Linling Gao-Miles

This course introduces contemporary East Asian cultures and societies from transregional and transnational perspectives through the lens of consumer and popular cultures. We employ McDonald's as the first case study to look into East Asian responses to Western cultural products and ideas. For K-pop, we examine its emergence and transregional receptions and impact across different regions in East Asia as well as in the U.S. Beginning with these two subjects, our investigation extends to other examples of transregional cultural phenomena such as J-wave, Hello Kitty, "cuteness," or western holidays in East Asia. While focusing on transnational cultural movements originating in or being adapted to the East Asian context, our discussions also refer to key topics in the study of East Asian cultures such as filial piety and kinship.

"Chinatown," as a cultural symbol and a spatial entity, links various topics and studies in this course. Our survey starts with a historical and geographical glimpse of five Chinatowns in the US through the real life stories of their residents. This is followed by an in-depth study of Chinese restaurants and food all over the world using texts, images, and films that reveal how Chinese cuisine is inherited in and adapted to each local culture and society. The seminar culminates in a discussion of Chinese migration and settlement, the representations of identity, and the cultural and spatial constructions in particular historical and social contexts. The assignments include fieldtrips to Chinese businesses, and a debate on whether or not Olive Boulevard constitutes a Chinatown in St Louis.

This seminar examines two sub-groups: child immigrants and the native-born children of immigrants. It interrogates cultural/ethnic identity, cultural adaptation, bilingualism and biculturalism, and challenges and achievements of this young generation through ethnography, literature, and sociological accounts. We aim to scrutinize the studies of the "1.5" generation and the second generation, and theories such as "segmented assimilation," across a wide range of ethnic groups, from people of East Asian origins to those with Latin American ancestries, by mainly focusing on their experiences in the United States.