Literary Studies/Theatre Studies in English
The PhD Program in Literary Studies/Theatre Studies in English at the University of Guelph presents an opportunity for doctoral study that is unique in Canada. Although students might choose to focus on either literary studies or theatre studies, the special opportunity provided by the PhD Program is its contribution to the evolution of interdisciplinary work in the humanities. This bridging of disciplines allows for opportunities not available in more traditional doctoral programs, especially in inter-discursive and theoretical work across the boundaries of literary and theatre studies. Students can choose to undertake research in one or more of six fields of specialization:
- Studies in Canadian Literatures
- Colonial, Postcolonial and Diasporic Studies
- Early Modern Studies
- Studies in the History and Politics of Performance and Theatre
- Sexuality and Gender Studies
- Transnational Nineteenth-Century Studies
Administrative Staff
Director
Sally Hickson (425 MacKinnon, Ext. 53881)
shickson@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Coordinator
Paul Barrett (447 MCKN, Ext. 53135)
barrettp@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Assistant
Pam Keegan (429 MacKinnon, Ext. 56315)
setsgrad@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Faculty
This list may include Regular Graduate Faculty, Associated Graduate Faculty and/or Graduate Faculty from other universities.
Paul Barrett
B.Sc. Toronto (Scarborough), MA McMaster, PhD Queen's - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Dionne Brand
BA, MA OISE (Toronto) - Professor
Associated Graduate Faculty
Julie Cairnie
BA Brock, MA, PhD York - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Gregor Campbell
BA, MA, PhD Toronto - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Elaine Chang
BA British Columbia, MA, PhD Stanford - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Michelle Elleray
BA Victoria (Wellington), MA Auckland, MA, PhD Cornell - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Jade Ferguson
BA British Columbia, MA, PhD Cornell - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Daniel Fischlin
BFA, MA Concordia, PhD York - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Mark Fortier
BA Windsor, MA Toronto, PhD York, LLB Toronto - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Sky Gilbert
BFA York, MA, PhD Toronto - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Ajay Heble
BA Toronto, MA Dalhousie, PhD Toronto - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Troy Hourie
B.I.D. Manitoba, MFA Massachusetts, MA Royal Central School of Speech and Drama - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Peter Kuling
BFA York, MA Toronto, PhD New Brunswick - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Mark Lipton
BA Concordia, MA, PhD New York - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Kimberley McLeod
BA Queen's, MA Alberta, PhD York - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Daniel O'Quinn
B.Sc., MA Western, PhD York - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Pablo Ramirez
BA Yale, MFA Miami, MA, PhD Michigan - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Paul W. Salmon
BA Western, MA Toronto, PhD Western - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Jennifer Schacker
BA McGill, MA, PhD Indiana - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Sandra Singer
BA Trent, MA Queen's, PhD Cambridge - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Ann Wilson
BA, MA, PhD York - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
PhD Program
Admission Requirements
Admission to the PhD Program normally requires an MA in English, and MA in Drama/Theatre, or an equivalent degree with at least an A- average in graduate work. In certain exceptional circumstances, students will be considered directly out of the undergraduate degree. Applications are considered by the Graduate Program Committee and a recommendation to admit or decline is forwarded to the Assistant VP of Graduate Studies.
Program Requirements
Graduate Course Work (2.5 credits)
Students are required to take 5 graduate courses in the initial phase of their degree. The standard practice is to take two courses in the Fall semester of Year 1, two courses in the Winter semester of Year 1, and one course in the Fall semester of Year 2. This arrangement of courses is recommended, but remains flexible: any combination of 5 courses over these semesters is acceptable. In unusual circumstances, students may petition to do one course in the Winter semester of Year 2 in order to meet particular demands in their program of study. Courses are advertised on a two-year cycle to maximize choice and facilitate planning in the program.
Graduate courses allow students to develop their knowledge of key theoretical, historical and critical concerns for the analysis of culture. It is during coursework that students hone their skills in writing and research so that they will be prepared for the challenges posed by their Primary and Secondary Area Qualifications. Students are encouraged to choose their courses in order to maximize their critical and historical repertoire, and to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by the program to work across the disciplines of English and Theatre Studies.
Language Requirement
Doctoral students are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in at least one language other than modern English, as approved by the Graduate Study Committee. Typically the language requirement will be completed by the end of the student's fifth semester in the program.
The language should normally have direct relevance to the student's program of study. In certain cases, students' research may require demonstrable competency in a non-written or technical language such as a programming language. The selection of the language(s) will be determined by the student in consultation with the dissertation advisor, and must be submitted for approval by the Graduate Program Committee.
The language requirement may be fulfilled through one of the following:
- A three-hour examination, which consists of the student's translation (with the help of a dictionary) of one passage in prose of not more than 1000 words.
