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California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: March 31, 2005
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ/SOCA 352: Law and Social Change

You will be held accountable for purposes of grading for the readings and exercises listed here. There will be no "testing." That means that you will not have to live in anxious anticipation of what we will ask and how much you will have to know. Instead, we will provide weekly discussion questions, lectures, essays, and concepts we feel that you should know as a result of having taken this course. You will assure us of that learning and receive your grade for the questions and concepts about which you choose to write and talk with us. In addition you will find detailed explanations and examples on our grading policies in the first week's reading.

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Week 12: Week of April 3, 2005

Topic: Chaos Theory and Asian Americans

Special Announcements:



• now through April 8 - Fall 2005 Academic Advising. See your advisor now!
• April 11th -- Fall 2005 registration begins.
• April 22nd, beginning of class -- ABSOLUTE FINAL DEADLINE
• May 6th - Last Day of Class
  

  Preparatory Readings:

• Arrigo. Social Justice/Criminal Justice, Chapter 10.
• Mann and Zatz. Images of Color, Images of Crime, Chapters 5 and 10 .
• Video: "Toyo Miyatake:Infinite Shades of Gray" (to be shown in class).
  
  

  Lecture related links:
  
  

• Japanese American Internment
• Japanese American National Museum
• Auto-Poietic Learning Systems
• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
• Martha Minow. Making All the Difference: Exclusion, Inclusion and American Law. Check out this link Martha Minow on the Dear Habermas site.
  
  

  Concepts to be covered:
  

• chaos
• order and disorder
• Chinese Exclusion Act
• Issei, Nisei, Sansei, Yonsei
• Executive Order 9066
• internment camps
• immigrants and refugees
  

  Discussion Questions:

  Note: In order to answer these discussion questions, you must view the documentary, "Toyo Miyatake" to be shown in class.

  1. What are the essential principles of chaos theory as presented in this chapter? (Arrigo, p. 199, Q.3).

  2. How can police practice, judicial procedures, and probation work advance the tenets of chaos theory? (Arrigo, p. 199, Q.6).

  3. How does chaos theory relate to the Asian American experience? Apply this week's M&Z, chapters. Provide examples to better illustrate your point.

  4. Relate chaos theory to the documentary about Toyo Miyatake.

  5. Discuss W.I. Thomas' notion that "if men define their situation as real, then they are real in their consequences." Next, examine the implications of his statement on public policy using Asian Americans as a contemporary example. (from M&Z)

  6. Explain how Johnny's and Linda's experiences dispel current stereotypes of Asian Americans and how their experiences can specifically inform public policy. (from M&Z).

  7. What movies and television shows can you think of that portray Asians in nonstereotypical ways? (from M&Z).
  
  

  Suggested Creative Measures:

  
  
  • Examine the political and cultural context of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
  • Explore Asian American ethnic enclaves (i.e., Chinatown, Little Saigon, Koreatown, Little Tokyo).
  • Research one of the following topics: 1) Asian gangs, 2) Southeast Asian refugees, 3) the Suzy Wong stereotype, 4) the Fu Manchu stereotype.
  • Beyond examples discussed in class, examine how the mass media portrays Asian Americans.
  • Read one of the recommended books listed below on Asian Americans. Email me a brief book review.
  • Trace the origins and persistence of the "model minority" stereotype of Asian Americans. Is this a positive or negative stereotype? Why.
  • Trace either prime time television or movie images of Asian Americans from past to present.
  • Research one of the following Asian Americans: Senator Daniel K. Inouye, S.I. Hayakawa, Maya Lin or other prominent figures.
  • Trace the historical and contemporary origins of the Japanese American Citizens League.
  • Explore some of the political and economic strategies used by Asian Americans.
  
  
  
• Note: All creative measures: 1) Must relate to "law and social change." 2) Must be pre-approved. 3) Cannot be something that you are doing for another course. 4) Research cannot be 100% online (i.e., google, askjeeves). Must conduct library research using scholarly works, (not the popular press -- Time Magazine, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated).

Recommended Readings:

li>Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. Farewell to Manzanar.
• Michi Weglyn. Years of Infamy.
• Roger Daniel. Politics of Prejudice.
• Ronald Takaki. Iron Cages..
• Amy Tan. The Joy Luck Club.
• Lawson Fusao Inada. Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience.
• Greg Robinson. By Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans.
• Victor Nee. Longtime Californ'.
• H. Kim. A Legal History of Asian Americans, 1790-1990 .
• Tetsuden Kashima. Judgment without Trial: Japanese American Imprisonment during World War II.
  
  
• Jurgen Habermas. Between Facts and Norms.
• Martha Minow. Making All the Difference: Inclusion, Exclusion and American Law.

Course Syllabus

Links to the Sociology of Law Handbook readings
-- Introduction
-- Chapter 1, part 1
-- Chapter 1, part 2
-- Chapter 2