Asian American Identity in the United States
All Genders Course; Prerequisite - Successful completion of one year of high school social studies or permission from the administration; Fall Semester or Full Year Course
Course Overview
What does it mean to be “Asian American?” What challenges have Asian Americans encountered in their journey for self-definition and visibility in America’s Black-white binary -- a racial paradigm that has existed for centuries? This course examines the complex diversity and lived experiences of the Asian American community. Using historical text, literature, and media, students examine the evolution of Asian American identity with particular attention to how it has been influenced by labor, race, assimilation, citizenship, appropriation, and the US Civil Rights Movement. A key focus of this course is the agency that Asian Americans have exhibited in constructing who they are and want to be across ethno-nationality, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and age. Students explore topics of their choosing that focus on specific Asian and Pacific Islander communities (e.g. Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Samoan and Vietnamese, etc.) and specific political issues. The semester concludes with a focus on building solidarity across marginalized communities in the United States.
“I really enjoyed learning from my teacher for this course. I chose to reveal certain aspects of my identity/experience and I really felt like my teacher was there for me. I also felt comfortable reaching out to her if I needed to. I really like this course!”
Course Approval
This course is approved by the NCAA.
One Schoolhouse is fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through December 1, 2025. We are an approved online publisher for the University of California.
Academic Program Teachers
Academic Program teachers are passionate about helping students flourish and thrive.
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With small sections (averaging 15 students), teachers inspire, encourage, and instill confidence in their students.
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Teachers are drawn from top independent schools across the country and participate in our extensive training on current research and best practices in online instruction methods.
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Teachers are experts in their subject field and also highly qualified, with over 80% having a master’s degree or a terminal degree.
What Happens In The Second Semester?
Students wishing to pursue an identity project may enroll in the course for the full year. For students continuing into Semester II, the course shifts into personalized, project-based work, where students engage in deep, sustained inquiry, authentic and iterative research, critical analysis, and rigorous reflection, revision, and assessment as they journey through a self-designed, long-term activism, design, or research project on the topic of their choosing. Guided by a One Schoolhouse teacher, students pursue individual study/self-assessment or collaborative seminar/peer-review. Pathway options from which students choose include:
Spring Activism Seminar
In this seminar, students identify a need and create a plan to effect economic, environmental, political, or social change in a target community. Utilizing a social science approach to research and evaluation, students are guided through the process of planning the deployment of a novel idea and identifying markers of success. Students may create a strategic plan for a club or non-profit or design an artistic product in this seminar.
Spring Design Seminar
In this seminar, students design a technological solution to a real-world problem. Through the engineering design process/scientific method, students gather and analyze data to determine the effectiveness of their model or the accuracy of their hypothesis. Students may prototype and produce a public product in this seminar.
Spring Research Seminar
In this seminar, students answer a theoretical or ethical question. Utilizing the social science/humanities tools for source evaluation, students collect, critique, and evaluate artifacts or primary source documents to explore their thesis. Students may create a written or multimedia product in this seminar.
Upon completion of their inquiry-driven project, students will have gained academic maturity and expanded their ability to engage in a diverse and changing world. They will be able to draw and defend conclusions from theoretical underpinnings, contextual background, and mathematical analysis or source evaluation. Finally, they will have created and tested something useful of their own design or will be able to defend a position based on their own research.
