SMNR: Asian Americans and the Law

• Semester: Fall 2025
• Course ID: 397S
• Credit Hours: 3
• Unique: 31042

Description

Taught by Alexander Zhang.

This seminar offers students of all backgrounds an analytical toolkit to become thought leaders on major legal issues that Asian Americans are either invoked to resolve difficult debates on or implicated in, from citizenship eligibility to language rights to affirmative action. 

In the first portion of the semester, “Frameworks,” each class session will revolve around a deep, foundational legal question provoked by paying close attention to Asian Americans and the law. For example, does litigation in the name of Asian American group interests inherently have collateral effects on how law impacts people who identify as being part of other groups? Is there anything at stake beyond questions of identity in how legal categories of race (such as “Asian American”) are constructed? When, if ever, should the experiences of Asian Americans be invoked to resolve debates on legal issues? In the second portion of the semester, “Fields,” we will examine foundational themes and questions such as these in specific areas of law like criminal law and election law. The third portion of the semester will be devoted to group workshops of student research projects and one-on-one meetings with the instructor to discuss projects.

Grades will be based on [1] thoughtful participation in class sessions; [2] five short weekly written reflections on assigned readings (around 200-300 words each); [3] a final analytical/argumentative paper involving original research (around 25-30 double-spaced pages), with a rough draft due before Fall Break; and [4] completion of low-stakes mini assignments designed to develop the final paper throughout the semester.