Asian American Studies

Welcome to Asian American Studies

Welcome to the Asian American Studies program at California State University, Sacramento! We are an academic program that is meeting the needs of a dynamic and growing community. The program's dedicated faculty is nationally recognized for their teaching skills, scholarly activities, and community service.

Ethnic Studies developed from the student activism of African Americans, Chicanos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans under the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) in 1968-69, the longest student strike in U.S. history. The activist demands of the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) included Third World Colleges with full autonomy over hiring and retaining faculty and administrators of color and curriculum development. The Asian American Studies program continues the legacy of Ethnic Studies to achieve the original demands of TWLF. The program's curriculum is grounded in the discipline of Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies that provide students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills to analyze contemporary race and racism alongside pertinent issues that impact Asian American communities in relation to other racial and immigrant groups. The program also focuses on community engagement and agency toward social change while helping students apply their knowledge in the community.

Major Concentration & Minor

BA in Ethnic Studies (Asian American Studies)

Minor in Asian American Studies

Meet the Faculty

Bao Lo, Ph.D., Director of Asian American Studies

William Gow, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Wendi Yamashita, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Giselle Cunanan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Rachel Lim, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Timothy Fong, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor

Gregory Yee Mark, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor

Advising

Please contact Dr. William Gow for Asian American Studies advising: 916-278-6646, william.gow@csus.edu

Asian American Studies Courses

ETHN 14 - Introduction to Asian American Studies

ETHN 110 - Asian American Experience

ETHN 112 - Contemporary Asian American Issues

ETHN 113 - Asian American Communities

ETHN 114 - Asian Americans and Globalization

ETHN 118 - Asian American Women

ETHN 119 - Filipino American Experience

ETHN 121 - Hmong American Experiences

ETHN 122 - Sikh Americans and Globalization

ETHN 123 - Asian Americans in Media and Popular Culture

ETHN 196P - Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Studies

Faculty Publications

Cunanan, G., Concordia, A., & Jaco, T. (2023). Ethnic Studies as Social Movement: Resistance in the Face of Public Reaction. Journal of Asian American Studies 26(2), 233-241. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jaas.2023.a901071.

Gregory Yee Mark, Wendi Yamashita, Marietess Masulit, Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders: A Historical Community.

Wendi Yamashita, Carceral Entanglements: Gendered Public Memories of Japanese American World War II Incarceration. https://tupress.temple.edu/books/carceral-entanglements

William Gow, Performing Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Chinese American Community. https://www.sup.org/books/asian-american-studies/performing-chinatown

Faculty Interviews

(Tim Fong) Truong, H., & Smith, M. D. (2022, October 26). Leadership, determination and advocacy: Meet The Sacramento Bee’s 2022 AAPI Change Makers. Sacramento Bee. https://www.sacbee.com/news/equity-lab/article267639982.html

(Tim Fong) Sac State Ethnic Studies professor to lead new CSU program for AANHPI students. (n.d.). Sacramento State. https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2024/3/aanhpi-program-director.html

(William Gow) Ethnic Studies professor’s new book recounts how two L.A. Chinatowns affected tourism, business. (n.d.). Sacramento State. https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2024/6/gow-performing-chinatown.html

(William Gow) Student documentary showcase focuses on Asian Pacific Islanders grappling with pandemic, rise in hate crimes. (n.d.). Sacramento State. https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2023/4/stop-the-hate.html