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Asian American Studies Research Paper: Topics

General Topic Ideas

Family Story and/or Migration/ Immigration Story

  • Interviews, Photos, Video, Personal Narratives
     

Family, Community, and Identity

Raising Children as Asian- Americans

Tiger Parenting, Tiger Moms and Dads

Filial Piety

Patriarchy in Asian Families

Being Asian and Adopted

Multi- Racial Asian Experience

Neighborhoods and Community (Pick one):

  • Chinatowns, Japan Town, Manila Town, India Town, Bengali Harlem, K- Town
  • Segregation and Asian Americans in the South, Dixie and Mississippi

Middle- Eastern Asian- Americans
 

Asian Americans and Religion/ Religious Establishments
 

1st Gen, 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen- The Struggle to maintain one’s “Asian-ness” while assimilating as an American
 

Relationships

Fetishization, Exoticization, Dating, Marriage

  • Tinder, Asian Females, Asian Males, etc
  • Loving vs Virginia 1967

LGBTQ Asian American Experience
 

Race Relations

The Desire for Westernization or “Whiteness?”

Colorism- Skin Whitening, Asian Beauty Products

More on Model Minority, Perpetual Stereotypes

General Topic Ideas

Asian Representation in Media and Literature

  • Asian Americans in Literature- Pick a book, genre, or an author!
  • Pick a Film, TV Show, Roles/ Characters played, etc.
  • Asian American Musicians
  • Music, K- Pop, Pop Music Asian References
  • Whitewashing in media
  • Stereotypes in Media
  • Under- Representation in media
  • Comedy and Asian Americans
  • Video Games
  • “Nerd Culture”- Comics, Cosplay, Anime, Halloween costumes, etc.

Assimilation, Appropriation, Syncretism, etc.

Food in America

  • Cuisine Studies
  • Food Research, Fusion, Asian and AA Cuisine

History, Politics, News

Research an Historical Event or movement to present on

 

Affirmative Action Harvard Supreme Court Case

Liberal vs. Conservative Asian Americans

Recent Migration Waves

Undocumented and Asian

Immigration Issues Today

Deportations

Hate Crimes

Human Trafficking

Local Activism

Political Activism and Asian Americans in Politics

Cultural Appropriation or not?

  • Fashion, Music, Medicine, Material Objects/ Culture, other examples