Expand upon your 5 page midterm paper. Develop it into a 10-12 page paper In your final paper, you’ll need to cite the following:SELECT TWO ESSAYS (2) · Asian American Studies: A Reader SELECT TWO PIECES (2) · Charlie Chan is Dead 2: At Home in the World – An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction SELECT ONE (you may use more than one from this group of texts) (1) · Bulosan’s America Is in the Heart · Kochiyama’s Passing it On: A Memoir · Prashad’s Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian Connections and the Myth of Cultural Purity SELECT TWO OF THE FOLLOWING FILMS ON RESERVE (links to the Said documentary provided below) (2) Fires in the Mirrorhttp://www.pbs.org/now/shows/232/index.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnkrUJny0CE Yuri Kochiyama: A Passion for Justicehttp://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c110.shtml My America… Or Honk if you Love Buddhahttp://www.columbia.edu/cu/weai/exeas/films/my-america.html Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in Americahttp://harvestofempiremovie.com/ Perfumed Nightmare (Mababangong Bangungot)http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/37745/The-Perfumed-Nightmare/overviewhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7lMMIs_7lQ Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a Peoplehttp://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=412http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_N4BcaIPY Slaying the Dragon http://www.asianwomenunited.org/slaying-the-dragon-asian-women-in-u-s-television-and-film-1988/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3Ka_xIPsHE&feature=channel_video_title Stuart Hall – On Origins of Cultural Studies http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=414 Tim Wise on White Privilege: Racism, White Denial & the Costs of Inequalityhttp://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=137 Who Killed Vincent Chin?http://www.pbs.org/pov/whokilledvincentchin/ Edward Said: On Orientalism (access from Dailymotion.com -- links below arranged in order – parts one to four) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcakwf_orientalism-1-edward-said_webcamhttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcbvfy_orientalism-2-edward-said_newshttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcasdg_orientalism-3-edward-said-methods-o_newshttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcasl5_orientalism-4-edward-said-palestini_creationhttp://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=403 (Media Education Foundation website) SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ON RESERVE (1) · Asian Americans: Movement and the Moment (edited by Louie and Omatsu) · Asian American Sexualities: Dimensions of the Gay and Lesbian Experience (edited by Leong) · The Big Aiiieeeee!: An Anthology of Chinese and Japanese American Literature (edited by Chin, et al.)* · Dragon Ladies: Asian American Feminists Breathe Fire (edited by Shah) · The Forbidden Book: The Philippine American War in Political Cartoons (edited by de la Cruz, et al.) · Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940 (edited by Lai, et al.) · Lone Heart Mountain ...

1. Expand upon your 5 page midterm paper. Develop it into a 10-
12 page paper
In your final paper, you’ll need to cite the following:SELECT
TWO ESSAYS (2)
· Asian American Studies: A Reader
SELECT TWO PIECES (2)
· Charlie Chan is Dead 2: At Home in the World – An
Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction
SELECT ONE (you may use more than one from this group of
texts) (1)
· Bulosan’s America Is in the Heart
· Kochiyama’s Passing it On: A Memoir
· Prashad’s Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian
Connections and the Myth of Cultural Purity
SELECT TWO OF THE FOLLOWING FILMS ON RESERVE
(links to the Said documentary provided below) (2)
Fires in the
Mirrorhttp://www.pbs.org/now/shows/232/index.htmlhttp://www
.youtube.com/watch?v=hnkrUJny0CE
Yuri Kochiyama: A Passion for
Justicehttp://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c110.shtml
My America… Or Honk if you Love
Buddhahttp://www.columbia.edu/cu/weai/exeas/films/my-
america.html
Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in
Americahttp://harvestofempiremovie.com/

