Fall 2009: UMass Amherst Courses


AFRO-AMERICAN STUDIES 170: The Minority Experience in American Life and Culture I (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: Tu 9:30AM - 10:45AM
  • Instructor: Earnest Allen
  • Location: New Africa House room 109


AFRO-AMERICAN STUDIES 236: History of the Civil Rights Movement (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: MoWe 11:15AM - 12:05PM
  • Instructor: Amilcar Shabazz
  • Location: Chenoweth Lab Addition rm 227


ANTHRO 397LL: Testing, Race, and the Anthropology of Educational Reform (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 2:30PM - 3:45PM
  • Instructor: Amanda Johnson


ASIAN-STUDIES 397B - Bridging Asia & Asian America Colloquium (Required Certificate Course)

  • Time and Location: Wed. 7pm-9pm, Dwight Hall 1st Floor Lounge
  • Instructor: C.N. Le
  • Description: This is one of the two required courses that all Certificate students must eventually take. This course is a weekly seminar that combines class discussions, guest speakers, film screenings, and online activities focusing on the intersections between Asian and Asian American Studies. Meeting in Dwight Hall (the location of the Asian & Asian American theme residential floor), this course is also part of the "Living and Learning Program" that connects a student's academic learning to the his/her personal experiences and real-world social environment.


CHINESE 120: Non-Intensive Elementrary Chinese II (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MoWeFr 10:10AM - 11:00AM, MoWeFr 1:25PM - 2:15PM, or MoWeFr 11:15AM - 12:05PM
  • Instructor: TBA


CHINESE 126: Intensive Elementrary Chinese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM or TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Zhijun Wang


CHINESE 127: Intensive Elementrary Chinese I: Reading and Writing (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Zhijun Wan


CHINESE 136: Intro to Chinese Cinema (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Enhua Zhang


CHINESE 140: Chinese Script I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 2:30PM - 3:45PM
  • Instructor: Zhongwei Shen


CHINESE 153: Chinese Literature: Poetry (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MoWeFr 11:15AM - 12:05PM
  • Instructor: David Schneider


CHINESE 155: Chinese Myths & Legends (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MoWeFr 10:10AM - 11:00AM
  • Instructor: Donald Gjertson
  • Location: Thompson Hall room 102


CHINESE 242: Chinese Vernacular Literature (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: Suet Chiu


CHINESE 285: Lang Suite Convrsatn (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TBA
  • Instructor: Ping Geng


CHINESE 326: Intensive Intermediate Chinese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM TBA or TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM
  • Instructor: Li Ying


CHINESE 375: Intro to Chinese Linguistics (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 4:00PM - 5:15PM
  • Instructor: Zhongwei Shen


CHINESE 426: Advanced Modern Chinese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MoWeFr 2:30PM - 3:20PM
  • Instructor: Li Ying


CHINESE 450: Elementary Classical Chinese (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MWF 10:10AM - 11:00PM
  • Instructor: David Schneider


COMMUNICATION 397BB: Art, Community & Cultural Diversity (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM
  • Instructor: Anne Ciecko


COMMUNICATION 393C: Issues in World Cinema (Asian or Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 4:00PM - 5:15PM
  • Instructor: Anne Ciecko
  • Location: Machmer Hall room W-25


COMMUNICATION 497AB: Hollywood Film, Diversity and Adaptation (Asian or Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Demetria Shabazz


COMMUNICATION 497N: Asian Pop Cinema (Asian or Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: Anne Ciecko
  • Location: South College room 108
  • Description: This film studies course focuses on Asian cinema, with a special emphasis on questions of genre and gender in films from East, Southeast, and South Asia. Focusing primarily on spe­cific contextual issues of production, exhibition, distribution, and reception, our study of Asian films will be comparative, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary. Potential film genres to be considered include the following: musicals (including Bollywood "masala" movies), comedy, melodrama, romance, historical epic/biopic; martial arts/ swordplay/samurai films, horror and thriller, animation, sci-fi and fantasy, urban gangster/action films, and "exploi­tation" genres, as well as "art films." In addition to active participation in class discussion, students will be expected to write several short papers and to produce and present a customized final research project. (Course capacity is 25). Students should also enroll in Comm 296F Film Festival colloquium (1 credit) for required course screenings.


COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 141: Good - Evil - East-West (Asian or Asian American Studies)

  • Time: MoWeFr 10:10AM - 11:00AM, MoWeFr 9:05AM - 9:55AM, MoWeFr 12:20PM - 1:10PM, or MoWeFr 11:15AM - 12:05PM
  • Instructor: TBA
  • Location: Herter Hall 118


COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 384: Vietnam: Literature and Film (Asian or Asian American Studies)

  • Time: Mo 4:40PM - 5:30PM and We 4:40PM - 8:00PM
  • Instructor: Edwin Gentzler
  • Location: Ag. Engineering Bldg rm 119


ECONOMICS 322: International Trade (Asian or Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM or MoWeFr 12:20PM - 1:10PM
  • Instructor: Arslan Razmi
  • Location: Machmer Hall W-11


EDUCATION 115: Embracing Diversity (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: Th 2:30PM - 3:45PM
  • Instructor: TBA


EDUCATION 210: Social Diversity in Education (Asian American Studies)

  • Time and Instructor: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM , Maurianne Adams


EDUCATION 229: International Education (Asian Studies)

  • Time & Location: Tu 4:00PM - 6:30PM
  • Instructor: TBA
  • Location: Goessmann Laboratory room 20


EDUCATION 258: Educating for Social Justice & Diversity Through Peer Theater (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: Tu 4:00PM - 6:30PM
  • Instructor: Kathy Sisneros


EDUCATION 377: Introduction to Multicultural Education (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: Tu 1:00PM - 3:30PM or Th 1:00PM - 3:30PM
  • Instructor: Laura Valdiezo or Charu Turner
  • Location: Furcolo Hall Rooms 225


EDUCATION 392D: Social Issues Workshop: Racism (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TBA
  • Instructor: Barbara Love


EDUCATION 393B: Exploring Diversity and Social Justice in Community (Asian American Studies)

  • Time & Location: M 3:35PM - 6:35PM
  • Location: Gorman House 322
  • Instructor: Maurianne Adams


EDUCATION 792A: Bilingualism & Society (Asian American Studies)

  • Graduate course that is open to undergraduate seniors
  • Time & Location: Tues 4-6:30
  • Instructor: Theresa Austin
  • Description: What does it mean to be bilingual or multilingual? How do societal factors influence its members in becoming multilingual? What are characteristics of bilingual communities? How can teachers play a role in supporting/hindering bilingualism in the community? Drawing on sociolinguistic and ethnographic studies, we will explore how sociocultural dimensions of bilingualism and biculturalism, as well as other linguistic diversity can be researched by examining them in various geographic locations. We will examine how theories of accommodation, assimilation, and resistance explain motivation for shame, pride, and conflicting attitudes toward bilingualism and in becoming bilingual. Codeswitching phenomenon and language revitalization are two major areas included. Through lens of sociopolitical theories, we will examine how educational responses to bilingualism historically have fluctuated.


ENGLISH 270: American Identities (Asian American Studies)

  • Time and Location: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM,Thompson Hall 102
  • Instructor: Deborah Carlin


ENGLISH 493C: Intro to Post-Colonial Literary Studies (Asian or Asian AmericanStudies)

  • Time: TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: Asha Nadkarni


FIN OP MGMT 413: International Finance (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MW 2:55PM - 4:10PM
  • Instructor: Nikunj Kapadia
  • Location: School of Management rm 106


HISTORY 112: Intro to World Religions (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Carlin Barton
  • Location: Goessmann Lab. Addtn room 51


HISTORY 114: History of China I (Asian Studies)

  • Time : MoWe 2:30PM - 3:20PM
  • Instructor: Sigrid Schmalzer
  • Location: Hasbrouck Laboratory room 134


HISTORY 247: Empire, Race, and the Philippines (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Richard Chu


HISTORY 269: The American War in Vietnam (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:05PM
  • Instructor: Christian Appy
  • Location: Hasbrouck Lab 124


HISTORY 345: China in 19th Century (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: Stephen Platt
  • Location: TBA


JAPANESE 120: Non-Intensive Elementary Japanese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MWF 11:15AM - 12:05PM, or MWF 12:20PM - 1:10PM
  • Instructor: Yuki Yoshimura
  • Location: Herter Hall 212


JAPANESE 126: Intensive Elementary Japanese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM or TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Ayana Inoguchi
  • Location: Herter Hall 116


JAPANESE 135: Japanese Art and Culture (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 4:00PM - 5:15PM
  • Instructor: Doris Bargen
  • Location: SOM 137


JAPANESE 144: Japanese Modern Literature (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MW 1:25PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: Stephen Forrest
  • Location: Boyden 249


JAPANESE 197G: Buddhist Cultures in the World (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MoWe 12:20PM - 1:10PM
  • Instructor: Reiko Sono
  • Location: Lederle Grad Res Tower rm 103


JAPANESE 285: Language Suite Conversation (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TBA
  • Instructor: Yuro Takahashi


