Recent Student Projects

Students who have completed the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate have written their Senior Seminar Capstone Theses on various topics and issues. Each research paper encompasses their accumulated knowledge gained in Certificate courses, along with relating such academic material to their personal lives and everyday experiences. Below is a sample of some recently completed Certificate projects.


"REPRESENTATIONS AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS OF PORTRAYALS OF ASIAN AMERICAN IN HISTORY TEXTBOOKS"

  • The author traces how the institutional position of Asian Americans within the larger American cultural landscape has been reflected in how they have been mentioned -- if at all -- in American history textbooks through the years. Her contextual analysis reveals that although there have been recent improvements in terms of greater inclusion, in many instances, American history textbooks still present a "compartmentalized" and isolated picture of the Asian American experiences. As such, she argues that students of all identities are not challenged to question and think critically, only to accept dates and events and that without this vital skill, many students will not question why Asian Americans are not considered "real" Americans, or anything else about how racial differences play themselves out within American social institutions.


"INTERRACIAL DATING AND GENDER RELATIONS WITHIN THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY: WHITE MEN, ASIAN AMERICAN MEN, AND THE OWNERSHIP OF ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN"

  • The author tackles the always touchy subject of Asian American interracial dating and relationships by first, describing the history, larger social context, and individual-level examples and illustrations of the phenomenon, and second, by critically analyzing the cultural foundations and implicit meanings of discussions on the topic on various websites, message boards, and blogs around the Internet. She argues that there are multiple streams of power and oppression, operating along racial, gender, and sexual orientation lines, all of which ultimately serve to divide the Asian American community and alienate its members toward each other. To move beyond such conflicts, she advocates adopting an "intersectional" perspective that moves beyond traditional paradigms of identity and group membership.


"STEREOTYPING THE ASIAN AMERICAN MALE: EXPECTATION, LIMITATION, AND REPERCUSSIONS"

  • By presenting examples throughout contemporary American history, the author analyzes the history and larger cultural contexts of media images that have functioned to feminize Asian American men. He then analyzes participation in criminal gangs as one response some Asian American men have used to rebel against such conceptions. In highlighting the grotesque, distorted, and ultimately destructive dimensions of this hypermasculinity, he also points out that biased images against Asian Americans will continue to exist in alternative forms and perpetuated through other cultural mechanisms.


"FRAMING VIETNAMESE HISTORY: EFFECTS ON PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR TOWARDS IN- AND OUTGROUP MEMBERS AMONG VIETNAMESE AMERICANS"

  • As part of her participation in a Psychology project, the author looks at the question of how the traumas associated with their refugee experiences leads Vietnamese Americans to have more or less compassion and affinity with other groups who have experienced tragic events such being displaced by war or natural disasters such as the Asian Tsunami or Hurricane Katrina. While her results are ongoing and still tentative, she finds that such similarities can lead to more positive and sympathetic attitudes towards others -- patterns that transcend racial and class boundaries.


"THE CULTURAL DYNAMICS OF INTERRACIAL/INTERNATIONAL ASIAN ADOPTION"

  • Drawing on her own experiences as a child adopted by White Americans, the author conducts interviews with other adopted Asian American students to examine the cultural similarities and differences in their experiences. Her results reveal that there is a wide range of experiences among adoptees, how they personify their racial and cultural identities, and their assessments of the larger international practice of interracial adoption.


"THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL POTENTIAL FOR THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF CHINA"

  • Using a multidisciplinary approach that combines history, political science, sociology, and economics, the author examines how China’s postwar history and economic policies have shaped the current framework of political expression. He then focuses on the socioeconomic history and characteristics of the Chinese American immigrant population to answer the question of whether this diasporic community, influenced by American culture and political ideals, can be a vehicle for eventual political liberalization in China. He concludes that while such a potential exists, the contemporary structure and institutions of Chinese communist power make it unlikely that any drastic democratization will happen any time soon.


"TIBET: THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM MISUNDERSTOOD"

  • As a Tibetan American whose family left Tibet several decades ago, the author drew on her personal involvement in the Free Tibet movement to analyze the movement's position in the larger "liberal" or "left" political culture. She finds that many notable academics and intellectuals marginalize the Free Tibet movement by ultimately supporting China's claims on the land with their claims that Tibet is better off under Chinese rule. In countering these scholars' positions, she presents a firm critique of how western modes of thinking serve to narrow the range of ideas, despite the "left's" pronouncements of open-mindedness.


"DEFINING 'SUCCESS' FOR ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS"

  • In trying to examine the question of how similarly or differently Asian American parents and college students define educational "success," tauthor conducted administered questionnaires and conducted interviews with respondents from both groups. She found that while generational and assimilationist differences produced a few differences, there was actually several areas of agreement and convergence. She relates these findings to the strength of family bonds and community attachment as possible common factors that help to transcend cultural differences between Asian American parents and their children.


"VIETNAMESE AMERICANS AND MENTAL ILLNESS IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS"

  • Using personal observations, interviews with Vietnamese health care providers, and existing research based in history, sociology, public health, and nursing, the author writes that for young and elderly Vietnamese alike, there can be several ways in which they are susceptible to mental illnesses, some associated with the war and others relating to the everyday stresses of assimilation and fitting into American society. However, she notes that there are several barriers to accessing quality mental health care for Vietnamese in the Springfield, MA area. On the supply side, there are very few Vietnamese mental health care providers in the area. But just as important, several taboos and misconceptions (traditional and contemporary) hinder the motivation of Vietnamese to access the services that are available. The author's research represents a valuable and comprehensive resource for public health professionals who want to understand the mental health issues and needs of the Vietnamese American community.


