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.
2009-2010: Radio Broadcasting
A critical view of radio's emergence as a mass medium; its impact on Canadian society, culture, and politics; and comparative developments in other nations.
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.
2009-2010: Deconstructing Popular Culture
Popular culture through the theoretical frameworks of continental philosophy. Theorists may include Foucault, Deleuze, Baudrillard, Virilio and Derrida. Key theoretical frameworks would focus on concepts such as deconstruction, discourse, desire, subjectivity, and power and knowledge, applied to a variety of popular culture texts.
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.
2009-2010: Historical Perspectives on Film and Television Melodrama
Melodrama in its various aspects including the relation of genre to gender with a focus on key films and television texts.
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.
2009-2010: Reflections on Human Being in 20th/21st Century Comic Books
Using works by Frank Miller, Alan B. Moore and Garth Ennis among others, a critical and philosophical examination of depictions and descriptions of the human condition; exploration of challenges to social and ethical values; and enquiries into the nature of the hero.
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.