American History Midterm Exam

The following are questions to encourage you to think about your assigned readings.
Your essays should reflect, insofar as possible, your own ideas, analyses, etc. You should rely primarily on the works assigned in class. Do not forget to make references wherever appropriate. Be comprehensive in your answers. I shall be looking for your ability to synthesize material, to be critical, and to be original. Use the questions below as an outline of your answer.

1. (15P)
   The Los Angeles Civil Unrest in spring 1992 were among the most violent and destructive events in twentieth-century urban America.
   (You can read an e-copy of my book from our library. 9781498577069 LA RISING:
   KOREAN RELATIONS WITH BLACKS AND LATINOS AFTER CIVIL UNREST.
   http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&A
   N=2227233
   Use the following chapters:
   -Park, Kyeyoung. “Ch. 6: Changing the Business Plan.”
   -Park, Kyeyoung. “Ch. 8: An Analysis of Latino-Korean Relations in the Workplace:
   Latino Perspectives in the Aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest.”
   -Park, Kyeyoung. “Ch. 9: The Racial Cartography of Post-Unrest LA.”
   A). What were some of the ways Korean immigrant merchants in South LA experienced before, during, and after the ‘92 L.A. civil unrest?
   B). In what ways have interracial relations in L A. improved since the unrest? What are some factors that we can see affecting change?

2. (10P)
   The merchant-customer relationship has been cited as a catalyst to conflicts such as the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest and the boycotting of Korean-owned businesses.
   Use the chapter, “Ch. 5: Class Relations of Surveillance.”
   A). Summarize the material.
   B). Detail your personal reaction (& subjective impression) to the work: what strikes you as noteworthy; how has it enhanced your understanding of the issues; what emotions
   did the work evoke in you?

3. (10P)
   Compare the third wave of Korean immigrants with the first wave of Korean immigrants.
   Who came, and why?
   What forces pushed Koreans to leave their homeland and come to the United States?
   What were some of the “pull factors?”

4. (15P)
   A). How did the Korean War influence the immigration patterns and demographics of Koreans who immigrated to the U.S.?
   B). Consider the article, “Diaspora of Camptown: The Forgotten War’s Monstrous Family.” What are the strengths of this piece? What did the author do particularly well?
   C). Deann Borshay Liem produced a documentary about Korean adoption: First person plural. (You can also use Kim P. Nelson’s article, “Mapping Multiple Histories of Korean American Transnational Adoption.”)
   In relation to the theme of this course, discuss what is at issue here.
   How does adoption at a young age influence the identity development and assimilation process for Korean adoptees?