The Experience

Why Canada? Why Trent?

With Canadian Studies you have chance to take an interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary degree focused on Canada in all of its complexity. If you don't want to focus solely on one discipline like history or politics or English, a degree in Canadian Studies allows you to blend all of these disciplinary approaches (and more) into a unique special focus on Canada. 

One of the first programs of its kind, Canadian Studies at Trent will offer you unparalleled insight into the current life of Canada and its history. Whether you are an undergraduate student looking for a flexible and useful degree, or a graduate student looking to specialize in a particular research field on a Canadian or Canadian and Indigenous topic, the School for the Study of Canada offers an outstanding range of courses and faculty expertise.

Explore what it means to study Canada at Trent. Students can enjoy everything from community-based research projects that get students applying academic knowledge in real life situations, to the Windy Pine Conference Centre for student retreats, as well as a busy schedule of distinguished visiting speakers. Learn what it's like to study Canada at Trent.

Career Options and Success with Canadian Studies 

A degree in Canadian Studies will open up your mind to a critical appreciation of the nature of Canadian politics, history, and culture. Faculty will push you to challenge the way you think about this country and its people. 

The research skills and critical thinking will also help you get a job when you are finished. Our graduates go on to become leaders in their field, and to enjoy work in a variety of different fields including as teachers, lawyers, journalists, public servants, policy analysts, professors, public historians and museum curators. 

Here are some examples of what our graduates have achieved:

Practical and Professional Work While You Study 

It is possible to get practical and professional work experience while you study, and to earn credit while doing it. Many students in the School have worked with the Trent Community Research Centre to work for local organizations and businesses as part of their course work. 

Some examples of recent work include: 1) a professionally curated museum exhibit for the Stanstead Museum 2) a history of the Peterborough Folk Music Festival that was used to help lobby local government

For further details, check out the Trent Community Research Centre’s website.

Awards

Due to the generous support of friends of the School, we are fortunate to offer a large number of awards and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students. 

Learn more about Undergraduate Awards and Scholarships.

Or, find out about Graduate Awards and Scholarships.

Our Students 

Our undergraduate and graduate students have their own groups for contributing to the academic life of the school and organizing social events. The undergraduate organization hosts regular film nights and the graduate students organize the “Suds and Speakers” Series. 

For more information about the undergraduate Canadian Studies group see our Facebook page: 

Information about our MA and PhD graduate students and their research is also available on the program pages.

A Retreat In The Woods 

One of the most unique features of life at the School for the Study of Canada is our wilderness retreat in the Haliburton region of Ontario. In 1982 Mary Northway bequeathed to the university a 25 acre property on Kushog Lake (and a generous endowment with which to maintain it). 

Now called the Windy Pine Conference Centre, it has long been a key part of faculty and student life. We use it for student retreats, student research, faculty and program retreats, and workshops. For the past decade, PhD students have begun their time at Trent with a late August retreat to Windy Pine, and most recently professor Christopher Dummitt now takes students in his fourth year class to Windy Pine in September on a research skills workshop. For more information, and to view the short film created In 2016 by Trent PhD student and filmmaker Matthew Hayes about Windy Pine that allows you to feel what it’s like to be there and why it has mattered to Canadian Studies, please visit the Windy Pine Webpage.