Comprehensive Exams
All Ph.D. candidates must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination and oral examination in two major fields.
The fields of study for the Canadian Studies Ph.D. comprehensive examinations are to be chosen from among the five fields of the program which are:
- Culture, Heritage, and the Arts
- Environment and Place
- Policy, Economy and the State
- Identities and Social Movements
- Feminist, Gender & Women's Studies
Reading lists (equivalent of 40 to 60 books) for comprehensive exams should
- be broadly interdisciplinary
- encompass foundational and emerging scholarship (both Canadian and international) on the place of Canada in global, transnational, national, regional and local contexts, as appropriate
- take account of past and present theoretical debates
- include the development of critical perspectives, exploring where relevant both canonical and non-canonical approaches
- comprise no more than 30 per cent of readings directly related to the student's dissertation topic
The fields within the Canadian Studies Ph.D. are understood to encompass a broad range of themes, subjects, theoretical and analytical perspectives. Each field of study can lend itself to a wide range of topics and points of entry into selected literature(s) that can be tailored to meet the needs and interests of a student. The fields of study are not mutually exclusive; no single field is intended to be the exclusive domain of any one subject or disciplinary approach.
The following are examples of some of the subjects that could be included in a field of study at Trent. They are presented in no particular order; they are intended to be suggestions relevant to a given field of study. Many other subjects, themes and topics could be incorporated, as appropriate to the needs and interests of the student, so long as the final comprehensive reading list meets the requirements set by the program.
1. Culture, Heritage and the Arts
- Literature, historic and contemporary
- Cinema and film
- Documentary film
- Popular culture
- Cultural production
- The politics of the literary canon
- Art production/art histories
- New media/new technologies
- Museums and art galleries: public, alternative and private
- Publishing and the publishing industry
- Built heritage
- Representational practices and discourses, formal and informal
- Culture policy (federal and provincial)
- Language and literacy
2. Environment and Place
- Environmental history
- Environmental policy
- Environmental ethics
- Environmental thought
- Indigenous environmental knowledge
- Landscape and place
- Sustainability
- Community development
- Resource management
- Risk assessment
- Nature and natural heritage
- Science policy
- Eco-criticism (e.g., eco-feminism)
- Climate change
- Renewable, sustainable, green energies
- Virtual, technological, social, and built environments
3. Policy, Economy and the State
- Public/social policy (areas could include: health, education, immigration, refugee, labour, housing, social services, finance, foreign policy, Indigenous, development, intergovernmental relations, child care, veterans, municipal, security etc.)
- Theories of the state
- Civil society and the state
- Canadian political economy
- Canadian federalism
- The welfare state
- Paid labour
- Unpaid labour
- Work and workers
- Policy theories and practices
- International political economy
- Immigration, migration, global political economy
- Indigenous people and the labour market
- Postcolonialism and the state
4. Identities and Social Movements
- Regionalism
- Nationalism
- Citizenship
- Diasporic/transnational citizenry
- Race; racism; critical race theory
- Sexuality
- Aging
- Different social movements (such as gay/lesbian, women’s, disability, migrant workers, seniors, etc.)
- Diversity, multiculturalism, and ‘the new Canadian’
- Indigenous people and the state
5. Feminist, Gender and Women’s Studies
- History of feminist theory
- Gender studies in Canada
- Current debates in feminist theory
- Masculinity studies
- Sexuality studies
- Women’s movements in Canada
- Gender and globalization
- Waged, unwaged and reproductive work
- The future of feminism
- Gender and equity; gender and equality
Please see the Ph.D. Guidelines for processes and policies for Comprehensive Exams.