The Migration and Diaspora Studies (MDS) program at Carleton University welcomed Prof. James Milner as its new Program Director on 1 January 2023. Prof. Milner takes over from Prof. James Casteel, who completed his term at the end of December 2022.
Prof. Casteel was the founding Program Director for MDS. He was responsible for the design and launch of the MDS program in 2019 and the welcoming of three cohorts of students since September 2020 to the MA and Graduate Diploma programs. Many members of the MDS Community gathered on 13 December 2022 to celebrate Prof. Casteel’s accomplishments, not only with the design and launch of the program, but also how he guided the program through the COVID pandemic with great care, humour and empathy.
As the new Program Director, Prof. Milner plans to continue the strong student-focused approach of the program and to ensure that all MDS students receive exceptional support through every stage of the MDS program.
He also brings to the position his own experience working on global forced migration issues and the work he has been leading through the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN). He notes that “this is an important time, globally and in Canada, to be thinking about issues relating to the social, political, economic and cultural implications of the movement of people, and transnationalism more generally, and I look forward to creating and supporting opportunities for us to all contribute to this conversation.”
At the graduate level, the MDS program offers both an MA and Graduate Diploma in Migration and Diaspora Studies. The deadline for applications for the next cohort is 1 February 2023.
Please contact MDS@carleton.ca with questions about the program or how to apply.