CSP 54 Asian Americans in 20th Century Hollywood

This course examines images of East Asians in Hollywood film from the Silent Era and throughout the 20th Century.  The course will include both a look at the creation and breaking of stereotypes, and the earliest involvement of Chinese and Japanese Americans in the movie industry.  The focus of our class discussions will be on how race, gender, and politics have shaped the changing image of Asians in the American mind. As a first semester course in the Cultural Studies Program, the development and exercise of critical thinking and writing skills will be central to all class assignments.