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Toronto university offers course on Diljit Dosanjh

Toronto Metropolitan University’s new class will analyse his cultural influence, music career and role in shaping diasporic identity.

Diljit Dosanjh

Canadian university launches course on Diljit Dosanjh highlighting his global cultural influence

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Pooja Pillai
By Pooja PillaiJun 24, 2025
Pooja Pillai
Pooja was born in Kochi and raised on a mix of newspapers, pop culture, and too many questions. She studied Communicative English and Journalism before earning her Master’s in Journalism from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, and began her career interning at The Times of India and Channel I'M — where she later became a news anchor, scripting and presenting her own stories. Between deadlines, she’s worked across digital media platforms, covering politics, gender, pop culture, cinema, and everything in between. She has interviewed actors, creators, and changemakers, and occasionally edits her own video content — thanks to being certified in Photoshop and InDesign. In 2025, she joined the Asian Media Group in her first “official” newsroom gig, where she now covers entertainment, lifestyle, and the layered realities of South Asian identity. She believes storytelling should feel personal — even when it’s public — and likes to write not to please, but to provoke, question, and occasionally stir the pot.
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Quick highlights

  • Toronto Metropolitan University will launch a course on Diljit Dosanjh in 2026.
  • The class will examine his influence on global music, diaspora, and Punjabi culture.
  • The announcement was made during the Billboard Summit at NXNE in Toronto.
  • The course will be part of TMU’s Creative School curriculum.

Diljit Dosanjh's rise from Punjab’s music scene to global stages like Coachella is now being studied in classrooms. Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) has confirmed it will offer a course on the singer-actor’s cultural and diasporic impact, starting in late 2026, marking a first-of-its-kind academic recognition for a Punjabi artist in Canada.

Diljit's Instagram storyInstagram screengrab/ diljitdosanjh


Course on Diljit Dosanjh to explore Punjabi music’s global rise

The course, announced at the Billboard Summit in Toronto, will be run by TMU’s Creative School. According to the university, it will explore how Dosanjh’s work intersects with identity, entrepreneurship, and cultural influence across diasporic communities. Dr Charlie Wall-Andrews, who is leading the academic initiative, described Diljit as an ideal subject to study how regional music scenes influence global pop culture.

“This course goes beyond music. It’s about cultural authenticity, migration stories, and how regional sounds are driving creative economies,” Wall-Andrews said in a statement.

The university is positioning the class not just as a tribute, but as a serious academic look at how South Asian artists are shaping mainstream narratives.

Diljit Dosanjh spotted at Coachella where he made history as a Punjabi headlinerGetty Images


Industry leaders say it’s long overdue

Sonali Singh, CEO of Ripple Effects and part of Dosanjh’s team, said the course reflects a deeper understanding of Diljit’s contributions. “His journey speaks to cultural pride and global representation, not just celebrity,” she said.

Backing the course, Billboard Canada President Mo Ghoneim added, “We’ve covered Diljit’s global milestones, from charting on Billboard to Coachella and the Met Gala. It’s only fitting that his story becomes part of academic discourse.”

Fans cheer as Diljit takes the stage at an eventGetty Images


While the announcement comes amid online debate around Dosanjh’s casting choices in Sardaar Ji 3, TMU’s initiative seems focused on legacy rather than controversy. Application details will go live on the university’s website closer to the course start in 2026.

punjabi musicsouth asian diasporatoronto metropolitan universitybollywooddiljit dosanjh

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