Diaspora and Transnational Studies


Faculty List
  • M. Lambek, B.A. (McGill), M.A., Ph.D. (Michigan), F.R.S.C., Professor
  • N. Kortenaar, M.A., Ph.D. (Toronto), Professor
  • M.B. Goldman, M.A. (Victoria), Ph.D. (Toronto), Associate Professor
  • E.A. Harney, M.Phil., Ph.D. (London), Associate Professor
  • P. Landolt, B.A., M.A. (York), M.A., Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins), Associate Professor
  • G. Daswani, B.Sc. (National University of Singapore), M.Sc., Ph.D. (London School of Economics), Assistant Professor
  • K. MacDonald, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Waterloo), Assistant Professor
  • A. Paz, B.A. (Queen's), M.A. (Tel Aviv), M.A. (Chicago), Ph.D. (Chicago), Assistant Professor

Undergraduate Counsellor: J. Roopnarinesingh Email: social-sciences-counsellor@utsc.utoronto.ca
Where is home? Need it be in one place? Is it always attached to territory? Diaspora and transnational studies examines the historical and contemporary movements of peoples and the complex problems of identity and experience to which these movements give rise as well as the creative possibilities that flow from movement. The program is comparative and interdisciplinary, drawing from the social sciences, history and the arts. Students are required to take two linked half-courses that offer an introduction to a broad array of themes and disciplinary methodologies and two fourth year seminars that build on the understanding developed in the course of the program.  The program offers a wide selection of additional courses, giving students the opportunity to learn about a range of diasporic communities as well as key debates in the field.

Diaspora and Transnational Studies Programs

MAJOR PROGRAM IN DIASPORA AND TRANSNATIONAL STUDIES (ARTS)

Program Requirements
Students must complete 7.0 full credits as follows:

  1. DTSB01H3 Introduction to Diaspora and Transnational Studies I
    DTSB02H3 Introduction to Diaspora and Transnational Studies II
  2. 5.0 full credits from Group A and Group B courses (below) with at least 2.0 full credits from each group. Coverage must include at least two diasporic communities or regions, to be identified in consultation with the program advisor. At least 1.0 full credit must be at the C-level or above.
  3. Any two of:
    DTS401H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies
    DTS402H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies
    DTS403H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies
    DTS404H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies

    *Students pursuing a DTS major should contact the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies  (CDTS@utoronto.ca) to be enrolled in these courses.

Note: In addition, while not required at this point in time, the Faculty of Arts & Science course JQR360H (The Canadian Census: Populations, Migrations and Demographics) is highly recommended.

