Penn Asian American Studies (ASAM)

Penn Asian American Studies (ASAM) Welcome to the Asian American Studies Program at Penn!

The University of Pennsylvania's program in Asian American Studies (ASAM) was established in Fall 1996 as a result of joint student, staff, and faculty efforts. An interdisciplinary program that offers a Minor and a broad range of courses and activities, it explores the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian immigrants and of persons of Asian ancestry in North America. The Asian American Studies Program, in partnership with the University’s Undergraduate Advisory Board (UAB) and the Graduate Asian American Students Association (GASAM), sponsors conferences and events including film screenings, academic talks, and performances.

Join us for the Closing Event and Mural Unveiling of Migrating Lives! Migrating Lives—a celebration of community, cultur...
04/17/2026

Join us for the Closing Event and Mural Unveiling of Migrating Lives! Migrating Lives—a celebration of community, culture, and creativity through participatory murals! Be part of the unveiling of the completed mural, co-created by the Karen Community Association of Philadelphia, Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educación, and our partners at Penn. Together, we honor the stories and experiences that shape Greater Philadelphia.

Spring break is almost over, and we hope this week gave you a moment to pause, rest, recharge, and reconnect with yourse...
03/13/2026

Spring break is almost over, and we hope this week gave you a moment to pause, rest, recharge, and reconnect with yourself, family, and community. We can’t wait to have you back!

Also, please remember to RSVP for our memorial lecture, our next and most important event!

No experience needed, supplies and snacks will be provided. By registration only! Please visit ASAM or CLALS Website!
03/10/2026

No experience needed, supplies and snacks will be provided. By registration only! Please visit ASAM or CLALS Website!

Re-Visioning Abolitionist Futures: Beyond the Walls in conversation with Director Setsu Shigematsu, Professor of the Dep...
03/10/2026

Re-Visioning Abolitionist Futures: Beyond the Walls in conversation with Director Setsu Shigematsu, Professor of the Department of Media and Cultural Studies, University of California, Riverside, CA.

The Asian American Studies Program invites you to a preview screening and conversation with filmmaker and scholar Setsu Shigematsu on March 20th at noon.

Lunch will be provided for all registrants. Please RSVP here!

This event features a new documentary co-produced by Setsu Shigematsu, Cinthya Martinez, and Mayon Denton, which examines the rise of the movement through the voices and organizing efforts of undocumented student activists from California’s Inland Empire. The film explores abolitionist futures that extend beyond borders, detention, and carceral systems, highlighting collective resistance, political imagination, and community-based alternatives.

SNF Paideia Program, Penn Global Seminar and Asian America Across the Disciplines Series Spring 2026 present: Race and t...
03/10/2026

SNF Paideia Program, Penn Global Seminar and Asian America Across the Disciplines Series Spring 2026 present: Race and the Home: Gender & Family with Edwin Desamour, Chief Programs and Events Officer for The Lighthouse, Inc., and Johnny Irizarry, CLALS Lecturer and former Director of La Casa Latina.

Hosted by Fariha Khan, ASAM Co-Director and Fernando Chang-Muy, Thomas O’Boyle Lecturer in Law in the course “American Race: A Philadelphia Story” (SNF Paideia Program.)

Please join by Zoom on the ASAM Website: asam.sas.upenn.edu!

This year’s lecture will take the form of a panel discussion titled Asian American Studies Today, featuring distinguishe...
03/10/2026

This year’s lecture will take the form of a panel discussion titled Asian American Studies Today, featuring distinguished scholars:

Pawan H. Dhingra, Former President of the Association for Asian American Studies. Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank ‘55 Professor of U.S. Immigration Studies. Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty, Amherst College

Martin F. Manalansan IV, President of the Association for Asian American Studies. Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Anita Mannur, President-elect of the Association for Asian American Studies. Director of the Asia, Pacific, and Diaspora Studies Program and Professor of Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies, American University

Moderators:

Bakirathi Mani , Faculty Director of Asian American StudiesPenn Presidential Compact Professor of English

Sophia Lee, ASAM Undergraduate Advisory Board Co-Chair

Check out our March Newsletter here! https://url-shortener.me/FLM6Spring is here and ASAM has a full month ahead. Join u...
03/04/2026

Check out our March Newsletter here! https://url-shortener.me/FLM6

Spring is here and ASAM has a full month ahead. Join us for the Yoonmee Chang Memorial Lecture (March 17), upcoming Across the Disciplines events, and the final Migrating Lives painting session before the Mural Unveiling on April 24. Also, congrats to Prof. Hardeep Dhillon on the 2026 Early Career Achievement Award, and students are encouraged to submit for the Dr. Rosane Rocher Undergraduate Essay Prize. 🌸

Join us for the last session on March 21 at KCAP!
02/28/2026

Join us for the last session on March 21 at KCAP!

Join us at Migrating Lives, a participatory art initiative led by the Karen Community Association of Philadelphia (KCAP)...
02/28/2026

Join us at Migrating Lives, a participatory art initiative led by the Karen Community Association of Philadelphia (KCAP) and Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educación (CCATE), in collaboration with Asian American Studies Program (ASAM) and the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies (CLALS) at Penn. Learn more about our partnership here!

Sponsored by the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, Migrating Lives highlights the vital role of immigration in shaping Greater Philadelphia. The project brings together community voices through murals that reflect the history, culture, and lived experiences of immigrant and refugee communities.

During the 2025–2026 academic year, the mural will unfold in three parts at KCAP, CCATE, and the ASAM/CLALS space at Penn.

We hope you’ll join us to co-create the mural while connecting with and learning from our partners at CCATE, KCAP, and Penn.

Address

473 McNeil Building, 3718 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA
19104

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