MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH AND CULTURAL STUDIES

Candidates are accepted under the regulations governing the Master's degrees (see page 267-269) provided they also satisfy the requirements of the department.

(a) Theory Requirement of the department.

As prerequisites and/or co-requisites for graduate work, candidates must have taken/be taking at least one FCE in literary and cultural theory, such as English 2903 or its equivalent.  Should the candidates be lacking in this area, they must take one FCE in literary and cultural theory, normally English 2903, in addition to the other courses in order to qualify for the Master of Arts degree. 

(b) Candidates should communicate with the Graduate Coordinator of the Department of English concerning offerings for the ensuing year.

(c) Thesis, research-project, and creative-project program candidates should also discuss possible thesis, research-project, or creative-project topics with the Graduate Coordinator of the department in order that a thesis, research-project or creative-project supervisor may be assigned.

(d) Applications for entrance into the Master of Arts program should be submitted by February 1.  Late applications may be considered for admission, but may not be eligible for funding.

PROGRAMS

The English Department offers 6 programs of study at the graduate level: the thesis program, the research-project program, the creative-project program, the course-work program, the specialization in Gender & Women's Studies program or the specialization in the Social Justice Studies program, all of which involve four FCEs.

The Thesis Program

To fulfill the thesis option, the student must successfully complete English 5770, three additional half courses (or the equivalent) in English and Cultural Studies at the graduate level, and a thesis (25,000 - 35,000 words, 2 FCEs) for a total of 4 FCEs.
Full-time thesis students should observe the following schedule:

1. secure a supervisor by February 1 and submit a thesis proposal, as approved by the supervisor, to the Graduate Committee for its approval no later than by May 15 of the first year in the program;
2. submit the revised version of the thesis proposal, if necessary, as approved by the supervisor, to the Graduate Committee for its approval no later than September 1 of the second year in the program;
3. submit a thesis progress form to the Graduate Committee no later than December 1 of the second year in the program;
4. submit the completed thesis for examination by the internal examiner no later than February 15 of the second year in the program;
5. submit the completed thesis for examination by the external examiner no later than March 1 of the second year in the program..

The Research-Project Program

To fulfill the research-project option, the student must successfully complete English 5770, five additional half-courses (or the equivalent) in English and Cultural Studies at the graduate level, and a research project (10,000 words, 1 FCE) for a total of 4 FCEs.  Full-time research-project students should secure a supervisor and submit a research-project proposal to the Graduate Committee for its approval no later than two months prior to the beginning of the term in which the research project will be completed. Students who fail to complete the research project in one term will be required to drop the research project and change to the course-work program and complete two half-courses (or the equivalent) in English and Cultural Studies at the graduate level in the following term.

The Creative-Project Program

The Creative Project Option exists for students with demonstrable skill in creative writing who wish to submit a creative project in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in English and Cultural Studies. The creative project must be a substantial, unified, and original piece of writing that engages with a specific, recognized genre of literary or critical practice.  Creative Projects must demonstrate advanced skill in creative writing and a command of relevant genre conventions.  To be successful, a creative project must be recognized by the supervisor and second reader as a fully-fledged contribution to the aesthetic forms in which it participates.

To fulfill the creative-project option, the student must successfully complete English 5770, five additional half-courses (or the equivalent) in English at the graduate level, and a creative project (10,000 words, 1 FCE) for a total of 4 FCEs. Students wishing to pursue the Creative Project Option must secure a supervisor and submit a proposal to the Graduate Committee for its approval no later than two months prior to the term in which the Creative Project is to be completed.  Creative project proposals should be 250-500 words (not including the bibliography) and must be accompanied by a substantial portfolio of relevant, recent creative work. The portfolio should consist of 10-20 pages of prose, or 5-10 pages of poetry. 

Creative Projects should be 40-60 pages and include a 10 page critical introduction that situates the project in relation to an existing body of contemporary creative work.  The introduction must explain and justify the poetics of the project and show how the form of the project functions to serve creative and/or critical ends.

The Course-work Program

To fulfill the course-work option, the student must successfully complete English 5770 and seven additional half-courses (or the equivalent) in English at the graduate level for a total of 4 FCEs.
Full-time students who select the course-work stream must have registered by the beginning of the Fall term of their second year for the courses that remain to be taken to complete the requirements for the degree.

COLLABORATIVE GRADUATE PROGRAM WITH SPECIALIZATION IN GENDER & WOMEN'S STUDIES

To fulfill the Gender & Women's Studies option, the student must successfully complete Gender & Women's Studies 5101 and English 5770, as well as satisfy the following requirements:

Thesis
Students will take an elective half-course in English at the graduate level and write a thesis (25,000-35,000 words, 2 FCEs) on a subject related to both English and Gender & Women's Studies, for a total of 4 FCEs.

Research-Project
Students will take three elective half-courses (or the equivalent) in English at the graduate level and write a research project (10,000 words, 1 FCE) upon a subject related to both English and Gender & Women's Studies, for a total of 4 FCEs.

Creative-Project
Students will take three elective half-courses (or the equivalent) in English at the graduate level and write a creative project (10,000 words, 1 FCE) of relevance to Gender & Women's Studies, for a total of 4 FCEs.

Course-work Project

Students will take five elective half-courses (or the equivalent) in English at the graduate level for a total of 4 FCEs. Two of the major papers written for these graduate course(s) must be focused on a subject related to Gender & Women's Studies. One page proposals must be approved by an English-based Gender & Women Studies subcommittee no later than six weeks into the term(s).

See the Graduate Specialization in Gender & Women's Studies.

COLLABORATIVE GRADUATE PROGRAM WITH SPECIALIZATION IN SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES

All students in the specialization will be required to complete English 5770 (Advanced Scholarly Methods) and Social Justice 5030 (Theories of Social Justice) and select one of the options listed below:

Coursework: 2 FCEs in English at the graduate level and 1 FCE in Social Justice Studies at the graduate level.

Research Project: 2 FCEs in English at the graduate level and a research project (10,000 words, 1 FCE) on a subject related to both English and Social Justice Studies.

Creative Project: 2 FCEs in English at the graduate level and a creative project (10,000 words or the equivalent, 1 FCE) of relevance to both English and Social Justice Studies.

As is the case with our existing programs, with permission of the English Graduate Coordinator, students may take up to 1 FCE in graduate courses from other disciplines and/or courses at the fourth-year level.

See the Graduate Social Justice Studies program.