South Asian Studies (BA)
in
Note:
York has a joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies. The Centre offers you the opportunity to explore contemporary issues as they relate to Canada, global partners and citizens of the South Asian region.
South Asia — home to some of the world's oldest and most enduring cultures and to two of its most populous nuclear powers — has increasingly demanded the attention of the West. Encompassing the nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the region is the ancestral home of more than 650,000 Canadians.
The program recognizes the importance of understanding South Asia and its relationship to Canada and the rest of the world. Organized around carefully selected themes in culture, history, politics, religion, economics and development, you’ll gain a critical perspective while deepening your knowledge. Given that contemporary South Asia has emerged as a major world force faced with unprecedented social and political changes, the program offers grounded and expert analyses of challenges that face the region.
You will be offered the opportunity to explore the following major themes:
- the experiences of colonialism;
- histories and state formations;
- human development;
- societies and cultures;
- the South Asian diaspora;
- social movements in South Asia;
- gender relations in South Asia.
As a graduate, your expertise will put you in demand for such careers as journalism, international trade and marketing, business, public relations, education and development aid, and in government and international organizations.
What makes this program unique:
- York's program is distinctive in several ways. It seeks to eschew the "orientalist" model of studying South Asia; focus on the contemporary realities of South Asian countries; and integrate the study of the region with that of the South Asian diaspora, in Canada and elsewhere.
- Our professors are actively engaged in research throughout the region and will bring their contemporary findings into the classroom.