- A faculty member with expertise in the language grades the examination on a pass/fail basis. A student who fails the language examination twice will normally be required to withdraw from the program.
- Equivalent language requirement through an MA-level examination.
- An undergraduate-level language course or above whose completion demonstrates reading proficiency in the language (as determined by the student’s committee and approved by the Graduate Program Committee).
The student’s advisory committee may submit a rationale, no later than the end of the third semester of study, to the Graduate Program Committee explaining why a second language is not necessary to the course of study. In order to promote equity across the program, the Graduate Program Committee will be charged with approving or rejecting that rationale or requesting further clarification.
Secondary Area Qualification
The SAQ takes place in the Summer of Year One and provides an opportunity for students to quickly develop the repertoire needed to potentially teach in a field without necessarily committing to that field as an area of specialization. The objective here is to gain working knowledge of the major texts and statements relating to a field of scholarly enquiry. Upon completion of this exercise, students should have both the range and the depth to confidently teach in a secondary area.
As the name implies, this is a qualification exercise. The student is responsible for a reading list comprised of 60 texts, (the definition of what constitutes a standard text is internal to the design of the lists) selected from standard department reading lists; 30% of the list may be altered to suit particular interests. Students are assessed on a pass/fail basis on the following:
- The student will write a three-hour examination composed of four questions, from which the student chooses two. These questions give the student an opportunity to demonstrate the range and depth of their reading. The questions will ask the student to place a range of primary texts in relation to key critical debates in the field.
- This written examination is followed one week later by a one-hour oral examination on questions arising from both elements of the written work.
Primary Area Qualification (Year 2)
After the completion of the SAQ, the student progresses to their Primary Area Qualification. The objective here is to develop sufficient expertise in a field of scholarly enquiry to be able to make original contributions to that field through the writing of a doctoral dissertation. Through discussion with their advisory committee, the student develops a reading list of approximately 120 works divided roughly into two parts. The first comprises a Field Survey that is aimed at sketching the broad contours of an area of scholarly enquiry. The second is a more specific articulation of the works, called the Topic Readings, that will immediately impinge on the dissertation. The PAQ Examination, intended to determine whether the student is prepared to write and capable of writing the PhD thesis, is usually taken 12 months after the completion of the SAQ:
- A three-hour examination on the primary material to be studied in the thesis and on scholarship concerning that primary material-i.e. this is directed specifically to the Topic Readings. The student will be asked to answer two questions from a choice of three.
- A three-hour examination on the immediate background--the literary, cultural and intellectual milieu of the subject being studied-i.e. this is directed specifically at the Field Survey. The student will be asked to answer two questions from a choice of three.
- A two-hour oral examination in which the examining committee usually follows up on material in the written examinations and questions the student on plans for the doctoral thesis. While the examination is likely to focus on the student's main area of interest, examiners also have the lee-way to ask questions pertaining to the overall list of texts.
Students are assessed on a pass/fail basis.
Dissertation Prospectus
Immediately following the Primary Area Qualification, the student develops, in consultation with their advisory committee, a full prospectus for their dissertation. The prospectus states the overall objective of the thesis, lays out the chapter structure, and summarizes the issues and concerns to be addressed in each chapter. If and when the Dissertation Committee ratifies the Prospectus, it is forwarded to the Graduate Program Committee for formal approval.
PhD Dissertation
Following successful completion of the Oral Qualifying exam, the student must complete an original research project on an advanced topic. The advisory committee for the dissertation will consist of three members of the graduate faculty, one of whom assumes the primary advisory role. Ideally, the dissertation supervisor has worked with the student, in an advisory capacity, from their first semester in the program.
Each candidate shall submit a thesis, written by the candidate, on the research carried out by the candidate on an approved topic. The thesis is expected to be a significant contribution to knowledge in its field and the candidate must indicate in what ways it is a contribution. The dissertation must demonstrate mature scholarship and critical judgement on the part of the candidate and it must indicate an ability to express oneself in a satisfactory literary style. Approval of the dissertation is taken to imply that it is judged to be sufficiently meritorious to warrant publication in reputable scholarly media in the field.
The dissertation should normally be between 50,000 and 75,000 words in length. The regulations for submission, examination and publication are outlined in Chapter IV PhD Degree Regulations.
Courses
The study of a special topic under the guidance of a member of the graduate faculty.
This course deals with various aspects of criticism and theory related to literature, film/media studies and digital humanities, focusing on specific questions each time offered. Content will come from various temporal periods and geographical locations. Topics may include the investigation of a specific critical debate and its treatment.
Variable in content and practical in orientation this course seeks to familiarize the student with particular critical techniques and approaches by applying specific examples of those approaches and methods to particular topics (e.g., cultural studies and renaissance literature, discourse analysis and the Victorian novel, computer-mediated analysis and the theatre of the absurd).
