This course will introduce students to the sociocultural, economic, educational, and political issues facing Southeast Asian refugees in the U.S. While the course focus is on the Asian American experience, references will be made to the pre-migration experiences and histories of the Southeast Asian refugee groups. The processes and problems in the formulation of refugee programs and services in the U.S. also will be addressed in their implications for refugee resettlement and adaptation experience. Emphasis will be placed on comparative analyses of the Southeast Asian refugee communities.

Over four decades after their resettlement, the Southeast Asian (SEAn) refugee communities (defined here as populations that were resettled in the US in the aftermath of what is commonly known as the “Vietnam War”) have grown significantly, registering both advances as well as persisting challenges. While Southeast Asian achievements are noteworthy, many communities remain marginalized and underserved. This course introduces students to critical issues in the Southeast Asian American communities. While attentive to the challenges that include transgenerational trauma, educational impediment, poverty and other forms of social vulnerability, the course also underscores the agency and resilience of SEAn families and communities as they work to rebuild lives, institutions, and cultural practices, and contribute to the socio-economic, cultural, and political vibrancy of the US. Though the focus is on the communities in the US, Southeast Asian American resettlement and incorporation issues will be examined against the historical backdrop of war and colonization in Southeast Asia, and of refugees’ pre-migration experiences in their countries, and in refugee camps in Southeast Asia as they inform resettlement experiences and community dynamics in the diaspora.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills