RM300: The Model Minority is an interdisciplinary course that teaches students the social, political, cultural, and economic forces that have produced the model minority stereotype. It asks: when did the model minority stereotype emerge in the U.S., and why? How did it come to be organized ideologically and representationally in relation to wider sociopolitical forces domestically and globally? And, how did the U.S. and indeed Asia both play key roles in creating the model minority? This course traces the model minority as an evolving racial form alongside institutional and cultural developments in the U.S. and Asia from the nineteenth century to the present. Reading literary and cultural production in conjunction with academic discourse from interdisciplinary fields across Asian American Studies, students learn to approach the model minority not simply as a representational figure but also as a conceptual orientation to systems of inequality organized by race, ethnicity, class, gender, and (dis)ability in a global capitalist economy.

This course exposes students to the (1) complex and sophisticated organizations of tribal governments in the US, (2) productive work these sovereign nations do for their citizens and other Indigenous people who live within their political jurisdictions, or (3) contributions of tribal nations to the economic and social vibrancy of the states in which they are located. Using a multidisciplinary approach, students will examine the fundamental differences between Native and non-Native worldviews with respect to assumptions relating to governance, cultural positions, and spiritual connections for right of use and occupancy of land and economic pursuit. Provides students will several off-campus opportunities to learn and interact with leaders, citizens, businesses, programs, and cultures of one or more federally recognized tribal nations. Students will also engage in cultural activities and language activities. Prerequisite: RM185 or RM251 or any introductory REMS, SWS, or SOC course or consent of instructor.