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AMS 230: Narratives of Internment
From 1942 until 1945, over 110,000 Japanese and Japanese American residents and citizens of the United States
were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to internment camps. Since the 1940s, government officials, historians,
novelists, poets, film-makers, visual artists, psychologists, and many others have narrated the experience of those interned.
These narratives seek not only to tell stories, but also to investigate the ironies, contradictions, and paradoxes that led to
internment, oversaw its execution, and continue to linger. The consequences of internment were undoubtedly most profound
for those who were interned and for their descendants. But even those not interned found themselves questioning their place
in a country that could treat its residents and citizens in such a way. For example, some Chinese Americans protested, while
others wore badges identifying themselves as “not Japanese please.” Korean Americans found themselves in the predicament
of being associated with Japan, despite the fact that Korea attempted to resist Japanese colonization earlier in the century.
Even some Euro-Americans questioned their country’s justifications and hypocrisies. Thus, thinking about internment involves
not only a study of Japanese Americans but also a consideration of other diverse yet interconnected populations in North
America and Asia, including ourselves.
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This course will engage meditatively and critically with selected narratives of internment. Through discussion, essays, and oral presentations, participants will consider how these narratives support, contradict, and question relevant discourses of citizenship, race, ethnicity, loyalty, and freedom. Required Texts
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