The Master's (MA) in Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies is a 12-month program.
Admission Requirements
BAH or BFA degree from a recognized university in film, media studies, or cognate fields (e.g. communication, cultural studies, film and media production, visual arts, art history, popular culture).
Minimum of a B+/75% in the last two years of university study. Consideration will be given to applicants who demonstrate exceptional and relevant professional experience and achievement. There is no qualifying exam for the 12-month Master’s degree.
Funding
The Department of Film and Media provides financial support for MA students. The current minimum level of funding is $18,000 for the academic year. Financial support is derived from a combination of internal and external awards and in most cases Teaching Assistantships. This funding does not cover all living expenses, but rather covers the tuition and contributes to living expenses.
We encourage all incoming students to apply for external funding from OGS, SSHRC and other sources. For more information, see the School of Graduate Studies and Post-Doctoral Affairs information on awards and scholarships.
Tuition costs are the responsibility of the students. Information about tuition and fees can be found on the registrar’s site. Annual enrolment is expected with three semesters of tuition.
Degree Requirements
Students are required to complete three Core Courses and two Option Courses, as well as a Thesis/Project. Students are allowed to take additional courses, upon consultation with the supervisor and Graduate Chair.
Courses
Core SCCS courses:
SCCS 810/6.0/F/W Professional Development in Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies
SCCS 812/3.0/W Critical and Theoretical Approaches to Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies
SCCS 814/3.0/F Histories and Methodologies of Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies
Option Courses:
SCCS 820/3.0/F Media Production Seminar
SCCS 828/3.0/F Critical Curatorial Studies Seminar
SCCS 830/3.0/W Curating in Context
SCCS 840/3.0 Directed Reading
For detailed descriptions of all SCCS courses click SCCS Courses.
Cultural Studies may have room for SCCS students in their courses. CUST MA Option Courses: CUST 806/3.0; CUST 892/3.0; CUST 816/1.0; CUST 800/3.0; CUST 804/3.0; CUST 807/3.0; CUST 893/3.0; CUST 817/1.0; CUST 815/1.0. For detailed descriptions of Cultural Studies courses click Cultural Studies Courses. Relevant courses may also be found in Art History, Gender Studies, English, and International Development Studies.
Courses outside SCCS require permission from the instructor, the student's supervisor, and the Graduate Coordinator of SCCS. A completed ACF (Academic Change Form) must be sent to graduatefilm@queensu.ca.
Through SCCS 810 students will obtain a certificate in teaching screen cultures to diverse learners.
Final MA Work
The MA final work can take any one of the four following formats, depending on the focus of the student:
Major Research Paper (MRP)
Students may write a major research paper. This is a substantial academic essay of several chapters (10,000 – 15,000 words) presenting evidence to illuminate a research question. It makes clear its methodology and engages with relevant scholarship.
Project
Students may produce a media work with a complementary written component situating the work into larger debates in the field (5,000 – 7,500 words). That is, students are required to articulate their project’s rationale, conditions of production, and implications in relation to academic scholarship. The two components together are expected to be equivalent to a MA MRP in ambition or scope.
Curatorial Project
Students may produce a curatorial project/installation (the Art and Media Lab is booked for the summer) with a complementary written component situating the work into larger debates in the field (5,000 – 7,500 words). Again, students are required to articulate their project’s rationale, conditions of production, and implications in relation to academic scholarship. The two components together are expected to be equivalent to a MA MRP in ambition or scope.
Video Essay
Students may create a video essay synthesizing studies, curatorial and production questions, with a complementary written component, situating the work into larger debates in the field (5,000 – 7,500 words). Again, students are required to articulate their project’s rationale, relation to academic scholarship, and original contribution. The two components together are expected to be equivalent to a MA MRP in ambition or scope
Guidelines for Progress through the MA
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Detailed Timelines
By January students should meet with their supervisor to discuss their final project. In consultation with the supervisor, a second reader should also be sought at this point. (If the chosen party is not permanent Queen’s faculty, the supervisor checks with the SCCS Graduate Coordinator, before finalizing this choice.)
Important: If working with human participants, Ethics Review processes should start no later than January, in consultation with the supervisor. Students should do the CORE training online.
Throughout the Winter term, students should work on their proposal idea and bibliography/filmography with supervisor. In May students will attend a concentrated workshop to develop and submit a proposal to both supervisor and the secondary reader. Approval meetings will be scheduled for the middle of May. MA Proposal Approval Form.
Throughout June and July students will attend sessions to present work in progress.
In the middle of August students will submit the final work to the supervisor and second reader.
In the second part of August all students will present publicly their major projects.
Final MA Work Proposal Guidelines
Major Research Paper and Video Essay Proposals:
The format of the proposal may vary, and is determined in consultation with the supervisor, but the general expectation is for a document of 8-10 pages, accompanied by a bibliography, that makes clear the theoretical, methodological, and substantive elements and structure of the thesis. Students are required to show the relation of the research to the relevant academic literature. Proposals for research that require expenditures (such as travel) should include a budget. All proposals should include a timeline (and a budget, when applicable).
Research-Creation and Curatorial Project Proposals:
As above, the general expectation is for a document of 8-10 pages, accompanied by a bibliography, that makes clear the theoretical, methodological, and substantive elements and structure of the project. In consultation with the supervisor, a Research-Creation proposal may integrate artistic production or curation (see CUST Guidelines for Research-Creation for more information). If it does, the length of the written part of the proposal will be reduced accordingly, again in consultation with the supervisor. In the proposal, students will demonstrate how they conceive the relationship between the artistic or curatorial component of their work and the analytical/theoretical component, and will explain how they will document the artistic or curatorial component. Students are also required to show the relation of the research to the relevant academic literature. All proposals are to include a timeline and a budget. Students whose work will involve community collaborators must show that they have identified and communicated with appropriate participants, and they must justify their choice of participants given the theoretical, political, methodological, and practical contexts of their project. Students who work with human participants will have to undergo an application for ethics clearance from GREB.
Formal Process for MA Final Work Presentation and Defense:
Supervisors and students should consult the SGSPA regulations. A student’s project will be examined by the supervisor and one other examiner. No oral defense takes place. At least ten working days prior to the August public presentation, the student must supply the supervisor, and second reader a copy of their written component. Unlike the PhD process, examiners do not submit reports. After the defense, the SCCS Chair reports the result to the School of Graduate Studies and Post-Doctoral Affairs using the signed required SGSPA form. Before the student can graduate, they must submit a final copy of their work and documentation of any project activities to Qspace. Please check the SGSPA site for forms of submission of documentation of creative work.