Group A (Humanities) courses
CLAC05H3 Environment, Society and Economy in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt
CLAC24H3 Multiculturalism and Cultural Identities in the Greek and Roman Worlds
ENGB17H3 Contemporary Literature from the Caribbean
ENGB19H3 Contemporary Literature from South Asia
ENGC13H3 Ethnic Traditions in American Literature
ENGC70H3 The Immigrant Experience in Literature to 1980
ENGC71H3 The Immigrant Experience in Literature since 1980
ENGD62H3 Topics in Postcolonial Literature and Film
ENGD68H3 Topics in Literature and Religion
ENGD71H3 Studies in Arab North American Literature
(ENGD87H3) Between Traditions and Freedoms: Writing by Canadians of Asian Descent
FREB28H3 The Francophone World
FREB35H3 Francophone Literature
FREB70H3 Cinema of the Francophone World
FREB84H3 Folktale, Myth and the Fantastic in the French-Speaking World
FREC47H3 Special Topics in Linguistics: Pidgin and Creole Languages
FREC83H3 Cultural Identities and Stereotypes in the French-Speaking World
FRED12H3 Advanced Topics in Literature: Haitian Migrant Literature in Québec
(GASB01H3) Methodologies and Issues in Global Asia Studies
(GASB10H3) Introduction to South Asian Literatures
(GASB11H3) Introduction to Chinese Literature
GASB20H3 Gender and Social Institutions in Asia
GASB30H3 Asian Religions and Cultures
GASB31H3 Chinese Thought and Culture in Historical Perspective
GASC20H3 Gendering Global Asia
(GASC31H3) Self and Imagination in Pre-modern China
GASC32H3 Art of Memory: China and the West
GASC40H3 Chinese Media and Politics
GASC41H3 Media and Popular Culture in East and Southeast Asia
GASC42H3 Film and Popular Culture in South Asia
GASC50H3 Comparative Studies of East Asian Legal Cultures
(GASC51H3) Politics and Culture in Modern South Asia
HISB02H3 The British Empire: A Short History
(HISB18H3) History on Film
HISB50H3 Africa in the Nineteenth Century
HISB51H3 Twentieth Century Africa
HISB57H3 Sub-Continental Histories: South Asia in the World
HISB62H3 The Early Modern Mediterranean, 1500-1800
HISC03H3 History of Animals and People
HISC14H3 Edible History: History of Global Foodways
HISC36H3 People in Motion: Immigrants and Migrants in U.S. History
HISC45H3 Immigrants and Race Relations in Canadian History
HISC57H3 China and the World
HISC58H3 Delhi and London: Imperial Cities, Mobile People
HISC60H3 Old Worlds? Strangers and Foreigners in the Mediterranean, 1200-1700
HISD04H3 Missionaries and Converts in the Early Modern World
HISD05H3 Between Two Worlds? Translators and Interpreters in History
HISD06H3 Global History of Crime and Punishment since 1750
HISD31H3 Thinking of Diversity: Perspectives on American Pluralisms
HISD35H3 The Politics of American Immigration, 1865-present
HISD52H3 East African Societies in Transition
HISD56H3 'Coolies' and Others: Asian Labouring Diasporas in the British Empire
HISD60H3 Travelling and Travel Writing from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period
IEEC01H3 Theories and Methods in the Study of Society and Culture
IEEC21H3 Media and Popular Culture in East and Southeast Asia
IEEC22H3 Perspectives on the Globalized and the Transnational II
JOUB01H3 Covering Immigration and Transnational Issues
LGGB74H3 Intermediate Tamil
MDSB05H3 Media and Globalization (formerly HUMB74H3)
(MDSB26H3) Covering Immigration
RLGC10H3 Hinduism in South Asia and the Diaspora
(RLGC12H3) Contemporary Engaged Buddhist Movements in Asia
(VPAB09H3) Dialogues in the Diaspora
VPHB50H3 Africa through the Photographic Lens
VPHB65H3 Exhibiting Africa: Spectacle and the Politics of Representation
VPHB67H3 Religion in the Arts: Buddhist Arts and Cultures
VPHB70H3 Images of Women:  East Asian Visual Culture
VPHB75H3 Religion in the Arts: Hinduism and Jainism
(VPHC52H3) Issues in Contemporary Global Arts
VPHC53H3 The Silk Routes
(VPHC58H3) Religion in the Arts: Seminar in Buddhism and Art
VPHC68H3 Art in Global Cities
(VPHC70H3) Modern and Contemporary Arts and Visual Culture of the Middle East
(VPHC71H3) Brazilian Modernism: Art and Architecture
VPHC73H3 Home, Away and In Between: Artists, Art, and Identity
VPMA99H3 Music of the World's Peoples
VPMB75H3 Music in Islamic Cultures
VPMB79H3 Performing Arts of Asia
(VPMB99H3) Popular Music in a Cross-Cultural Context
VPMC95H3 Musical Diasporas in Canada and the USA
(WSTB15H3) Women in the Cyberspace: Transnational Feminist Networks and Activism
WSTD04H3 Senior Seminar in Gender, Equity and Human Rights/Gender, Local and Global Communities
Plus any course identified by the Faculty of Arts & Science or by the University of Toronto Mississauga as a Group A course.

