Comprising around 6% of the US population, Asian Americans are now the fastest growing group in the United States. This course explores the long and diverse histories that Asian Americans have had in the United States. As an interdisciplinary introduction to Asian American history and literature, the goal of this course is to appreciate Asian American history as a social process by learning about the emergence of the social movement. We will discuss Asian exclusion and racialization, the "model minority" stereotype, US imperialism and the internment of Asian Americans, and Asian American activism in the Civil Rights era. We will examine the literary works of Asian American writers in their literary, historical, social, political, and cultural contexts. In addition to studying historical texts, we will analyze a combination of novels, short stories, poetry, drama, visual art and film.