Graduate academic calendar 2012 - 2013 - Trent University

GRADUATE PROGRAMS Canadian Studies
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CAST 6090 – Ph.D. dissertation
To meet program requirements Trent students must take at least one of the half-credit courses
from the Canadian Studies courses listed above. Students can also choose from approved graduate
courses at the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University. Students should consult with the
Graduate Studies Administrator for the complete listing of acceptable graduate courses available at
Carleton University in any given year. All graduate courses must be approved by the Director of the
Frost Centre at Trent University.
ACADEMIC STANDING
All Ph.D. candidates must obtain at least B+ standing or better (GPA 9.0) in courses counted
towards the degree.
Comprehensive examinations (which will be graded on a “Satisfactory, ” “Unsatisfactory” or
“Pass with Distinction” basis) are exempted from this required standing.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
Normally, full-time students should complete their comprehensive examinations within 24 months
of their initial registration in the Ph.D. program. Part-time Ph.D. students should finish their
comprehensive examinations within 36 months of completing course work. Both full-time and parttime
students should normally complete their comprehensive examinations before defending their
dissertation proposal.
The fields of study for the Ph.D. comprehensive examinations are to be chosen from the
following list:
• Culture, Literature and the Arts
A general knowledge of theories of culture in general, Canadian theoretical discourses on
cultural practices, and on the interplay among theory, art, and literature, and their social
contexts.
• Environment and Heritage
A general knowledge of locality, landscape, environment and region in Canada.
• Policy, Economy and Society
A general knowledge of the complex web of relationships linking economy, civil society and
public policy in Canada and their interaction within social, political and cultural life.
• Identities
A general knowledge of the character and experience of individual, collective and communal
identities in Canada.
• Women’s Studies
A general knowledge of women’s experiences of the major dynamics of social, political,
economic and cultural development at all levels of Canadian life.
DISSERTATION PROPOSAL
All students must defend publicly a dissertation proposal after completing their comprehensive
examinations. Full-time students must complete this requirement within 27 months of registration in
the program.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
• Full-time students accepted into the Ph.D. program will be offered teaching assistantships,
normally for a maximum of eight terms spanning four consecutive undergraduate academic
years. In return for the stipend involved, the students are required to work for up to 10 hours per
week, generally assisting with some aspects of the undergraduate teaching program. The stipend
is fully taxable and deductions are made through the Human Resources department.
• Successful applicants to the Canadian Studies Ph.D. program will automatically be considered for
a number of Ph.D. scholarships and bursaries. Scholarships will be awarded to students with high
academic standing.
• Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships, particularly the Ontario Graduate Scholarship
(OGS), and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowships (SSHRC).