Group B (Social Sciences) courses
ANTB05H3 Culture and Society in Africa
(ANTB08H3) The Chinese Diaspora
ANTB16H3 Canadian Cultural Identities
ANTB20H3 Culture, Politics and Globalization
(ANTB54H3) Peoples of the Middle East: An Introduction
ANTB64H3 The Anthropology of Food: Consuming Passions
ANTB65H3 An Introduction to Pacific Island Societies
(ANTC06H3) African Cultures and Societies II: Case Studies
ANTC09H3 Families: Kinship and Marriage from a Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANTC19H3 Producing People and Things: Economics and Social Life
ANTC34H3 The Anthropology of Transnationalism
(ANTC55H3) Muslim Societies
GGRC45H3 Local Geographies of Globalization
GGRD10H3 Health and Sexuality
GGRD19H3 Spaces of Multiraciality: Critical Mixed Race Theory
IDSC08H3 Media and Development
POLA81H3 Leaving Home: Politics and Emigration
POLA83H3 Exploring Globalization
POLA84H3 Globalization and Governance
POLB90H3 Comparative Development in International Perspective
POLC94H3 Globalization, Gender and Development
POLC96H3 State Formation and Authoritarianism in the Middle East
POLC97H3 Protest Politics in the Middle East
SOCC52H3 International Migration and Immigrant Incorporation
SOCB53H3 Race and Ethnicity
SOCC25H3 Ethnicity, Race and Migration
SOCC34H3 Migrations & Transnationalisms
Plus any course identified by the Faculty of Arts & Science or by the University of Toronto Mississauga as a Group B course.

For Faculty of Arts & Science courses that may be applied to the program, see www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/archived/1011calendar/prg_dts.htm"

For UTM courses, see www.erin.utoronto.ca/regcal/WEBGROUP125.html

MINOR PROGRAM IN DIASPORA AND TRANSNATIONAL STUDIES (ARTS)

Program Requirements
Students must complete 4.0 full credits as follows:
The specific requirements of the minor program at U of T Scarborough are as follows:

  1. DTSB01H3 Introduction to Diaspora and Transnational Studies I
    DTSB02H3 Introduction to Diaspora and Transnational Studies II
  2. 2.5 full credits from Group A and Group B courses (see the Major Program above) with at least 1.0 full credit from each group. At least 0.5 credit must be at the C-level or above.
  3. Any two of:
    DTS401H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies
    DTS402H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies
    DTS403H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies
    DTS404H Advanced Topics in Diaspora and Transnational Studies

    *Students pursuing a DTS minor should contact the Center for Diaspora and Transnational Studies (CDTS@utoronto.ca) to be enrolled in these courses.

Note: In addition, while not required at this point in time, the Faculty of Arts & Science course JQR360H (The Canadian Census: Populations, Migrations and Demographics) is highly recommended.

Diaspora and Transnational Studies Courses


DTSB01H3    Introduction to Diaspora and Transnational Studies I

An interdisciplinary introduction to the study of diaspora, with particular attention to questions of history, globalization, cultural production and the creative imagination. Material will be drawn from Toronto as well as from diasporic communities in other times and places.
Exclusion: DTS200Y, DTS201H It is recommended that students take DTSB01H3 in their second year of study
Breadth Requirement: Social & Behavioural Sciences

DTSB02H3    Introduction to Diaspora and Transnational Studies II

A continuation of DTSB01H3. An interdisciplinary introduction to the study of diaspora, with particular attention to questions of history, globalization, cultural production and the creative imagination. Material will be drawn from Toronto as well as from diasporic communities in other times and places.
Prerequisite: It is recommended that DTSB01H3 & DTSB02H3 be taken in the same academic year.
Exclusion: DTS200Y, DTS202H
Breadth Requirement: Social & Behavioural Sciences