Southeast Asia Seminar Series

A street scene in Hanoi, including a food stall, bicycles, and street signs.
Photo: Kim Ngan Phung

The Southeast Asia Seminar Series brings together scholars working and teaching on Southeast Asia at the University of Toronto. We are home to one of North America’s strongest concentrations of Southeast Asian Studies scholars in the humanities and social sciences.

Learn more about our events, faculty, film collection, and student resources below.

Our events

Our seminar series examines a range of topics, such as race, geopolitics, theory, and praxis through the lens of cinema. We frequently collaborate with partners at the University of Toronto to invite speakers and enrich cross-disciplinary discussion. View our upcoming event listings below and explore our past events on the Asian Institute's past events page. 

Film still shows an apartment building with two balconies where clothing is hung to dry, with tangled wires in the foreground.
Still from Mother Daughter Dreams (Director: Linh Duong, 2018)

Film collection

Man in foreground looks at river and two ferris wheels on the riverbank surrounded by people

The Asian Cinema and Short Film Collection at U of T Mississauga

Curated by Professor Elizabeth Wijaya and librarian Amelia Clarkson, the collection includes short films produced by directors in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Still from Ferris Wheel, directed by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng (2015).

Student resources

We have compiled below some of the many opportunities and resources for students interested in studying Southeast Asia at the University of Toronto. 

Undergraduate study

Undergraduate students can pursue a major or minor in Contemporary Asian Studies to study Southeast Asia in an interdisciplinary, pan-Asian, and global context. Explore the University’s wide range of undergraduate courses related to Southeast Asia through the Faculty of Arts & Science's Course Search tool.

Graduate study

At the Master’s level, students can join the Asian Institute’s Collaborative Master’s Specialization in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies.

We invite all graduate students with an interest in Southeast Asia to join the Asian Institute Graduate Student Network for regular updates on events and opportunities related to Asian Studies.

Language study

We place a strong emphasis on the acquisition of Southeast Asian languages in the pursuit of a regional specialization. While the University of Toronto does not currently offer courses in Southeast Asian languages, graduate students can seek funding for external programs for language education through the Faculty of Arts & Science SELECT Languages for Research Purposes fund. 

Some of the programs that have a special focus on Southeast Asian languages include: the Cornell Southeast Asia Program and SEASSI: the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Research scholarships

Learn more about the Dr. David Chu Scholarships in Asia-Pacific Studies, which provide research funding for undergraduate and graduate students conducting fieldwork in Southeast Asia.

Areas of focus - Victor Dementiev/Unsplash

CONTACT US

 

ELIZABETH WIJAYA

Director


ARBA BARDHI

Event Coordinator


416-946-8996