2. Perfumed Nightmare (Mababangong
Bangungot)http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/37745/The-
Perfumed-
Nightmare/overviewhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7lMMI
s_7lQ
Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a
Peoplehttp://www.mediaed.org/cgi-
bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=412http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=Ko_N4BcaIPY
Slaying the Dragon
http://www.asianwomenunited.org/slaying-the-dragon-asian-
women-in-u-s-television-and-film-
1988/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3Ka_xIPsHE&feature
=channel_video_title
Stuart Hall – On Origins of Cultural Studies
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-
bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=414
Tim Wise on White Privilege: Racism, White Denial & the
Costs of Inequalityhttp://www.mediaed.org/cgi-
bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=137
Who Killed Vincent
Chin?http://www.pbs.org/pov/whokilledvincentchin/
Edward Said: On Orientalism (access from Dailymotion.com --
links below arranged in order – parts one to four)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcakwf_orientalism-1-
edward-
said_webcamhttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcbvfy_orienta
lism-2-edward-
said_newshttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcasdg_orientalis

3. m-3-edward-said-methods-
o_newshttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcasl5_orientalism-
4-edward-said-palestini_creationhttp://www.mediaed.org/cgi-
bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=403 (Media Education
Foundation website)
SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ON RESERVE
(1)
· Asian Americans: Movement and the Moment (edited by Louie
and Omatsu)
· Asian American Sexualities: Dimensions of the Gay and
Lesbian Experience (edited by Leong)
· The Big Aiiieeeee!: An Anthology of Chinese and Japanese
American Literature (edited by Chin, et al.)*
· Dragon Ladies: Asian American Feminists Breathe Fire (edited
by Shah)
· The Forbidden Book: The Philippine American War in
Political Cartoons (edited by de la Cruz, et al.)
· Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel
Island, 1910-1940 (edited by Lai, et al.)
· Lone Heart Mountain (Estelle Ishigo)
· Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings by and about Asian
American Women (edited by Asian Women United of
California)
· Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American Women
(edited by Kim, Villanueva, and Asian Women United of
California)
· Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids (Kip Fulbeck)
· On Becoming Filipino (writings of Carlos Bulosan, edited and
introduced by E. San Juan, Jr.)
· Part Asian, 100% Hapa (Kip Fulbeck)
· Roots: An Asian American Reader (edited by Tachiki, et al.)
SELECT TWO OF THE FOLLOWING ESSAYS/CHAPTERS
(documents posted on Blackboard) (2)

4. · Richard Schaefer, “Understanding Race and Ethnicity”
· Richard Schaefer, “Asian Americans: Growth and Diversity”
· Richard Schaefer, “Chinese Americans and Japanese
Americans”
· Nathan Glazer, “The Emergence of an American Ethnic
Pattern”
· Ronald Takaki, “Reflections on Racial Patterns in America”
· Ronald Takaki, “A Different Mirror”
· Delia D. Aguilar and Karin Aguilar, “Feminism Across Our
Generations”
· bell hooks, “Eating the Other”
· Japanese American Students at Oberlin during WWII
· E. San Juan, Jr., “From Genealogy to Inventory” (on
contemporary Asian American Studies)
· Ralph J. Bunche Carter Center for African American Studies /
UCLA – “The Hollywood Diversity Report”
REVIEW OF REQUIREMENTS FOR FINAL PAPER
· Your 10-12 page paper must be typed, double spaced, and
stapled. A complete bibliography is required. Allresearch
materials must be cited.
Please use the MLA approach to citing material. Consult the
following site:
MLA (Modern Language Association) format:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
· Review your bibliography. You must have at least 10 items
cited (essays, imaginative literature, films, etc.).See pages two,
three, and four.
· PLEASE REVIEW GRADING RUBRIC (attached).
· Some ideas to think about.
ENGAGED READING AND WRITING. Think about your paper
as providing more than an inventory of observations… more
than a summary of what’s going on in the texts. In your paper, I
want to hear your voice. What do you want your reader to know
about the connections you see between the texts?
THESIS. Please review this thesis web page –

5. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/ Take
notice of how a thesis articulates the significance of your
observations.
· Take time to reflect upon the three major threads that connect
the cultural texts we’ve engaged and discussed over the course
of the semester.
**Field Formation
Understanding the interconnectedness of the history of Asian
American Studies and the history of U.S. social movements
during the 1960s/70s
Exploring how this historical connection (between field
formation and social movements) situates the study of Asian
Americans within a global context
**Canon Formation
Exploring the possibilities and limitations of developing an
Asian American literary canon
What constitutes Asian America according to this canon? Who
defines the canon? For whom? How does the idea of a canon
shift and change at different historical moments in the
development of Asian America? (See E. San Juan, Jr. in the
Asian American Studies: A Reader and introductory pieces of
Charlie Chan isDead.)
**Racial Formations
The idea of “racial formation” helps us to examine the
processes by which Asian groups have been historically
racialized within the United States as well as the ways in which
“Asian America” has been defined and redefined by its various
communities (See Ronald Takaki’s “A Different Mirror” – on
the social construction of race.)
Exploring how Asian American feminisms (including studies of
sexual identities) and critiques of American Orientalism (a form
of engendered subordination) enrich our understanding of Asian
American racial formations.

6. RACIAL FORMATION: SOCIAL CONSTRUCTEDNESS OF
RACE
1. Definition
Race is not a biological construct; rather, it is a social
construct. Genetically, there are no genes that are common to
all blacks and whites. If it were so, individuals would have
constant classifications across their boundaries. Race can be
defined as the classification of a certain group of people, with
respect to their physical characteristics. The physical
characteristics might include skin color or even facial structure.
A social construct is a notion, created by the society, where
people are put in groups, giving certain groups more privileges
over others.
Race is a social construct, meaning it is created by the society.
As mentioned earlier, there is no gene that determines what race
an individual will be. Race is an idea people came up with, and
grow with it embedded in their heads. They think that
individuals who are white are better off in the society. Other
stereotypes of race include the notion held by people that
individuals with lighter skin are more socially acceptable.
Social constructions are not real, and so is race. It simply
depends on collective agreement, imposition and acceptance of
the notion.
The notion of race being a social construct has been discussed
by various authors. Among them is Richard Schaefer. In his
text, ‘Understanding Race and Ethnicity’, race, as a social
construct, is a notion that is provided by a more superior or
dominant group, which imposes boundaries in their group
membership. They achieve this by defining race in terms of
biology. Black people are deemed as biologically inferior to
white people.
Race has been painted as a social construct that depends on the
general agreement and acceptance by people in the society. It is
usually created and defined by the superior group in the society.

7. 2. Application
How The Chinese Immigration Experience On Angel Island
Illustrate The Notion Of Race As A Social Construct.
The Angel Island Immigration Station was a port of entry
located in San Francisco Bay, initiated by the United States
government, serving the purpose of processing and detaining
immigrants who were entering or leaving the country. Contrary
to its counterpart, Ellis Island of the West, the Angel Island was
built in order to enforce certain policies that would discriminate
the entrance of Asian immigrants, leading to their exclusion.
Among the Asian immigrants that passed through the Angel
Island were the Chinese.
Chinese immigrants, particularly, were more affected by the
policies implemented at the station, compared to other
immigration groups. They were interrogated, subjected to longer
physical exams and dentitions. Their plight also came with the
implementation of a series of restrictive laws that prohibited the
immigration of certain Asian classes and nationalities. Among
the policies was the Chinese Exclusion Act.
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a policy passed on May 6, 1882
by Congress. It was later signed by Chester A. Arthur. The act
provided with a 10-year suspension of the Chinese labor
immigration. The entry of the Chinese immigrants was
prohibited, under the basis that the Chinese, as an ethnic group,
endangered local order in the places they settled. According to
the act, only a few non-laborers, with certification from the
Chinese government saying that they qualify to immigrate, were
allowed to enter the country. The act also imposed new
requirements on Chinese people who had already entered the
country. They were required to provide certification upon re-
entry, if they had left the country.
In addition to the policies, there were other experiences that the
Chinese experienced at the Angel Island that were racially
discriminatory. The facilities, the interrogations, the medical
exams and the meals were among them.
Facilities

