Word from the Director

Welcome to the website of the PhD in Human Studies at Laurentian University. You will find that this is a unique interdisciplinary programme with a dynamic faculty spanning numerous areas of expertise.

Overview

The PhD in Human Studies is a uniquely interdisciplinary endeavour between disciplines in Humanities and Social Sciences at Laurentian University. It has a strong interdisciplinary orientation. Its main field is "interdisciplinarity, culture and society". The PhD candidates will be in interaction with professors specializing in the domains of cognition and communication; Franco-Ontarian and Francophone studies; interpretation, values and ethics; regional and cultural studies; and gender relations and sexuality studies.

Objectives of the programme are:

• to provide solid and exciting education and training for doctoral students as concerns the human being in society and in theories, methods and practices relevant to emerging trends and concerns bearing on interdisciplinarity;
• by providing students with both theoretical and applied  knowledge and skills in these areas, to enhance their opportunities to successfully pursue related careers, whether in the academy or in the community;
• to contribute to, and produce new knowledge in the areas related to the program;
• within the broader community, to nurture strategic alliances with governmental, business and voluntary organizations to the mutual benefit of the programme (its faculty and students) and the community.

Languages of the Programme

The programme is offered in French and English. Laurentian University policy is that essays and examinations are undertaken in the language of instruction, with exceptions permitted by instructors on an individual basis.

Program Requirements

All admitted applicants, in consultation with their Principal Advisor, shall develop their programme of study within the first semester of their residency by evaluating their academic strengths and weaknesses using the stated competencies of the program.

Student who will not have a thesis supervisor at the registration time will be assigned a mentor for the first few months; this mentor, among other things, will help the student to find a supervisor as soon as possible, ideally within a four months period.

Students may be required to undertake coursework to develop areas of competency. Areas of competency that may be required are, for example, second-language competency or reading competency in languages other than the language of instruction, or statistical or quantitative analysis competencies. In accordance with their background and preparation, students may take elective course work at the Master’s level (5000 or above). Students who wish to take a limited amount of course work at another university may do so in accordance with Graduate Calendar regulations.

The main components of the programme shall be as follows:

• Two core seminars worth 3 credits each (HUST-6126EL - Interdisciplinary Research Methods and HUST-6156EL - Theories in Interdisciplinarity);
• Three elective seminars worth 3 credits each. The placement (HUST-6906EL - Field Based Research Placement) can be substituted to one of these seminars;
• Participation in non-credit Seminar in Interdisciplinarity;
• A Comprehensive General Examination; (See past successful comprehensive examinations)
• A Thesis. (See past successful thesis)

Comprehensive Examination

The objective of the comprehensive general examination is to ensure that students have acquired the specialized knowledge they will need to undertake research on their doctoral dissertation. Accordingly, students in the programme will be expected to develop both general knowledge and capacities in the required domain of scholarship (interdisciplinarity), the domain of his/her thesis, as well as specialized knowledge and capacities in other domains as may be necessary to successfully undertake the dissertation. The comprehensive is also a way of assessing the student in his/her understanding of critical and theoretical issues introduced and discussed in the list of assigned readings.

Residency Requirements

In general, two academic terms of full-time residence will be required for all PhD students. Full-time students are expected to complete requirements for the PhD degree within 4 years following entry into the programme. Under extraordinary circumstances, a student may receive special permission to move to part-time status upon petition to the Programme Director, provided that he or she has been in the programme for at least half of the residence requirement and presents a feasibility schedule showing that the degree will be completed within the maximum time limit, which shall not exceed 6 years.

Admission Requirements

1. a copy of your on-line application form;
2. Official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions at which the candidate has been enrolled (photocopies or faxed documents will not be accepted);
3. a curriculum vitae;
4. the form "Information about the candidate, achievements and projects";
5. three (3) letters of reference;
6. a "Letter of Intent" from a member of our program attesting his/her commitment to supervise your thesis research;
7. proof of language proficiency for non-Canadian applicants whose mother tongue is neither English nor French (if applicable).

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