"WHO AM I? CONSTRUCTING A VIETNAMESE AMERICAN IDENTITY"

  • The author's paper examines the issue of ethnic identity formation from the point of view of a third generation Vietnamese American. She shares how she was caught in between several different cultural identities growing up in a suburban neighborhood and how other Asian- and Vietnamese-Americans considered her as "whitewashed." However, in her interviews with other Asian Americans on the UMass Amherst campus, she writes that the UMass community offered her several different examples of ethnic identity and allowed her to find her niche and flourish academically and personally. Her paper is an excellent autobiographical example of the multifaceted forms of Asian American identity and the limitations of feeling that one has to conform to preexisting notions of what it means to be an Asian- and Vietnamese-American.


"ABCS IN HONG KONG: CHINESE AMERICAN IDENTITY IN A HONG KONG CULTURAL CONTEXT"

  • In this research paper, the author examined the political and cultural dynamics involved in the interactions between Asian-Born Chinese (ABCs) and Hong Kong Chinese (HKCs) in foreign-exchange programs in Hong Kong universities. Using data gathered from a survey questionnaire administered to roughly 40 respondents and several in-depth interviews, he investigated how ABCs and HKCs negotiated ethnic identity, cultural perceptions, and ethnic beliefs about each other and also how these interactions and perceptions differed by gender. He found there are complex dynamics related to language, social activities, sexual norms, and appropriate behavior and ultimately, what it means to be "Chinese" and "American" differs dramatically depending on social and geographic context.


"AN IDENTITY CRISIS IN PROGRESS"

  • "An Identity Crisis in Progress" is an autobiographical piece that engages multiple geographic spaces and details the author's experiences living in both Hong Kong and the United States. Part autobiography and part travel narrative, ''An Identity Crisis in Progress'' takes the reader on a person's individual journey. The title of of the piece comes from the author's often ambivalent and conflicting relationship to her identity, which has shifted from Chinese to American to Chinese American to Asian American. The autobiography, which initially began as a final project in an Introduction to Asian American Studies course, has transformed into a 40-page exploration of the liminality of Asian American identity.


Occassional Papers & Special Publications

The Asian Studies Program Occasional Papers includes titles prepared by various members of the University faculty for use as supplementary course materials in Asian Studies courses, and for general distribution to the academic community. On several occasions the series has included Special Publications that report on research activities focused on local issues and themes. The titles of papers in this series are listed below. Those out-of-print are indicated by an asterix. New titles are being commissioned and will be added to this list as they become available. Information about ordering items from this list is included at the bottom of the page.

  1. Pelz,Stephen E. The Good Empire: Japan's New Order at Home and Abroad. 33p. (1978)
  2. Gjertson, Donald E. Ghosts, Gods and Retribution: Nine Buddhist Miracle Tales frtom Six Dynasties and Early T'ang China. 51 pp (l978)
  3. Branfman, Fred. The Village of the Deep Pond, Ban Xa Phang Muek, Laos with an Introduction and edited by James A. Hafner and Joel M. Halpern. tables, figures. 51 pp (l978)
  4. Branfman, Fred. The Old Man: A Biographical Acccount of a Lao Villager. 49 pp. (1979)
  5. Cernada, George. Basic Beliefs About Human Life: Their Relationship to Ethnical Judgements in Taiwan. 51pp. (1979)
  6. Hafner, James A. Salt, Seasons and Sampans: Riverine Trade and Transport in Central Thailand. tables, figures. 50 pp. (l980)
  7. Minear, Richard H. Helen Mears, Asia and American Asianists. 36 pp. (1981)
  8. Moore, Jean. Ryokan: Poems from a Man who Preferred Solitude. 44 pp. (1982)
  9. Cernada, George P. Don't Forget, It's a Small Island: A Case Study of Population Policy and Research Utilization. 26 pp. (1982)
  10. Hafner, James A., Joel M. Halpern, and Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern. River Road Through Laos: Reflections of the Mekong. 76 pp. (l983; reprinted l986)
  11. Cernada, George P. et al. Adolescent Sexuality: Implications of National Policy on Secondary School Education in an East Asian Setting. 22 pp. (1985)
  12. Cernada, George P. et al. Adolescent Sexuality and Family Planning Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior: Taiwan. 44 pp. (l986)
  13. Men-li Chu, Madeline. Expanded Lyricism: Ch'en Wei-sung's (1626-1682) Tz'u Poems. 58 pp, (1988)
  14. Tamiki, Hara. Land of My Heart's Desire. Translation and commentary by Richard H. Minear. 20 pp. (1989)

Special Publications

  1. Hafner, James A. et al. Cambodia: A Guide to Instruction Resources. 42 pp (1990)
  2. Hafner, James A., Jeannine Muldoon, Elizabeth Brewer. Southeast Asia Refugees in Western Massachusetts: Seen But Not Heard. tables, figures, 53pp. (1990)

Ordering Information

There is a $8.00 charge per paper for postage and handling. Checks should be made out to ''The University of Massachusetts.'' Requests for papers should be addressed to:

C.N. Le
c/o Sociology Department
Asian Studies Occasional Papers
Thompson Hall 7th Floor
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003