Answer one of the following short essay prompts.

Answer one of the following short essay prompts.Support your responses in detail using information from both the lectures and readings.Please be sure to write in full sentences and double-space your answers.Your answer should be approximately 4 to 5 pages in length for Section 1.

Section 1

1. Evaluate the argument that World War II constituted a “watershed” for Asian Americans
in which events began to flow in a very different direction. Using two out of the five
different national groups we have discussed (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Indians,
Filipinos) discuss how World War II changed the lives of each ethnic group. Be sure to
address both perceptions of Asian Americans and material changes to the lives of Asian
Americans. Based on your chosen examples, is it fair to describe World War II as a
“watershed moment”?
2. How does one construct his own identity when one is caught between very different
cultures? Is cultural identity separate from personal identity or are they mixed together?
In the graphic novel American Born Chinese, how does the author Gene Luen Yang try
to redefine what it means to look American? How does Jin come to terms with his
feelings of being inferior? Include a discussion of the internal conflict(s) Jin faces? Who
is the character Chin-kee? Why does Gene Yang incorporate the story of “The Monkey
King?” How does the Monkey King motif play out in American Born Chinese?

Section 2: (50%) Answer one of the following short essay prompts. Support
your responses in detail using information from both the lectures and
readings. Please be sure to write in full sentences and double-space your
answers. Each of your essays in Sections 1 and 2 should be approximately
4-5 pages (1000 to 1250 words) double spaced in length each. For a total of
8-10 pages. Your essays should answer the questions as best as you think
possible.

1. How did changes in immigration law beginning in 1952 fundamentally change the
demographics of Asian American communities? Discuss key changes in detail and note
the effects they had on Asian American communities in the second half of the twentieth
century.
2. What historical circumstances helped create the Asian American Movement and what
character did the movement take (provide specific examples)? What types of activities
did members of the movement engage in? Ultimately, do you believe that the Asian
American Movement was a unique historical moment with a defined beginning and end,
or something that continues to the present day?