From 1942 to 1946, the US government incarcerated approximately 120,000 people of Japanese descent—the majority of whom were American citizens—in ten concentration camps across the American West. Although government officials framed this forced removal as a “military necessity” during WWII, activists and scholars have challenged this narrative by linking Japanese American incarceration to xenophobic policies aimed at curtailing the economic and social mobility of immigrant populations. This course will introduce students to Japanese American incarceration and its aftermath through archival materials, literary and cultural production, as well as major historical scholarship. We will not only explore the experiences of Japanese Americans during WWII but also consider how Japanese American incarceration has reverberated across Southern California, informing ongoing struggles for community control and self-determination in ethnic enclaves like Little Tokyo. The following questions will shape the trajectory of the course: how does Japanese American incarceration bring into focus the unequal and differentiated citizenship of racial and ethnic minorities? What lessons can we learn from Japanese American incarceration to negotiate ongoing and emergent acts of social and environmental injustice? Please note that course requirements will include 1-2 field trips and at least 1 visit to Oxy’s Special Collections. Open to first year frosh only.