Master of Arts in Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies is an emphatically interdisciplinary area of inquiry that intersects the humanities, science studies, the social sciences and the arts. Its researchers theorize the forces that shape the lived reality of people in the 21st century. Drawing on a range of practices, researchers investigate values, beliefs and belongings, cultural processes and cultural objects, economic and social relations, institutions and identities. What distinguishes Cultural Studies from other approaches to the study of culture is its recognition that no single disciplinary approach can get at the complexity of cultural forms and its emphasis on power, social justice and social change. As one of the only Cultural Studies program in Canada with a project option, Cultural Studies at Queen's (CSQ) is a unique program that integrates the range of theoretical approaches used within Cultural Studies, and that fosters scholarship in both historical and contemporary fields of research. Cultural Studies offers opportunities to break down conventional divisions between academia and activism, between theoretical critique and cultural production. Necessarily self-reflexive, Cultural Studies draws on a range of methods and critical theories. Comprising 89 distinguished faculty from 22 disciplines to offer an innovative program at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels, CSQ is committed to a diversity of students and faculty and to the global expertise that they bring to the cultural and academic fields.

Successful applicants are admitted into the 1-year MA, if they wish to continue to a second year, they apply to enter that stream in January of their first year. You do not need to locate a supervisor to apply to the Cultural Studies MA program.

An academic average of at least B+ is generally expected for admission to the MA in our program. But please note that Cultural Studies is committed to recognizing diverse measures of experience, accomplishment, knowledge, and aptitude, and we encourage you to indicate those in your application materials.

In addition to completing the online application, you must submit the following to custgrad@queensu.ca

a personal statement of 1-2 pages, double-spaced, in PDF format, describing your background (academic, artistic, activist and/or professional), and why you are interested in pursuing the Cultural Studies MA,
an academic writing sample, preferably a short research essay (approximately 10 pages, double-spaced where possible, in PDF format).
For international students, if required, or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30, speaking (22/30), reading (22/30), listening (20/30), for

total of 88/120. Applicants must have the minimum score in each test as well as the minimum overall score. IELTS (International English Language Testing System) - score of 7 on the academic module