AAS Honors George Yu (1931-2025)
AAS honors professor emeritus George Yu, who passed away on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Prof. Yu taught at the University of Illinois from 1965 to 2005 and served as the founding director of the Asian American Studies Program from 1997 to 2002. He also served as director of the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies from 1992 to 2004 and head of the Department of Political Science from 1987 to 1992. Prof. Yu was a fierce advocate for arts and culture, and he was renowned globally for his contributions to the study of Chinese and African politics. Professor Augusto Espiritu has fond...
- AAS celebrates Professor Emeritus Pallassana Balgopal on his most recent publication: "Theory and Practice of Social Group Work in Indian Society." Dr. Balgopal is a beloved member of both the Department of Asian American Studies and the University of Illinois School of Social Work. He is an... Read full story Professor Emeritus Pallassana Balgopal Releases New Book
- AAS is thrilled to host filmmakers Cathy Linh Che and Jess X. Snow for an exclusive screening of their short film We Were the Scenery. Their film tells the story of Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen Che and their escape to Vietnam by boat in 1975 as well as their arrival in the... Read full story Film Screening Coming to AAS
- AAS is gearing up for an exciting Fall 2025 semester. Students currently will have nine AAS courses available for selection. All four core courses for our major and minor are being offered, as well as several new, exciting learning opportunities. AAS 258: Muslims in America and ... Read full story Fall 2025 Courses Now Available
Upcoming Events
AAS 100: Intro to Asian American Studies
Interdisciplinary introduction to the basic concepts and approaches in Asian American Studies. Surveys the various dimensions of Asian American experiences including history, social organization, literature, arts, and politics.
AAS 200: US Race and Empire
Invites students to examine histories and narratives of U.S. race and empire, drawing upon multiple theoretical and methodological works in Asian American studies and related fields.
AAS 215: US Citizenship Comparatively
Examines the racial, gendered, and sexualized aspects of US citizenship historically and comparatively. Interdisciplinary course taught from a humanities perspective. Readings draw from critical legal studies, history, literature, literary criticism, and ethnography.
AAS 300: Theories of Race, Gender and Sexuality
Explores theories for performing interdisciplinary, intersectional and comparative studies within the field of Asian American studies. Follows multiple genealogies of critical work in ethnic and American studies.