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.
Major Research Paper in Popular Culture
A major essay which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research or thought.
Cultural Theory and Popular Culture
Historical and critical analysis of theories of popular culture from different disciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives.
Research Methods in Popular Culture
Survey of research methods in popular culture and cultural studies, including their historical development, theoretical assumptions and practical applications.
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 or 5P02.
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.
2008-2009: Shakespeare and Popular Culture (Winter 2009)
Shakespeare in and as popular culture: theatrical and critical contexts from Elizabethan times to the present, the meanings of Shakespeare as cultural icon, and approaches to his work, life and times in film, television, and other media.
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.
2008-2009: Speculative Fiction and Social Critique (Winter 2009)
Speculative traditions in popular fiction as modes of social critique, from early short stories in small magazines to contemporary film and television productions.
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.
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.
Local, National and International Popular Cultures
Study of popular culture in a selected region or nation, including such topics as popular culture in the American South, the Niagara Region, Australia, Britain, Canada, Latin America, post-Soviet Russia.
2008-2009: Highlandism: Scottishness in Popular Culture (Winter 2009)
The representation of Scottishness in popular culture in both historical and contemporary perspective. Topics may include the negotiation of diasporic Scottish identity through both mediated and non-mass mediated cultural forms, Scottish folk culture, tourism, and cultural geography.