Contemporary Asian Studies Program

The Dr. David Chu Program in Contemporary Asian Studies  (CAS) offers undergraduate students a major program and minor program designed to comprehend Asia’s role in new global dynamics. Several of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies are in Asia, yet the outcomes of modernization across the region have been varied, as seen through differing approaches to government, wealth distribution, ethnic diversity, gender dynamics, human rights, religion, and migration. Our students consider all of these factors in present-day South, Southeast, and East Asia, in the context of the diverse histories that inform these societies. The CAS program provides a lens through which to examine the links between Asia’s history, its increasing influence in world affairs, the challenges and opportunities arising in this time of rapid transformation.

South Asian Studies Program

The Centre for South Asian Studies hosts a minor program in South Asian Studies, which also has access to the faculty and resources of the groundbreaking Contemporary Asian Studies program.   Students study South Asia in an approach attentive to global formations.  They are introduced to the study of South Asia—Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka—through a wide angle view of Asian modernities, political economies and cultures, all the while delving into to specialist close-ups of South Asia.  With open access to comparative courses in Contemporary Asian Studies program, students can learn from tenured and tenure-track faculty specialists in South, East, and Southeast Asia.

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Collaborative Master's in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies

The interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies (formerly Asia-Pacific Studies, or MAPS) is designed for  students wishing to pursue careers that will require them to understand this vibrant and sometimes tumultuous part of the world, whether their chosen fields are in academia, business, government, international or non-governmental organizations. Drawing students from a dozen graduate faculties to elicit a truly multi-disciplinary dialogue, the program limits the number of students to 20 in order to facilitate learning and intellectual exchange in a small group setting.

Collaborative Master's and Doctoral Program in South Asian Studies

The Collaborative Master’s and Doctoral Program in South Asian Studies offers entry into a graduate student community, as well as a methodological grounding for students already accepted into a graduate program at the University of Toronto. The program is designed to give students an interdisciplinary overview for the critical study of South Asia as a field of expertise and as a lens through which to read a wide range of global processes. Engagement with these questions through the collaborative program will be noted on the transcripts of participating students.

MORE Resources

The Asian Institute offers a variety of resources to both undergraduate and graduate students in their teaching programs, and involved in affiliated activities at the Institute.  to learn more about student groups, scholarships, and travel opportunities check out our Student Resources page.