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Director Barry K. Grant Professors Sandra L. Beckett, Leslie A. Boldt-Irons, Barry K. Grant, Rosemary Hale, Jim Leach, Mary Jane Miller, Marilyn Rose, John Sainsbury, Elizabeth Sauer Associate Professors Nicolas Baxter-Moore, Glenwood H. Irons, Deborah Leslie, Joan Nicks, Jeannette Sloniowski, Bohdan Szuchewycz Assistant Professors Marian Bredin, Barbara Seeber, Russell Johnston |
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Co-ordinator Anne Howe extension 3553, TH 146F The Master of Arts Program in Popular Culture is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on the theoretical perspectives, approaches and methods from a variety of disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the established interdisciplinary field of Cultural Studies. The study of Popular Culture ranges from traditional textual analysis to ethnographic observation and participant interviews. Themes and topics addressed in the program will emphasize both historical and contemporary perspectives in Popular Culture. The program espouses no single methodological or theoretical perspective, and its pluralistic approach is reflected in the number of different disciplines from which participating faculty are drawn. However, the faculty all share the common view that the study for Popular Culture is a valuable and worthwhile scholarly endeavour, enabling us to understand how societies, including our own, function and thrive. Admission Requirements Applications for admission to the MA Program, on either a full-time or a part-time basis, will be accepted from persons holding an honours degree in a relevant discipline (for example, English, Film Studies, Fine Arts, History, Music, Political Science, Sociology, Canadian Studies, Communications Studies, or Women's Studies) with an overall average of at least 75 per cent. Applicants will usually be expected to have completed some courses related to Cultural Studies, Popular Culture or Media Studies as part of their undergraduate programs. Applicants must supply a personal statement, outlining their research or study interests in the field of Popular Culture, and letters from three referees who can attest to the applicant's suitability for graduate level study. Potential applicants with a pass degree in a relevant field or with an honours degree in a non-related discipline, but who have a demonstrated interest in the field of Popular Culture (for example through work experience) may be required to complete a qualifying year (taking senior undergraduate courses in the Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film or other appropriate department) before admission to the MA Program. Program Requirements All students are required to complete five half-credit (one semester) courses, including the graduate core courses (PCUL 5P01, 5P02, 5P03), in addition to the MA thesis. Students should consult with the Director of the MA Program when planning their programs of study. With the approval of the Director, students may substitute a reading course/tutorial for one of the regular scheduled non-core courses. Normally, no student may complete more than one reading course/tutorial and no student may take a reading course/tutorial with her/his thesis supervisor. In addition to course requirements, each student must complete, and defend at a public oral examination, a thesis that demonstrates capacity for independent work and original research or thought. The thesis topic shall be chosen in consultation with the supervisor and other members of the Supervisory Committee. A formal thesis proposal must be approved before research commences on the thesis. |
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MA Thesis A research project involving the preparation and defence of a thesis which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research and thought. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture Historical and critical analysis of theories of popular culture from different disciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Research Methods in Popular Culture Survey of research methods in popular culture and cultural studies including historical development, theoretical assumptions and practical application. Seminar in Popular Culture Advanced application of theories and methods introduced in PCUL 5P01/5P02 to topics relevant to individual student research. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Dis/Covery as Cultural Paradigm: Crime and Detection in Literature, Film and Television Investigation and critique of the detective genre from its nineteenth century literary origins to the present time in a variety of media. Particular emphasis on contemporary theoretical approaches, and postmodern challenges to generic convention. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Popular Culture of the English Revolution Select popular literary, dramatic, political and religious writings from the 1640s to the Restoration in England from various historical and theoretical perspectives. Seminar, 3 hours per week. The Western Genre A critical examination of the western genre from its antecedents in colonial America to contemporary Hollywood cinema, including its influence on other areas of popular culture (e.g. fashion, music). Issues of genre, cultural history and myth, national identity, ideology, and representation will be explored. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Popular Religion and the Christian Church The interaction between the vox populiand the vox ecclesiae throughout the history of Christianity, focusing particularly on the Middle Ages and early modern Europe. Seminar, 3 hours per week. In It for Love: The Progress of Romance Focuses on the popularity of the Romance from its origins in the Arthurian legends to its modern and mass incarnation in movies, television and the internet. An examination of the changing face of the form, with particular emphasis on its construction of sexual identity. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Recycling Fairy Tales in Contemporary Literature, Film and Other Media An examination of our continued fascination with fairy tales and the diverse forms in which they survive in modern society. How and why fairy tales are used to address contemporary socio-cultural and literary preoccupations. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Print, Performance, and Early Modern Popular Culture Various historical and theoretical perspectives of changes in popular culture created by print culture and specialized arenas for performance in England from 1550 to the Restoration. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Witchcraft and Its Meanings Witchcraft as an aspect of popular culture in the Early Modern period (1500-1700). Considerations of religious change, socio-economic friction and gender relations. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Representations of First Nations Peoples in Canadian Popular Culture The representation of Canada's First Nations Peoples in drama, television, short stories and other popular media. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Geographies of Consumption An overview of the way social theorists conceptualize consumption. Various popular sites of consumption will be considered including the mall, theme park and the home. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Studies in Popular Music Popular Music as popular culture. Cultural theory as applied to popular music, with emphasis on such topics as genre, authorship and performance; technology and political economy; race, gender and national identities; poplar music in Canada. Seminar, 3 hours per week. |
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2002-2003 Graduate Calendar
Last updated: March 20, 2003 @ 12:39PM