This course draws from different forms of representation concerned with the biosphere and ecological thinking and practice. Theoretical approaches can problematize 'nature,' the Anthropocene, environmental humanities and post-humanism. While critical methodologies will be earth-centred and focused on environmental and eco-criticism, these may be combined with other theoretical approaches. Examples of topics include environmental racism, resource extraction, waste disposal and climate change.
How do contemporary digital humanities engage in representation? This course looks at intersecting concepts, politics, and practices of representation using digital humanities methods and tools. Content may include digital editing; semantic technologies; digital interfaces and platforms; and/or long-form digital argumentation. These technological tools may be considered within the context of big data and their impact on social identities.
This course involves the study of Canadian literature with an emphasis on understanding works within their social context and exploring the complex sets of relations that shape them. Possible topics can include literary and cultural production of a time-period, specific region or environment, race and diaspora, Indigenous writing or performance, archives and literature and literary history.
This course focuses on postcolonial literatures and forms of representation in response to colonization, including decolonization. Texts can be selected from diverse genres, locations or historical periods, and engage a range of approaches to the study of postcolonial literatures.
An examination of the literature of Britain in the medieval and/or early modern periods. Topics may focus on a single author, a specific genre, or relationships between the literary and the cultural.
A examination of the literature of Britain between the 17th century and the latter part of the 18th century. Topics may focus on a single author, a specific genre, or relationships between the literary and the cultural.
This course is a study of the literature of Britain, Canada, the United States, or another region from the late 18th century until the start of the First World War. Topics may focus on a single author, a specific genre, or a central critical question.
A study of the literature of Britain in the twentieth century. This course includes a consideration of the interaction between literature and culture in the period - sometimes through the examination of a specific author, sometimes through the study of a particular genre or issue.
Topics may include a focus on a single region, such as the American West, on a single time period, such as the Civil War, on a specific genre, such as the novels of frontier women, or other issues in American literary studies.
This course considers representations of genders/sexualities to contextualize their force within literature and/or performance. A range of critical and theoretical approaches will investigate aspects of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race and class.
This course examines cultural materials that target children and young adults - whether books, comics, film, animation, theatre, video games, clothing or toys. It may focus on cultural or historical context. Topics include colonial, postcolonial and anti-colonial literature for children; gender, race and the coming-of-age.
Courses under this rubric are concerned with the various literatures produced by Scots both within and beyond the boundaries of Scotland. The course could involve the study of a specific genre, the investigation of a specific theme, or the examination of a particular author over the course of her/his career.
Designed to provide the opportunity to explore alternative fields and modes of critical inquiry, this course tackles various topics emerging from bringing literary studies into dialogue with other forms of intellectual inquiry such as sociology, biology, psychology, history, environmental studies, computer science or geography.
An independent study course, the nature and content of which is agreed upon between the individual student and the person offering the course. Subject to the approval of the student's advisory committee and the graduate program committee.
An independent study course, the nature and content of which is agreed upon between the individual student and the person offering the course. Subject to the approval of the student's advisory committee and the graduate program committee.
The Major Research Project (MRP) is an independent study course, the content of which is agreed upon between student and supervisor, subject to the approval of the Advisory and Graduate Program Committees. The MRP provides an opportunity to conduct research that provides training in methodologies and development of complex arguments.
This course explores topics in the study of literature and culture that fall outside the scope of regular graduate courses. Offerings may focus on aspects of literary, textual or cultural study from any temporal or geographical location, and may deal with emergent as well as established approaches.
This variable content course introduces students to the theory and practice of theatre historical analysis. The course is required of all students in the Theatre Studies MA Program.
This variable-content course addresses creative practice in the theatre as a site for the production of knowledge. It examines the theoretical and social issues of contemporary theatre practice.
This variable content course introduces students to a range of theoretical approaches and to advanced issues and methods within the fields of drama, theatre, and performance studies. The course is required for all students in the Theatre Studies MA Program.
This variable-content course introduces students to the most recent theoretical and critical international developments in the field of Theatre Studies and investigates sites of cultural diversity and difference. It provides opportunities for culturally specific studies of dramatic literature and performance.
This variable-content course introduces students to the social, ethical, phenomenological and environmental dimensions of the interaction of bodies and space in theatre practice and research. It provides a theorized context in which students may address questions of acting, directing, and design as research processes.
Independent Reading Course
An independent study course, the nature and content of which is agreed upon between the individual and the person offering the course. Subject to the approval of the student's advisory committee and the graduate program committee.
An independent study course, the nature and content of which is agreed upon between the individual and the person offering the course. Subject to the approval of the student's advisory committee and the graduate program committee.