Chicago is the capital of America’s “heartland,” a symbolically fundamental region to an imagined core of this nation’s identity. Fittingly for a “nation of immigrants,” Chicago has had a strong central community of immigrants since its inception and also steady immigrant migration. This course underlines the development of various Asian American communities through time in the Chicago area. Over the last two decades the suburban Asian American population has expanded dramatically mirroring demographic shifts taking place among similar communities across the nation. Due to the historical near invisibility of these communities within academic and popular literature in the Midwest, this course highlights the lived experiences of Asian immigrants in the third largest city in the U.S. – Chicago. Through community-based and participatory research, students will explore the historic, economic, cultural, and political contributions of Asian American communities to the United States, using Chicago and its surrounding areas as a case study. Disparate Asian American groups will be highlighted including but not limited to Chicago’s Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Filipino, and Vietnamese communities. Of particular focus will be issues related to economic development, class and gender relations, intra- and inter- ethnic conflicts, civil rights and institutional growth, social services, labor and job markets, and affordable housing.
While no knowledge of any Asian language is required, if you are planning to take this Explore Chicago course, now could be the perfect opportunity to learn Chinese or Japanese or to develop your existing Chinese or Japanese skills by taking a concurrent language class -- beginning, intermediate or advanced -- depending on past experience or results of the language placement test. For more information, contact: languages@depaul.edu.