Dear students and colleagues,

Welcome to the Department of Historical and Cultural Studies (HCS) at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). As the department chair of HCS, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the variety of exciting programs, courses, and research collaboration projects that are offered by the department.

As you will see by exploring our website further, HCS consists of six interconnected academic programs: African Studies (AFS), Classical Studies (CLA), Food Studies (FS), Global Asia Studies (GAS), History (HIS), and Women’s and Gender Studies (WST). These programs are united by our emphasis on interdisciplinary research and teaching and our efforts to investigate important issues through cutting-edge theories and methods. Our common goal is to help our students and larger communities develop a more sophisticated and responsible understanding of the past, present and future of our society and world.            

Situated in an unusually diverse city and a rapidly expanding campus that is an integral part of the University of Toronto, HCS provides our faculty and students with wonderful opportunities to work with many of the world’s most accomplished scholars and engage in community-oriented research and learning.

The department is also uniquely positioned to prepare our students for success in a complex world by encouraging them to develop transnational and interdisciplinary perspectives and by emphasizing the importance of research, writing, and critical analysis and the value of cultural and ethnical diversity and social responsibilities throughout our curriculum.

Please continue to check out our different programs for more information about the course offerings and research projects. Please do not hesitate to contact me or other members of the department if you need more information.

Best wishes,

Li Chen