Russell C. Leong
Hunter College/CUNY
Department of English / Asian American Studies Program
Spring 2013
Course: Asian American Literatures: NY and LA
New York – “the Big Apple” – and L.A. – “the Big Orange” – have spawned writers as well as their novels, essays, creative non-fiction and poetry since the settlement of the two areas. From Korean immigrant Younghill Kang’s East Goes West to Indian American writer Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake and Frank Chin’s Bulletproof Buddhists these regions have provided rich material for the literary imaginary of the ethnic American writer. This course will contrast and compare approaches to modern 20th and 2lst century writing about NY and LA from primarily an Asian American perspective and the larger metropolitan and suburban areas for which they are the locus.
While the emphasis is on writers of Asian descent, selected Latino and African American writers who write about these locales will be utilized as points of comparison, style, and voice, since both cities are truly multiracial and multicultural. A unique feature of this course will be the final writing project: each student will be asked to write a fictional or non-fictional account of the community in which they live, in story form. Essential to the project will be the profiling of a character and stories found inside their community. Part of the class schedule will be devoted to your writing project.
AAARI Seminar/Workshop (December 14, 2012)
Chinese, English, Spanish: Writing a Third Literature of the Americas
AAARI Seminar/Workshop (April 12, 2013)
How to Get Your Research or Book Published
The CUNY Thomas Tam Visiting Professor will perform teaching, research, and guidance duties in area(s) of expertise as noted below; and share responsibility for committee and department assignments, performing administrative, supervisory, and other functions as assigned.
The Tam Visiting Professor will be based at one of the four CUNY campuses participating in the search, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, Queens College or the Graduate Center. He or she will teach one class a semester at that campus and will engage with students and faculty members during the appointment. The Tam Visiting Professor will participate in public events designed to raise the visibility of scholarship in Asian American studies. This will include working closely with the Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI).
