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Master of Arts in Popular Culture Dean David Siegel Faculty of Social Sciences Associate Dean David DiBattista Faculty of Social Sciences Dean Dr. Rosemary Drage Hale Faculty of Humanities Associate Dean John Sainsbury Faculty of Humanities Participating Faculty Professors Sandra L. Beckett (Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures), Leslie A. Boldt-Irons (Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures), Barry K. Grant (Communications, Popular Culture & Film) , Rosemary Hale (History, Dean Faculty of Humanities), Jim Leach (Communications, Popular Culture & Film) , Marilyn Rose (English Language & Literature, Dean of Graduate Studies), John Sainsbury (History), Elizabeth Sauer (English Language & Literature) Associate Professors Nick Baxter-Moore (Communications, Popular Culture & Film), David Butz (Geography), Glenwood H. Irons (Applied Language Studies), Russell Johnston (Communications, Popular Culture & Film) , John Mitterer (Psychology), David Schimmelpenninck (History), Jeannette Sloniowski (Communications, Popular Culture & Film) , Bohdan Szuchewycz (Communications, Popular Culture & Film) Assistant Professors James Allard (English Language & Literature), Dale Bradley (Communications, Popular Culture & Film), Marian Bredin (Communications, Popular Culture & Film), Jennifer Good (Communications, Popular Culture & Film), Sarah Matheson (Communications, Popular Culture & Film), R. Andrew McDonald (History), Christie Milliken (Communications Popular Culture & Film), Steven Scott (English Language & Literature), Hans Skott-Myhre (Child & Youth Studies) Director Nick Baxter-Moore Nick.Baxter-moore@brocku.ca Master of Arts ProgramCo-ordinator Anne Howe 905-688-5550, extension 3553 SBH 309 The study of Popular Culture focuses on the communicative practices and experiences of everyday life considered within their cultural, economic, political and social contexts. The Master of Arts Program in Popular Culture is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on theoretical perspectives, approaches and methods from a variety of disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences, including the established field of Cultural Studies. Themes and topics addressed in the program will emphasize both historical and contemporary perspectives in Popular Culture, while students are encouraged to explore research methods ranging from quantitative content analysis to ethnographic observation and unstructured interviews, from archival research and oral histories to semiotics and other forms of textual analysis. The program espouses no single theoretical or methodological perspective, and its pluralistic approach is reflected in the number of different disciplines from which participating faculty are drawn. |
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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, letters from three referees who can attest to the applicant's suitability for graduate level study and a writing sample, usually a term paper on a topic related to popular culture. 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. |
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All students are required to complete five half-credit (one semester) courses in addition to the MA thesis. The graduate core courses, PCUL 5P01, 5P02, 5P03, are compulsory for all students. The other two half-courses will normally be those selected to be offered by the Program each year from the "variable topics" series described in the course bank: these are Historical Perspectives on Popular Culture (PCUL 5V20-29), Issues and Themes in Popular Culture (PCUL 5V30-39), Genres of Popular Culture (PCUL 5V40-49), Forms of Popular Culture (PCUL 5V50-59), and Local, National and International Popular Cultures (PCUL 5V60-69). Each year, courses from at least two of these series will be offered. Normally, a course will be offered from each series at least once every three years. With the approval of the ProgramDirector, students may substitute a reading course/tutorial, or a course offered by another graduate program, for one of the non-core (i.e., variable topic) PCUL graduate 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. Students should consult with the Director of the MA Program when planning their programs of study. 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 their historical development, theoretical assumptions and practical application. Seminar, 3 hours per week. 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. Directed Reading in Popular Culture Directed individual or group reading in an area of popular culture. Restriction: permission of the Director. Note: may not be taken in place of PCUL 5P01, 5P02 or 5P03. Historical Perspectives on Popular Culture Study of the popular culture of a particular historical period or an issue of popular culture in its historical context. Topics may include Popular Culture of the English Revolution, and Popular Culture and Christianity. Topic for 2006-2007: TBA Issues and Themes in Popular Culture Focus on selected issues or themes in popular culture. Themes may include the Urban Experience, the Environment, Race and Representation, Gender, Consumer Culture. Topic for 2005-2006: Hardboiled in Hollywood Research in film noir and hardboiled detective fiction; issues in fan, popular and scholarly criticism. Seminar, 3 hours per week Genres of Popular Culture Study of a particular genre across selected popular media, including film, literature, and television. Topics may include Crime and Detective Fiction, Fairy Tales, Speculative Narrative, the Romance. Topic for 2006-2007: TBA Forms of Popular Culture Study of a particular form of popular culture, including political economy, aesthetics, and cultural and historical significance. Topics may include Popular Music, Television, Sport, Digital Culture. Topic for 2005-2006: Cultures of Popular Music Focuses on the significance of popular music as a contemporary cultural form in late modern society. Topics include, music and identity, the relationship between music, space and place, and the role of new technologies in the production and consumption of popular music. Local, National and International Popular Cultures Study of popular culture in a selected region or nation. Topics may include popular culture in the American South, the Niagara Region, Australia, Britain, Canada, Latin America, post-Soviet Russia. Topic for 2006-2007: TBA |
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2005-2006 Graduate Calendar
Last updated: August 2, 2005 @ 09:27AM