While flipping through the course calendar, freaking out as I choose my first year courses, I stumbled across Diaspora and Transnational Studies. It looks PERFECT for a very undecided social science student who wants to take a bunch of everything (anthro, his, geo, etc) and the into class fits perfectly in my schedule (something thats been plaguing me lately). However upon asking around to friends who are second/third years, no one can tell me anything about it….SO ASKA, school me! 🙂 have you heard good things? do you think taking DTS200 would be too much for a measly first year? oh and….is there any possible chance I’d get in through a wait list?
many thanks
ps. DTS sounds like a syndrome. Is it strange this makes me like it more?
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Heyo!
I’m a bit late with this answer, but I hope you did sign up for DTS200, and that you got in, waitlist or no! I always encourage first years to take a few second year courses for kicks.
Although I initially assumed DTS stood for ‘Down to Salsa ,’ Diaspora and Transnational Studies is indeed one freakin’ cool program, and everyone I know who has taken it really digs it. It?s relevant, it?s political, and it?s challenging!
It’s also important that students like you show sustained interest in interdisciplinary humanities/social science programs like this, which are constantly under threat by a university administration that prefers moneymaking departments like Commerce and Biotech. Recently, DTS was one of a few programs which faced radical amalgamation and downsizing , and only sustained student activism and the resulting public outcry stopped that from going down. Just so you knows!
Let me know if you went for it!
Huggles,
aska
p.s?the prereqs for some of the courses can be a little biotch when the courses are 200 and 300 series
p.p.s DTS 200 and one of the 4th year Advanced Topics is taught by Prof Kevin O’Neill … who is super chill and not too shabby on the eyes (just sayin)