University of Toronto

By Mehran Ataee

Reasons for the exchange:

• To satisfy my Regional Specialization Requirements at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at UofT

• To make connections in the more populous Middle Eastern community in Toronto

The UofT Experience

Pros:

• Large university of a high academic caliber

• Very diverse student and staff population

• Many opportunities for students to get involved on campus

• The main campus is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Toronto and is connected to the subway lines

• My favourite: there were always interesting and cutting-edge conferences or interesting lectures by world renown academics, activists, politicians, etc.

The UofT Experience

Cons (Can’t think of many, but) :

• It was hard to find good food on campus: hot dog stands were

ubiquitous • Students were more competitive and tensions and rivalries were

more serious at UofT in comparison to the more relaxed environment at UBC

• And of course, the winters were cold

My house, located close to Portugal Town

The Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at UofT

Pros:• The Department has a strong Islamic studies, Middle Eastern

Language studies, Ancient Middle East Civilization Studies (Egyptology etc.) reputation

• It was a relatively small and cohesive department and there was a close relationship between students and faculty

• The student body was very active and up to date with geopolitical and academic developments in the region

• There were weekly lectures on various topics related to the region

The Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at UofT

Cons:• Many courses were not offered, probably due to a lack of

funding; all of the courses I had originally intended to take were not offered!

• The department is not very strong in cultural or critical studies of the Middle East

• There was some animosity between some of the Jewish and Arab students

The Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at UofT

Some courses I took

• Modern Middle Eastern History; very informative and useful.

• Islam and Modernity; a waste of time, but an easy A.

• Modern Muslim Thinkers: a new course that surveyed several Muslim intellectuals from Morocco to Indonesia. Fairly useful and comprehensive.

• Islamic Mysticism: an interesting but challenging senior seminar class.

Networking and the extracurricular

• As intended, I made many interesting connections that really enriched my understanding of the Middle East and the wider Muslim world

Networking and the extracurricular

Some organizations I worked with:• Canadian Muslim Union• Iranian Democratic Forum• Salaam Toronto, a queer Muslim organization• Iranian Queer Organization• Federation of Iranian Students at UofT

• I also got to know many Iranian human right activists, journalists and academics

Networking and the extracurricular• I also did some volunteer work at El-Farouk Khaki’s refugee law office

• Most clients we worked with were women, queer individuals, or persons living with HIV who had been persecuted in their country of origin

• My job was to do research on the human rights situations in Mexico and the Palestinian territories

• This was a great opportunity for me to hear first hand about the lived experiences of individuals who had to endure human rights violations in places like the Caribbean, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, and learn about the international and Canadian laws concerning these matters

Some of my co-workers at El-Farouk Khaki’s law office

• I recommend Toronto for those GRSers who want to do an exchange, but don’t want to travel too far. Toronto is truly a global city and new-comer students can easily find their academic and social niche and have a global experience by proxy through the many transnational communities that reside in this city.