Doctor of Philosophy in Cultural, Social, and Political Thought
Lethbridge, Canada
PhD
DURATION
48 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
About: The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Cultural, Social, and Political Thought at the University of Lethbridge uses a cohort model for interdisciplinary study of cultural, social, and political theory. It covers critical frameworks (Feminism, Poststructuralism, Postcolonialism, Critical Theory), methods (discourse analysis, ethnography, qualitative interviewing), peer mentoring and training. Students develop professional skills such as teaching and peer review, and competencies to produce interdisciplinary research.
Career Outcomes: Graduates' career opportunities include academic teaching, research, policy and think-tank roles, leadership in non‑profit and community organizations, cultural institutions, and consultancy. Skills suit public scholarship, community-engaged research, qualitative analysis, advocacy and policy translation.
The Cultural, Social, and Political Thought major in the Ph.D. program is interdisciplinary in nature. It is based on a cohort learning model that fosters an environment of interdisciplinary engagement and exchange, research, peer mentoring, and collaboration. The overall academic aims of the major are to emphasize the breadth and depth of social, cultural, and political thought and to inculcate the intellectual and practical tools needed to work successfully with community partners and agencies to facilitate social change.
Students graduating from the Cultural, Social, and Political Thought major are trained experts, who demonstrate a range of professional skills (e.g., teaching, peer reviews, presentations, critical thinking, etc.) and research competencies. Graduates are capable of producing novel, relevant, and rigorous research that makes significant and substantive contributions to interdisciplinary knowledge.
This major is thesis-based. Students are required to complete 9.0 to 18.0 credit hours of graduate semester courses and a thesis. A list of the required courses for this major is outlined in the Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue.
This program is highly theoretical and interdisciplinary in nature and intended to ground students in a body of cognate critical theories and methodologies. Across disciplinary boundaries, the Cultural, Social, and Political Thought major emphasizes the critical engagement of ideas and their manifestation in shifting cultural, social, and political contexts.
The Cultural, Social, and Political Thought major in the Ph.D. program is interdisciplinary in nature and is based on a cohort learning model that fosters an environment of interdisciplinary engagement and exchange, research, peer mentoring, and collaboration among a small group of students, within a team-based learning experience.
The program consists of:
- Thesis
- Coursework
- Comprehensive examination
Students in this program have the opportunity to develop comprehensive expertise and advanced understanding of:
- Theoretical frameworks related to cultural, social, and political thought such as Feminism, Poststructuralism, Postmodernism, Settler Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Critical Theory, and Culture & History
- The interdisciplinary area of cultural, social, and political thought. Research topics are not constrained but are likely to include such problems, issues, and concepts as gender, race, class, disability, sexuality, equality, citizenship, justice, power, and resistance
- Relevant methodology and methods such as Discourse Analysis, Ethnography, and Qualitative Interviewing
- And the advanced ability to propose, design, present, and disseminate original and relevant research in the interdisciplinary area of cultural, social, and political thought
uLethbridge awards a number of internal and external scholarships, awards and bursaries. We also encourage you to utilize additional resources for award applicants, including other funding databases.
We have an admission award called the Univ. of Lethbridge Graduate Research Award (ULGRA) for which every student admitted to a full-time graduate program is considered. Please note that admission into a program is not a guarantee you’ll receive award funding. This admission award has no application and you will be assessed at the time you apply for admission. You can review the guidelines for ULGRA here.
Additionally, you will be considered for Graduate Assistantships work at the time of admission and your supervisor may be able to offer you a Research Assistantship or stipend (ask your supervisor about that possibility).
The Graduate Awards website lists many upcoming funding opportunities. Each entry provides key information about the funding opportunity, including the application deadline and information on how to apply.
