Faculty of ArtNew history program honours Japanese Canadian students of 1942
The first students to register for a new minor in Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies will begin classes in September 2014. The program was created as part of a tribute to Japanese Canadian students who were unable to complete their university studies when they were forced to leave the West Coast in 1942.
Seventy years later, in May 2012, UBC awarded degrees to the 76 Japanese Canadian students affected by this injustice. As part of the tribute, UBC committed to creating a new history program for students to learn about the discrimination faced by Asian Canadians throughout the country’s history.
The new minor program, created with the involvement of the Asian Canadian community, includes mandatory classes in history and film production. Students will use film to share the stories of Asian Canadians who were affected by policies that led to the Chinese head tax, internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, and the Komagata Maru incident, which marks its 100th anniversary this year.
