Cultural Studies

• Faculty
• Graduate Program
  • Cultural Studies, Ph.D.
• Admissions Requirements
• Degree Requirements

Faculty

Albanese, Bergmann, Bergoffen, Brown, Brunette, Burr, Censer, Cheng, Copelman, Deshmukh, Dietz, Diner, Dumont, ffolliott, Forche, Foster, Froman, Fuchs, Gilbert, Gras, Guagnano, Hanrahan, Hodges, Holt, Horton, Irvine, Irving, Jacobs (director), Jann, Johnsen-Neshati, Joseph, Kalof, Kaplan, Kaufmann, Lancaster, Lavoie, Levine, Lipset, Lont, Mattusch, Matz, Melosh, Mobley, Moylan, O'Brien, O'Connor, O'Malley, Palkovich, Radner, Rosenblum, Rosenzweig, Seligmann, P. Smith, S. Smith, Stewart, Struppa, Sypher, Todd, D. Wood, J. Wood, Yocom, Zagarri

Graduate Program

Cultural Studies, Ph.D.

This doctoral program, the first of its kind in the United States, unites selected faculty members from 10 departments to serve students contemplating careers in scholarship and practice. Cultural studies is an emerging field of interdisciplinary inquiry, arising in response to dramatic historical and social changes. As the focus on cultural process transforms an entire range of disciplines in both the humanities and social sciences, scholars are embracing new conceptions of culture and new methods for its study.

George Mason's Ph.D. in Cultural Studies is distinctive in several respects. Similar programs in other universities are usually departmentally based (in English, history, sociology, or communications), emphasizing either the humanities or the social sciences. By contrast, the cultural studies program at George Mason explicitly seeks to link the social sciences and the humanities, combining methods of interpretation and explanation to explore the production, distribution, and consumption of cultural objects in their social contexts. With particular focus on theory and method in crafting this linkage, the program engages contemporary issues of nationality, class, race, and gender, while opening its scope to all forms of culture, past and present.

Admissions Requirements

Students who already have an M.A. in a relevant field are eligible to apply to the Ph.D. in Cultural Studies program. Students with only a bachelor's degree should apply to a master's program in one of six departments that have established feeder programs in cultural studies: English, Sociology and Anthropology, History and Art History, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Modern and Classical Languages, or Economics. All these feeder programs culminate in CULT 802 as a capstone seminar. Students may, if they choose, apply simultaneously to the Ph.D. in Cultural Studies program, so that faculty members may review the students' academic promise and the suitability of their interests to the program. Especially strong candidates with bachelor's degrees may be admitted into the doctoral program on a conditional basis, dependent on how well they perform in their M.A. programs, particularly in CULT 802. Students who complete CULT 802 as part of their M.A. program are required to complete only 45 credits at the doctoral level.

The following application materials are required of all students:

1. The standard George Mason graduate application
2. A transcript from the Educational Testing Service, indicating scores on the Graduate Record Examination (only the general test is required; subject tests are optional)
3. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
4. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the applicant's scholarly potential
5. A statement of purpose
6. A writing sample

For applicants who are non-native English speakers, an English language competency exam is required.

Degree Requirements

As with all doctoral programs, the emphasis is on the development of intellectual mastery and professional competence. The most important requirements in the program are comprehensive exams and the completion of a doctoral thesis that reflects the student's ability to do original interdisciplinary work that meets professional standards. Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language before being permitted to defend their doctoral dissertation proposal.

The course of study consists of 48 credits beyond the M.A. degree.

Core Requirement	9
CULT 802 Histories of Cultural Studies	3
CULT 806 Research in Cultural Studies	3
CULT 808 Colloquium (three semesters)	3
Theory Requirement	3
Choose one:
CULT 810 Culture and Political Economy	3
CULT 814 Gender and Sexuality	3
CULT 820 After Colonialism: Race, Ethnicity Nationalism	3
Methodology Requirement	3
Under the guidance of faculty advisory committees, students select from departmental graduate offerings (600 level or above) a course in a relevant methodology in which they are not already trained.
Topics Requirement	3
Choose one:
CULT 812 Visual and Performative Culture	3
CULT 816 Science/Technology	3
CULT 818 Social Institutions	3
Fields (each)	9
Under the guidance of faculty advisory committees, students select two fields that point topically and theoretically toward teaching interests, dissertation research, and related forms of professional development. Students select relevant courses from departmental graduate offerings (600 level or above), independent study courses, and special topics courses; students also are required to take a three-credit directed readings course in each field. Students demonstrate competence in each field by producing a field statement that consists of a comprehensive, critical literature review.
Comprehensive (Qualifying) Examination
The written field statements and an oral comprehensive exam based on them constitute the qualifying examination. Upon successful completion of this requirement, students are advanced to candidacy.
Dissertation Research (998, 999)	12