8. The station had two buildings. One of them was a large
administration block that was used as a detention quarters for
Europeans only. Later, the quarters would be used to detain
Asian women in case of overcrowding. The other building was a
two-story wooden house, also known as the detention quarters,
where men were detained. The top floor was allocated for male
Chinese immigrants while the bottom floor was for Japanese
immigrants. The compound was surrounded with barbed wire,
with guards posted in towers.
Many Chinese immigrants spend days in the infirmary. This was
due to suspicion of having contagious diseases and the poor
sanitation and conditions of the living quarters. On the station,
there were separate dining quarters. This shows how the
Chinese were treated with indifference, despite them having
major similarities with the whites. The European race was
perceived to be more superior that the Chinese race, a notion
they had created themselves, believing that the Chinese was an
inferior group.
Medical Examinations
Chinese immigrants, particularly women, went through a
traumatizing experience as they were stripped naked and
examined by white doctors. The presence of diseases like
trachoma and parasites would earn them a deportation. The
parasites regulation policy, especially hookworms target
Chinese immigrants. This was so because other countries, like
Japan, threatened to perform similar checks to U.S citizens who
visited Japan. The hookworm regulation policy would later be
abolished in the year 1920.
Interrogation
Before entering the U.S, all the immigrants were subjected to a
hearing before the Board of Special Inquiry. This board was
responsible for asking questions about the eligibility of an
applicant to enter the country. Disparity in interrogation
between European and Chinese applicants was present.
Europeans applicants were briefly interrogated. Among the
issues the European applicants were interrogated about were

9. their financial and occupational status and their contacts in
America. They were usually admitted immediately. This was
also the case with Korean and Japanese immigrants. Chinese
applicants were treated with suspicion and were subjected to
intensive interrogations, despite them being Asians, like the
Japanese and Koreans. The interrogations would even last for
more than five days. They were to produce heavy documentation
and white witnesses who would testify on their behalf.
Detention
The experiences of detainees on Angel Island differed. Other
non-Asian detainees did not complain a lot about the conditions
at the station. Some of them referred to the conditions as
tolerable, especially when the barracks were not overcrowded.
They enjoyed good food, spacious quarters and their freedom.
Contrary, Chinese immigrants complained about the injustices
they faced at the station. The exclusion rates of Chinese
immigrants, in addition to their detention periods were high,
compared to those of non-Asian immigrants. They were not
given freedom, and most of the times they were locked in their
barracks. Only women were allowed a one-time-per-week tour
of the island, while the men remained in the fenced yard. The
dormitories where the immigrants stayed were overcrowded and
unsanitary.
Meals
The quality of the food served to the detainees was generally
poor. However, the quality complains about the food served at
the station were different. While Europeans complained about
their food being served cold and lacking variety, Chinese
immigrants flatly described their food as inedible. Their dining
rooms were unsanitary, with dirty chairs and tables. They were
often served on dirty dishes with caked on food from previous
meals.
Racial inequality was the main cause of the poor quality of
food. According to the government, the private firms that were
usually hired to prepare meals for the station were to spend less
on meals for Asian than on the meals for Europeans.

10. From the experience of Chinese immigrants on Angel Island,
there are numerous of racial inequality. As stated earlier, race is
simply a social construction that depends on the agreement and
acceptance of the parties involved. It is a creation of the mind
and people grow to believe in it. Despite Japanese, Koreans and
Chinese being all Asians, the Chinese were treated with more
inequality. They are all from the same race but racial inequality
is more based on the Chinese immigrants than the other
immigrants.
Works cited
Ferrante-Wallace, Joan, and Prince Brown, eds. The social
construction of race and ethnicity in the United States. Pearson
College Division, 2001.
Lai, H. Mark, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung, eds. Island: Poetry
and history of Chinese immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940.
San Francisco Study Center, 1980.
Lee, Erika, and Judy Yung. Angel island: Immigrant gateway to
America. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Nicola, Patricia Hackett. "Chinese Exclusion Act Records."
(2006).
Ransome, Frederick Leslie, and George Jennings Hinde. The
Geology of Angel Island. The University, 1894.
Schaefer, Richard T. Race and ethnicity in the United States.
Prentice Hall, 2008.