About the Centre

This Center was started in 1991 with a view to promote Canadian studies in South India especially in the Bharathidasan University area. Every year two or three seminars / workshops are organised under this program.

By way of academic events, this Center works in three directions:

By conducting lectures with its own resource personnel from the affiliated colleges

By arranging seminars/workshops for the benefit of the faculty and the students who are interested in Canadian Studies.

By inviting speakers from other colleges and Universities to address the University students and college students on Canadian subjects and themes.

As far as Guest Lectures are concerned, a number of lectures by renowned Canadian Scholars are organized every year. As for major activities, we have conducted

International Conference on Canadian Studies - 1991

Three days Workshop for teachers on Canadian Literature and Sociology - 1992

Five days Workshop for teachers in Canadian History, Literature and Sociology - 1993

Seminar on Pluralism in India and Canada : Literary and Sociological Approaches - 1993

One Full year Lecture program by eminent Canadians and Indian Canadianists -1993-94

Seminar on Religion,Society and Literature : India and Canada -1994.

Lectures on Canadian Literature on specific writers : Stephen Leacock, Geroge Ryga,Margaret Atwood,Margaret Laurence,Rudy Wiebe and David Williams, 1995.

Workshop on Post-Modernism and Post-Colonialism : Latest trends in India and Canada -1996.

Achievements

Canadian Studies was initiated into the syllabus of the Bharathidasan University at various levels. At the P.G. Level it was brought under paper IV, Group A: Canadian and Australian Literature. At the P.G. Level now in the new University Syllabus in the University Department it is brought under New Literatures in English where the major portion is Canadian Literature and Criticism.

At the M.Phil. level only fiction has been finding a place in the syllabus and it is proposed that in the next board of studies more female writers in future Poetry and Drama are to be introduced.

Introduced Canadian Literature as a separate paper in the two affiliated Colleges namely Periyar EVR College and Bishop Heber College.