway through her sentences. Sometimes, students can't help but laugh out loud at the unclearness of her questions and answers. 

Strict attendance policy with no more than two allowed missed classes, any additional absences result in an automatic No Credit for the course. No technology are allowed and all assignments must be submitted as hard copies. There are no opportunities to make up reading quizzes, and late work is not accepted under any circumstances. She does not negotiate grades and does not provide detailed justifications for them. 