JAPANESE 326: Intensive Intermediate Japanese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM or TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Mako Koyama
  • Location: Herter Hall 102


JAPANESE 397M: Buddhism and the Japanese Literary Arts (Asian Studies)

  • Time: We 6:00PM - 9:00PM
  • Instructor: Stephen Miller
  • Location: Herter Hall room 102


JAPANESE 497A: Readings in Modern Japanese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: Amanda Seaman


JAPANESE 497B: Contemporary Japanese I (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MWF 1:25PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: Yuki Yoshimura
  • Location: Herter Hall 202


JOURNALISM 310: Press & The 3rd World (Asian Studies)

  • Time: Th 2:30PM - 5:00PM
  • Instructor: Nancy Muller
  • Location: Bartlett Hall 201


LABOR STUDIES 190A: Labor and the Global Economy (Asian or Asian American Studies)

  • Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30pm - 3:45pm
  • Instructor: Edgar Chen
  • Description: This course is an introduction to basic concepts about globalization and its impact on workers in the U.S. and internationally, focusing on the impacts of recent trends in economic and political globalization on workers in the U.S. and abroad. We will address issues ranging from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, Corporate Social Responsibility - while focusing on parts of the world such as Africa, Central/South America and Asia. With our extensive backgrounds and work in the non-profit sector, we will address complex issues facing human rights organizations, corporations and international diplomacy based on readings and on our own personal experiences. If you want more details about the course or have any questions at all, feel free to e-mail Edgar Chen at echen96@gmail.com.


LEGAL STUDIES 397BB: Islam & Justice (Asian Studies)

  • Time: We 2:30PM - 5:00PM
  • Instructor: Iza Hussai


LEGAL STUDIES 397M: Law, Society & Islam (Asian Studies)

  • Time: We 3:35PM - 6:05PM
  • Instructor: Iza Hussin
  • Description: This is a course for students interested in issues of law and legal reform, politics and society, as they intersect with Islam and Muslim societies. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to questions such as: how do law, society and Islam interact in Muslim majority and minority countries? How do social and political actors engage religion and the state, and how does the state engage Muslim communities? Students will use a variety of materials - film, Web, media, literature, law and scholarship -- to undertake independent comparative research across issues -- religious freedom, legal reform, colonialism, access to justice -- and across cases -- in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.
  • Location: Machmer Hall W-11


LEGAL STUDIES 497V: Immigration Debates and Public Policy (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 11:15AM - 12:30PM
  • Instructor: Nina Siulc
  • Location: Herter Hall 204


POLTICAL SCIENCE 245: Globalization, Governance, and World Order (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MoWe 2:30PM - 3:20PM
  • Instructor: Laura Reed
  • Location: Goessmann Laboratory room 20


POLTICAL SCIENCE 292: Asian Public Policy (Asian Studies)

  • Time: MoWe 3:35-4:50PM
  • Instructor: Shi-Chul Lee
  • Location: Machmer W-11/li>


POLITICAL SCIENCE 391V: Immigration in Comparative Perspective (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 1:00PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: TBA


POLITICAL SCIENCE 391Z: International Human Rights (Asian Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM
  • Instructor: Jon Wester


SOCIOLOGY 240: Sociology of the Asian American Experience (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: MoWeFr 1:25PM - 2:15PM
  • Instructor: C.N. Le
  • Description: This course -- required for the AAAS Certificate, Asian American Studies Concentration -- examines the many histories, experiences, and cultures that shape and define the Asian American population. Through a mix of lecture, readings, class discussions, films & videos, and student-designed projects, the course explores the diversity and commonality of experiences among different Asian ethnic groups. We will also explore themes and specific issues including immigration to the U.S., assimilation, media images and popular culture, demographic trends, community formation, ethnic identity, anti-Asian discrimination, socioeconomic mobility, gender dynamics, and relationships with other racial communities.
  • Location: Machmer Hall W-23


SOCIOLOGY 340: Race Relations (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 5:30PM - 6:45PM
  • Instructor: TBA
  • Location: Machmer Hall W-23


SOCIOLOGY 392R: Racialization (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 4:00PM - 5:15PM
  • Instructor: Sujani Reddy
  • Location: Machmer Hall W-15


THEATER 130: Contemporary Playwrights Of Color (Asian American Studies)

  • Time: TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM
  • Instructor: Marcus Gardley
  • Location: Fine Arts Center rm 201



Courses at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mt. Holyoke College, and Smith College


Please search the Five College Course Catalog for possible courses related to Asia or Asian Americans and then contact Prof. C.N. Le at to confirm that it counts toward the UMass Amherst Asian/Asian American Studies Certificate.


Archives of Previous Semesters