Collaborative Master’s Specialization in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies (formerly Asia-Pacific Studies, or MAPS)
Situated at Canada’s leading university, the University of Toronto’s Collaborative Master’s Specialization in Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Studies (MA CESEAS) offers a unique learning experience. It invites students to probe and question boundaries and assumptions in their engagement with East and Southeast Asia. It offers opportunities to critically examine global transformations and the regions’ changing position in the world. It deepens one’s understanding of key issues through careful examination of their historical roots, and of the cultural and social context that drives their manifestation. Faculty affiliated with the CESEAS program are deeply engaged in their research and teaching with countries of East and Southeast Asia, both from the humanities and the social sciences. They bring their particular specialization and enthusiasm to the classroom, their supervisory roles, and broad engagement with the Asian Institute community to create an environment where students can deepen their own interests while simultaneously broadening their grasp of the region and challenging their original assumptions.
The program is designed to suit individual interests and needs, while providing a context to selectively broaden one’s familiarity with particular issues and countries in East and Southeast Asia. A core course draws on the specialized fields of faculty instructors, while students are invited to pursue individual interests and approaches appropriate to their discipline in a Major Research Paper. Additional course work and opportunities for language training are tailored to individual circumstances and objectives.