ABOUT US

Tamil is a rich and classical language that is taught in countries across the world. In the United States alone, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, University of California at Berkeley, Cornell University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Virginia all offer Tamil at the university level.

Now, Canada will be able to join the ranks as students from across North America have joined in this initiative to bring Tamil Studies at the University of Toronto.

Mission:
Through promotion, fundraising and networking, we aim to attain the necessary support to establish Tamil Studies at the University of Toronto

Vision

• Enrich cultural diversity of Toronto by diversifying the university’s curriculum
• Fostering the growth of a classical language
• Broadening research and knowledge of Tamil History and culture

Establishing a Tamil studies program at a prominent and ethnically diverse post secondary institution would be a great leap forward in accomplishing these goals.

Research

A university is an institution that functions independently to continuously grow and sustain its foundation. Thus the presence of a well-structured, financially supported Tamil language institution within a university will increase the sustainability of the classical language for future generations.

This language richly encompasses a broad range of knowledge related to South Asia and their communities. A research institution focused on Tamil studies would be able to document the growth of these communities while providing resources on history and culture.
Through knowledge of the Tamil language, students and academics will gain the opportunity to research into the following areas: anthropology, geography, history and sociology, which are primarily available in Tamil.

Students

Though there is growing international interest concerning issues in South Asia, accredited resources pertaining to these issues have not increased proportionally. Students, our future leaders and academics of North America, should be educated on such issues in order for our society to foster values respective of such issues.
Thus, post-secondary institutions should encompass a diverse curriculum reflective of current and future issues.

Community

Canada is one of the multicultural countries in the world. Within Toronto, one of the most predominant groups is South Asian community. This year, a Statistics Canada study estimated that more than half of Canada’s South Asian population will be living in Toronto by 2017. This is a remarkable feat for Canadians across the country.
Through the implementation of Tamil Studies, the country gains the opportunity to become further enriched with cultural diversity.

Goals

For the Short Term, we are aiming for courses to begin by Summer 2006. An Introduction to Tamil Studies course will commence as a summer course followed by a full year course Tamil Language course in September. This requires raising approximately CAD $48,000 and ensuring strong enrolment.

For the Long Term, we are aiming to implement six different courses within the Tamil Studies field in order for students to attain a major in Tamil Studies.