South Asian Humanities

Degree: Honours Bachelor of Arts
Program Options: Minor

This program offers a comprehensive exploration of South Asia and the South Asian diaspora, drawing on a range of disciplinary approaches. Through diverse course offerings, students can study South Asian history, religion, politics, languages, societies, and cultures. The program is geared toward building an engagement with the South Asian region as well as with South Asian diasporic contexts. Students may take courses in a number of departments that focus on South Asia. As a complement to the students' other chosen programs, the Minor in South Asian Civilizations can prepare students for careers in a competitive global context in which South Asia plays an important role.

Visit our Programs page for more information on Historical Studies undergraduate programs at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Program Learning Outcomes

Describe the scholarly implications of area studies methods;
Develop of a knowledge of South Asia from a disciplinary perspective;
Recognize the complexity of undertaking interdisciplinary study, and the limits of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches;
Recognize issues affecting South Asia and South Asian communities in South Asia, Canada, and other diasporic locations;
Develop questions and respond to and analyze issues in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora using methods in social science and humanities, which are relevant to the study of other Major, Minor, or Specialist program areas;
Apply a range of appropriate cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary concepts and approaches to analyze issues in South Asia and the South Asia diaspora;
Identify the limits of particular disciplinary approaches to the study of South Asia;
Apply knowledge and communicate complex ideas about South Asia and its diasporas to a knowledgeable audience (classmates and others) through essays, creative works, translations, debates, and other technologies using disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods;
Evaluate and interpret primary and secondary source material via course readings in the context of individual and group-based research;
Make judgments and assess the integrity of their judgments in light of their awareness of the limits of their own knowledge, and the limitarions of knowledge in the discipline (the uncertainty and ambiguity of studying cultures in translation);
Acknowledge and respect the diversity of South Asian communities;
Represent and uphold the ethical values of the university by working with their peers, and the broader community, to address issues of relevance to South Asia and the South Asian diaspora;
Recognize the importance of participating in cultural and community events and in studying an original language to gain a better understanding of the region;
Develop a thoughtful mindset of global citizens capable of critically reflecting on the world in its complexity.

Career Information

The skills and experience you acquire while studying a Historical Studies program at UTM will be benefit in any career you might enter. Graduates of a Historical Studies program bring a unique set of valuable skills to many diverse career areas. Visit the Careers page for more information on career areas for graduates of our South Asian Humanities program.