Pedagogical Considerations in Asian American Studies

Abstract

Pedagogical Considerations in Asian American Studies Keith Osajima (bio) When Third World students at San Francisco State College embarked on what would be the longest student strike in U.S. history in 1968–69, they sought to reshape the very nature of higher education. Critical of restrictive admissions practices that kept the working class and people of color out of higher education, the activists demanded an open admissions policy. Opposed to the Eurocentric curriculum and bureaucratic structure which excluded, ignored, and denigrated the experiences of Third World peoples, they insisted on the establishment of a College of Ethnic Studies. Third World students wanted a “relevant” education. This meant broadening the scope of inquiry and the focus of the curriculum to include their histories, cultures, heritages, and contributions. A relevant education meant situating those experiences within a critical analysis of U.S. racism, capitalism, and imperialism. Activists also sought to develop teaching strategies that would join new knowledge with political and community action to effect social change. 1 While progress has been real in achieving these goals, it appears that the desire to develop innovative teaching practices in Asian American studies has not been fully realized. As Kenyon Chan noted in his 1995 presidential address to the Association for Asian American Studies: Those of us who demanded the reforms of the 1960s and 1970s sought a more relevant educational experience. We wanted classes and teachers who could assist us in examining the world around us. We wanted [End Page 269] our own lived experiences and perspectives to be validated and reflected in our studies. In short, we demanded “critical pedagogy” before we knew what it was or before we read Paulo Freire. . . . But what do we see in the classroom today? . . . I am struck by how sadly familiar the classroom looks. 2 If Asian American studies is to survive and flourish, much depends on how well we counter Chan’s observations and develop pedagogical practices that inspire new generations of students to take up the promise of the field. This article is an effort to move us in that direction. It begins by delineating some of the challenges that teachers of Asian American studies currently face. Specifically, it looks at how changing demographics and conceptualizations of the field press upon how we think about and design our courses. The second part presents general ideas and principles about teaching Asian American studies that can be used to guide the development of courses in specific settings. The recent publication of the anthology Teaching Asian America, edited by Lane Hirabayashi, serves as an invaluable resource for this article. 3 My overarching goal herein is to open a public space where issues of teaching Asian American studies can be given the on-going attention they deserve. Teaching Challenges in Asian American Studies Teaching is an extremely complex and difficult task. It requires that we manage an array of responsibilities. We must decide what subject-content knowledge and skills we want students to learn; be able to organize topics to facilitate student access to the material; select resource materials that will communicate desired information; create classroom environments where learning can take place; be able to work with students with diverse backgrounds, skills, and perspectives; orchestrate classroom activities that will engage students; and devise assignments and projects that will both enhance student learning and assess their progress—all under the pressures of time and other institutional demands. In Asian American studies courses, what and how we teach is further complicated by four interrelated changing contexts that alter the student composition and dynamics of our classes. First, for those teaching [End Page 270] Asian American courses populated mainly by Asian students, demographic shifts have dramatically changed who we teach. What was once a largely American-born populace, comprised mainly of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino students, is now a rich multiethnic/multiracial population with potentially significant numbers of Vietnamese, Laotians, Cambodians, Koreans, Thais, and South Asians. Today, it is likely that Asian students born outside the United States outnumber those born within. The growing size and diversity of the student population make it increasingly difficult to get a handle on the interests, backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities of the Asian...