Welcome

About the program

South Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program housed in the Department of Social Sciences. The program offers a range of courses that enables students to pursue studies in an array of topics on South Asia and its diaspora.  The courses are aimed at students who are just beginning to learn about South Asia as well as for those who wish to deepen their pre-existing knowledge.

One major focus of the program is on the contemporary South Asian diaspora. By helping students navigate through the complex history of South Asian immigration, the courses are geared to reflect upon issues that face South Asians in Canada and elsewhere.  York University is fortunate to have a number of internationally known scholars teaching such subject matters.

Who may take South Asian Studies?

The program is open to all students pursuing an Honours BA in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies as well as the Faculty of Fine Arts. It is available as either a Major (36 credits) or Minor (30 credits) degree program and must be combined with a major in another discipline. It can also be taken as a Certificate (24 credits). Students who have already chosen a major may be able to add a specialization in South Asian Studies. If you come from a faculty other than the ones listed above, please contact the Program Coordinator for more information.  We can guide you through the process.

How do I sign up?

To declare South Asian Studies as a major/minor degree, please sign up through the Registrar's webiste. For entry into the certificate program, please complete this form. Both forms need to be signed by the program coordinator.

Community

The program provides a vibrant space for students and the South Asian community-at-large to participate in cultural events, academic presentations, films and documentaries as well as talks by internationally known scholars, artists, and activists who visit Toronto and the GTA. Please send a note to sast@yorku.ca to sign up to our listserv for email notifications.

• Best Essay Prize available
• Gender, Sexuality and Creativity: Self-expressions in the South Asian Diaspora
• 2012- 2013 Supplementary Calendar

Hear from Our Alumni

Ali Abbas
Major: Professional Writing
Minor: Sociology and a Certificate in SAST

"Various situations of uncertainty, both personal and political, made me understand the importance of studying South Asia. My dream is to take my education further into the media industry. I want to establish a medium for sharing my insights and experiences with others like me."

Shruti Kankaria
Major: Psychology
Minor: SAST

"The prgram helped me learn many significant things about South Asia. In my third year, I took part in a York International Exchange program to the National University of Singapore. This opened up my horizons even further. I feel doing a Minor in South Asian Studies allows one to study a wide variety of subjects that all show how diverse South Asia is."

Tanya Panjwani
Double Major: Internationalal Development Studies and SAST

"I came to study at York from the US. My interest is in gender and development economics with a focus on India. I find the interdisciplinary approach of York's South Asia program immensely valuable."

Balraj Persaud
Double Major: Political Science and SAST

"South Asian Studies most importantly, has taught me about the need to exam societal formation in many lights; that is, through the prisms of as many relevant disciplines as possible. It has also taught me to recognize continuity and appreciate change."

Sarbjit Sondha
SAST Alumni
MA London School of Economics

She would like to return to academia, earn a Phd and become a professor of South Asian Studies one day.

"I truly believe that the South Asian Studies program was fundamental to the the reshaping of many orientalist ideas that I had and in helping me to develop an understanding of the diversity and complexity of South Asia."