CSAS-5000H - Foundations in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies
Dr. Sally Chivers, Founding Executive Member and Past Director of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society

As our society experiences a significant demographic shift, it is time to discuss and challenge some of the entrenched ideas about old age and older people. The course CSAS-5000H explores aging through a critical lens and invites students from all disciplines to join the dialogue.  

Dr. Sally Chivers, distinguished research award recipient, founding executive member of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society (TCAS), and professor in the departments of English and Gender & Social Justice, will lead the course, which aims to shape the understanding of aging from an interdisciplinary perspective as part of the Aging specialization for the past six years. 

This versatile elective, open to all Trent graduate students regardless of academic program, aims to foster interdisciplinary discussions, where students from diverse backgrounds can collaboratively develop new frameworks for the analysis of age equity and justice across generations and contexts.   

Professor Chivers shares that her experience in designing and teaching Aging Studies courses has been an incredibly rewarding journey. 

“I’m always struck by how students who discover Aging Studies quickly understand how relevant it is to their research, whether in social sciences, sciences, interpretive humanities, or arts-based research,” said Prof. Chivers.  

Foundations in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies fosters a vibrant learning environment where students challenge themselves in the study of a wide range of topics, including long-term care, generational divides, age tech, sexual expression, queer futures, decolonizing time, environmental sustainability, intergenerational creativity, lifelong activism, mortal methods, and political economy. 

“In CSAS-5000H, we learn how to address the problems that come with an aging population. But we know there is more to the story,” shared Prof. Chivers. “We also explore how to benefit from changing demographics. To do so, we study how aging relates to every aspect of social and cultural life: data politics, long-term care, environmental sustainability, migration – just to name a few.” 

Not only is this an enriching course for graduate students who are already interested in pursuing age-related studies, it is also a comprehensive introduction to a state-of-the-art research area that will become even more relevant in the future, given our aging population.  

Education at the Trent Centre for Aging & Society  

Drawing on the University's long tradition of excellence in research-informed teaching, TCAS provides training and education opportunities in Aging Studies, with CSAS-5000H as the core course for the Collaborative Specialization in Aging Studies and the newly established M.A. in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies. 

The Collaborative Specialization in Aging Studies allows students to explore the significance of aging for individuals, communities and societies through coursework and research, and to take part in TCAS’s community-based collaborations. 

The M.A. in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies is a thesis-based program that prepares students for a meaningful career in the public and nonprofit sector, managerial-level positions in institutions, and community organizations that support older adults. 

To learn more about the exciting realm of interdisciplinary aging studies, visit the TCAS Education and Training page.