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Queen's University
 

Cultural Studies

M.A, Ph.D

Cultural Studies is an emphatically interdisciplinary area of inquiry that intersects the humanities, science studies, the social sciences and the arts. Its researchers theorize the forces that shape the lived reality of people in the 21st century. Drawing on a range of practices, researchers investigate values, beliefs and belongings, cultural processes and cultural objects, economic and social relations, institutions and identities.What distinguishes Cultural Studies from other approaches to the study of culture is its recognition that no single disciplinary approach can get at the complexity of cultural forms and its emphasis on power, social justice and social change.

Necessarily self-reflexive, Cultural Studies draws on a range of methods and critical theories. It offers opportunities to break down conventional divisions between academia and activism, between theoretical critique and cultural production.

As the only Cultural Studies program in Canada with a project option, Cultural Studies at Queen’s (CSQ) is a unique program that integrates the range of theoretical approaches used within Cultural Studies, and that fosters scholarship in both historical and contemporary fields of research.




Program Contacts


Danielle Gugler
Graduate Assistant
Cultural Studies Program
Queen’s University
Mackintosh Corry Hall, B408
68 University Ave.
Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6
E-mail: cultstud.admissions@queensu.ca
Web: http://www.queensu.ca/culturalstudies/


Application Deadline: January 31 to qualify for funding

Comprising 76 distinguished faculty from 21 disciplines to offer an innovative program at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels, CSQ is committed to a diversity of students and faculty and to the global expertise that they bring to the cultural and academic fields.

Our goal is to create an intellectual environment that combines a high level of academic scholarship and an ongoing meaningful engagement with cultural issues relevant to local and global communities.


"I was attracted to the Cultural Studies program at Queen's for a number of important reasons, including the amazing range of faculty involved, the opportunity for interdisciplinarity, and the clear commitment to engaged, critical scholarship. I feel very strongly that my decision to be a part of this program has been validated by the wonderful sense of community we've forged--as opposed to competition that plagues so many graduate programs-- as well as the wide variety of scholarly interests and personal backgrounds among the students, and the personal care and support offered by our dedicated faculty and administration."

—Karl Hardy, PhD. candidate

Degrees Offered / Length of Program

  • M.A.: 2 years, full time (part time also available)
  • Ph.D.: 4 years full time (part time also available)

Method of Completion

Cultural Studies M.A. and Ph.D. students are able to fulfill their requirements through the completion of a thesis (or research essay for M.A.) or through the completion of a project. The project option will allow students to create a cultural product (work of art, performance, film, play, text) or become involved in community based cultural work (eg activism). Students taking the project option will be required to provide an analytic-theoretical commentary based on the work, its conditions of production, and its implications for academic scholarship.

  • M.A. Pattern I: 4 full-term courses, plus CUST-802, plus a 20,000-25,000 word thesis or a major project 
  • M.A. Pattern II: 6 full-term courses, plus CUST-802, plus a 10,000-12,000 word research essay or a minor project 
  • Ph.D. Pattern I: 4 full-term courses in the first year, including two required core courses; plus CUST 802, a qualifying exam; thesis proposal exam; thesis or project

Degree Level Expectations & Learning Outcomes

Supervisors and Fields of Study

We recommend contacting a potential supervisor before applying. A potential supervisor must be assigned before an admission offer is made. Faculty in the program specialize in contemporary critical theory (e.g., poststructuralist, feminist, psychoanalytic, anarchist, postcolonial, critical race, queer, and Marxist) to analyze a variety of cultural spheres. Based on this expertise, and graduate courses currently being taught at Queen’s, we will offer the following fields at the doctoral level: Communication, Media and Technologies; Globalization, Nationalisms and Cultural Citizenship; Social Movements; and Bodies and Identities.

Faculty

  • Art: Janet Allen, Sylvat Aziz, Lynda Jessup, Allison Morehead, Clive Robertson
  • Biology: Lonnie Aarssen
  • Drama: Natalie Rewa, Julie Salverson
  • Education: Shehla Burney, Magda Lewis
  • English: Petra Fachinger, Mark Jones, Sam McKegney, Laura Murray, Michael Snediker, Asha Varadharajan, Glenn Willmott
  • Environmental Studies: Mick Smith
  • Film & Media Studies: Blaine Allan, Frank Burke, Gary Kibbins, Susan Lord, Clarke Mackey, Sidneyeve Matrix, Dorit Namaan
  • Gender Studies: Margaret Little, Katherine McKittrick, Scott Morgensen, Jane Tolmie
  • Geography: Laura Cameron, Joyce Davidson, Audrey Kobayashi, George Lovell
  • Global Development Studies: Alexandre Da Costa, Dia Da Costa, Marc Epprecht, Vilia Jefremovas
  • History: Jeffrey Brison, Caroline-Isabelle Caron, Karen Dubinsky, Emily Hill, Adnan Hussein, Ian McKay, Ariel Salzmann, Barrington Walker
  • Jewish Studies: Howard Adelman
  • Kinesiology & Health Studies: Mary Louise Adams, Samantha King, Elaine Power
  • Languages, Literatures & Cultures: Christiane Arndt, Daniel Chamberlain, Jennifer Hosek, Jan Mennell, Donato Santeramo, Jill Scott, Peter Thompson
  • Law: Bita Amani, Kathleen Lahey
  • Mining: Laeeque Daneshmend
  • Music: Kip Pegley, Matt Rogalsky
  • Philosophy: Susan Babbit, Jackie Davies, Sergio Sismondo
  • Political Studies: Abigail Bakan
  • Religious Studies: Pamela Dickey Young, Ellen Goldberg, James Miller
  • Sociology: Annette Burfoot, Richard Day, Martin Hand, Catherine Krull, Cynthia Levine-Rasky, David Murakami Wood, Sarita Srivastava

Employment Opportunities

Students will be prepared for further graduate study and for professional work in fields related to the study of culture, including work in the media, nonprofit agencies, museums, galleries, publishing houses and social policy agencies.

The objective of the Ph.D. program is to prepare candidates for careers in teaching and research. Our graduates will have acquired a broad knowledge of research in their area of study and will have the ability to design and teach courses in that area.

Funding Information

  • M.A.: Minimum $12,000
  • Ph.D.: Minimum $18,000

We encourage all students to apply for additional funding through SSHRC, OGS and other sources. Entering graduate students who win federal government tri-council awards are automatically provided a $5,000 (for MA) and $7,500 (for Ph.D) top-up award by Queen’s.

Academic Prerequisites

  • M.A.: Four-year bachelor’s degree in a related program from a recognized university, minimum upper second-class standing
  • Ph.D.: Master’s degree in Cultural Studies or a related discipline from a recognized university

Application Requirements

  • Two copies of all transcripts
  • Writing sample
  • Statement of Interest
  • Video documentation of relevant work (if applicable)
  • C.V.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in a language other than English (if needed)

Test Requirements

For international students, if required, a TOEFL total score of at least 600 (paper-based) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120. Applicants must have the minimum score in each test as well as the minimum overall score.

Program Profiles

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