Skip to main content Skip to local navigation
2024-2025 Academic Calendar | York University Faculty of Graduate Studies

Social & Political Thought

Posted on 17 August 2022

All Programs

LocationEmail AddressProgram Website
S712 Rosssptprog@yorku.cayorku.ca/gradstudies/spth/

Founded in 1973, York University’s unique interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Social & Political Thought, leading to the MA and PhD degrees, undertakes to encourage, develop, and advance the analysis of social and political ideas with the aim of integrating intellectual interests common to the humanities and social sciences. The program represents a wide range of intellectual approaches but it does aspire to study social and political thought in its larger historical and cultural context. In cooperation with participating academic disciplines across the University, the program’s curriculum is structured around four flexible areas of study:

Courses in the History of Social and Political Thought area prepare students to develop innovative research programs relative to pivotal figures, texts and intellectual traditions that have been decisively influential for many fields that have traditionally been of considerable importance in the program. While student projects typically move beyond or cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, courses in this field would include texts and thinkers in Continental philosophy, Marxism, critical theory, queer theory, feminist thought, anti-colonial and post-colonial thought and forms of cultural theory that touch on social and political matters, broadly considered.

The Black Studies and Theories of Race and Racism area prepares students to develop innovative scholarship that explores and analyzes the distinct contributions of Black intellectual, political, and cultural productions, nationally and internationally, as well as to critically investigate and develop new methods and theories of critical, interdisciplinary scholarship on race and racism. This area provides frameworks for the study of practices of power and domination that underpin processes such as colonialism and slavery, migration and diasporization, globalization, criminalization, and racial profiling as well as for understanding struggles for liberation and self-determination.

Courses dealing specifically with socioeconomic and political institutions and relations.

Courses dealing with the study of cultural and philosophical foundations of society.

The Graduate Program in Social & Political Thought encourages students to work independently and to become creative teachers and scholars. In selecting their courses, students are expected to acquire a broad balanced knowledge of the field as a whole, as well as to pursue their own specialized interests. In all cases, students have to take very considerable personal initiative on their own to develop an intellectually coherent pattern of study which leads to the writing of an original major research paper (master’s) or doctoral dissertation (PhD) in social and political thought. Students are required to be adequately prepared in those languages essential to their dissertation research.

In addition to the courses in the Graduate Program in Social & Political Thought, students may choose interdisciplinary courses from the Graduate Programs in Communication & Culture, Economics, English, History, Humanities, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and graduate programs in other relevant disciplines.

Application Procedures

Since the number of places in the program is limited, students should apply as early as possible in advance of the deadline advertised by the Graduate Admissions Office. Applications for admissions are only considered for the following September. Students wishing to transfer from other graduate programs must follow the normal application procedure. Students who have applied by the deadline are normally notified of the University’s decision in April. Students are expected to accept or to decline admission within one month of the date of the offer of admission. Application forms and further information may be obtained from the Graduate Admissions website or the Graduate Admissions Office, York University, Bennett Centre for Student Services, Third Floor Reception, 99 Ian Macdonald Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3; (416) 736-5000. In addition to arranging for transcripts from all universities attended and for three letters of reference to be sent directly to the University, applicants are also asked to submit a statement of intention and a sample of their written work. Where possible the paper should be pertinent to the interests the student wishes to pursue in the program. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the Social & Political Thought admissions committee.

Admission Requirements

MA

PhD

Graduates with a four-year degree in a field of study relevant to pursuing graduate work in social and political thought from a recognized Canadian or United States university, or an honours degree from another recognized university, and with at least a B+ average in the last two years of study, are considered for admission as candidates for the MA degree.

Applicants for study towards the PhD degree are normally considered for admission only after they have been graduate students at a recognized university for at least one year and have been awarded the MA degree or an equivalent, with at least a B+ average, indicating preparation for advanced graduate work in social and political thought.

Degree Requirements

MA

PhD

MA

Candidates for the MA degree must satisfactorily complete the following studies, which may be completed in three full-time terms:

18 credits, 15 of which are chosen by the student in consonance with the interdisciplinary aims of the program, in consultation with the Graduate Program Director, of which: (a) at least one must be a formal Social & Political Thought course; (b) only one may be a reading course (Social & Political Thought 6001 6.0 or 6001 3.0), along with a required 3-credit course, Social & Political Thought 6105 3.0: Master’s Practicum: Major Research Paper Development.

No more than six credits may be taken with one faculty member, with the exception of a directed reading course.

Social & Political Thought MA Major Research Paper (to be written in connection with one of the above courses, to be read by two faculty members chosen in consultation with the Graduate Program Director).

An oral examination to be taken upon completion of the above course work. The candidate is examined on three major works in social and political thought that relate to her or his major research paper research, to be chosen in consultation with the examining committee and the Graduate Program Director.

Candidates for the MA degree must demonstrate an ability to make effective use of such languages as are necessary to their study.

All master’s requirements are superseded by Faculty of Graduate Studies’ policies.

The MA program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Entry is fall term.

The expected degree completion time for full-time master’s students is 3 terms. For those students who complete degree requirements earlier than 3 terms, they must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of 3 terms of full-time study. All requirements for a master’s degree must be fulfilled within 12 terms (4 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time master’s student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies.

PhD

Candidates for the PhD degree must fulfil the following requirements:

Students must successfully complete PhD course requirements by taking 24 credits or equivalent, as follows:

  • a) Social & Political Thought 6106 3.0: Social and Political Thought: Theories, Approaches, and Methods I—this course must be completed in the first year, and,
  • b) an additional 18 credits, including 12 credits of Social & Political Thought courses, of which only 6 credits may be taken as a directed reading course (Social & Political Thought 6001 6.0 or 6001 3.0).
  • c) Social & Political Thought 6107 3.0: Social and Political Thought: Theories, Approaches, and Methods II—this course should normally be taken in the third year after all other coursework is completed.
  • No more than 6 credits may be taken with one faculty member, with the exceptions of the core course and directed reading course.
  • In order to ensure interdisciplinary breadth, at least 3 credits must be taken in a Social & Political Thought field other than the student’s primary Social & Political Thought field.

Suitably comprehensive mastery over general areas of social and political thought relevant to the candidate’s program of study as determined by the candidate’s supervisory committee. The comprehensive requirements are to be completed after the completion of and prior to the submission of a dissertation proposal.

The dissertation proposal can only be submitted upon the completion of all coursework, and the comprehensive examination. The dissertation proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee, Graduate Program Director and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at least six months prior to the PhD oral defence.

A suitable interdisciplinary dissertation. The graduate program accepts theses/dissertations in monograph format. Approval to pursue a different format in line with Faculty of Graduate Studies Regulations may be granted by special request.

Candidates for the PhD degree are required to be competent in those languages essential to their research for and preparation of their doctoral dissertation.

Note: Candidates must consult the program’s supplementary calendar for a definitive statement of course offerings for each year.

The PhD program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Entry is fall term.

Normal degree completion time for full-time PhD students is 18 terms (6 years). Doctor of Philosophy students must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of six terms of full-time registration. All requirements for a doctoral degree must be fulfilled within 18 terms (6 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time doctoral student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies’ registration policies.