…about our MA Program
Danica Meredith (MA 2013)
“I commuted to Carleton from Montreal to do my Masters degree. In spite of being accepted at both Concordia and McGill, I chose to come to Carleton because it had a better program: intellectually vigorous, with generous professors and teaching opportunities. Coming to Carleton has helped me advance both my learning and my career.”
Kathleen Gorman (MA 2013)
“Everyone who makes up the department mingles together easily at pub nights, reading groups, special presentations, over coffee and donuts … There is no shortage of ways to meet your cohort, other grad students and faculty. The academic support from faculty is second to none, and I honestly don’t think I could have completed my MA research with the same success at another institution. Faculty and staff take a personal interest in students; established grad students and GSA/EGSS representatives are happy to show new arrivals the ropes. It’s a really nice atmosphere to study and work in.”
Travis Moir, Juris Doctor at the University of Calgary (MA 2011)
“Carleton’s English department has an excellent team of committed, academically-diverse, and welcoming faculty. Instructors were always available to provide constructive feedback on academic projects and reading, but also to offer wisdom more generally on the discipline of English Literary Studies and on possible career paths. Many of the analytical and critical skills that I acquired through the Master’s program have paved the way for my success in a legal environment. Many of the academic friendships I forged with students and professors alike have continued on, well into the future — a reflection on the department’s genuinely collegial and collaborative environment. I would recommend, unreservedly, the English Master’s Program at Carleton to all aspiring literary scholars.”
Kyle Stewart, PhD in English at the University of British Columbia (MA, 2008)
“The English department is an exceptionally friendly department that houses a broad range of scholars-both faculty and students. Accessible instructors and a close-knit student community make the department an excellent place to study as well as an exciting place to work and live.”
Thomas Laughlin, PhD in English at the University of Toronto (MA 2007)
“I think what I loved the most about doing my MA at Carleton was the sense of belonging to a vibrant academic community. Classes, of course, were very stimulating, but so were department-hosted poetry readings, reading groups, pub nights, and softball games. In all instances, graduate students and faculty came together in a way that was friendly and social and at the same time very collegiate. It was this combination that kept me enthusiastic and engaged while I trudged through stacks of marking, term papers, and Ottawa winters.”
…about our PhD Program
Dr. Emma Peacocke (PhD 2013)
“Pursuing my doctorate in Carleton’s ‘Production of Literature’ program has been a period of joy and discovery. I had not dreamt that I might be capable of thinking so profoundly and originally, of investigating primary sources so thoroughly, and of writing so lucidly. It gave me immense pleasure to write my thesis on British Romanticism and the emergence of public museums, and now, as I sign a book contract based on that research, I have a strong feeling that my work will bring pleasure as well as insight to other readers as well. I attribute my success to the sheer wonder of the Romantic era and its literary and visual culture, to the collegiality of the English Department, and to the beautifully planned structure of the ‘Production of Literature’ PhD program. From the first class of the core first-year class, Engl 6000, all of us could feel the tectonic plates of our minds shift and move; sometimes it was a grinding experience, and at other times molten and fluid, but this doctoral program re-shaped us into capable and original scholars with powerful things to say.”
Dr. Amatoritsero Ede (PhD 2013)
“During the initial stages of my studies, a rich and diverse course design and variety of epistemological approaches helped me quickly develop a clear vision of what I should be writing for a dissertation. The PhD program’s cultural materialist approach balanced rarefied theory with attention to details of material practices, processes, texts, and contexts.”
Bridgette Brown (PhD Candidate)
“It’s difficult, firstly, deciding to pursue a PhD, but, secondly, once you’ve decided to apply to programs, the choice of where to spend the next 4-5 years of your life can be quite daunting. From the outset, Carleton was very welcoming and accommodating: I made contact with many professors and students and even attended a few events to get a sense of what life in the department was like. Everyone gave generously of their time to answer questions and provide advice. That hasn’t changed. Now that I’m in the PhD program, I can say that I am very happy to have found a supportive environment of faculty, colleagues, and staff. While the department is welcoming and nurturing, this is not to say that academic rigour suffers. In fact, at every moment, professors and fellow grad students have continued to generously provide advice on papers, to give ideas about critical articles to read to support my work, and have made many contacts for me with professors outside the English Department. That’s the Carleton difference: my project spans more than just ‘English’ and the interdisciplinary nature of the university allows you to take courses in different faculties and to make contact with supervisors in different departments. My work has become much stronger thanks to these connections because Carleton’s English department focuses on both challenging the individual’s work and providing a supportive academic community to help them meet their goals.”