The MA in Popular Music and Culture offers in-depth study of popular music in its musical, cultural, and industrial contexts. The program harnesses the resources of two faculties to facilitate inquiry into aspects of popular music that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Students study with distinguished popular music scholars, including Jonathan Burston, Norma Coates, James Grier, Jay Hodgson, Keir Keightley, Matt Stahl, and Robert Toft, all full-time faculty members. Students also tap into expertise across two faculties in music history, musical performance, music theory, copyright law, recording practice, songwriting, film music, gaming, television culture, journalism, visual arts, political economy, cultural theory, cultural history, information technology, cyberculture, gender and feminist theory, music education, human-computer interaction, ethnomusicology, critical race studies and more. Thesis, course-based, and creative project streams are available.
Current students pursue research in a variety of areas, including:
- Longevity and success: Gauging the hip-hop career
- Digital Cumbia and genre formation
- Questions of appropriation in dance music
- Evolving notions of authenticity in electronic music
- Canadian identity and popular music
- Islamic punk and genre formation
Students work closely with faculty to develop and deliver their major projects.
The MA in Popular Music and Culture prepares students for further graduate study at the PhD level in related fields. Recent graduates are pursing doctoral degrees in Media Studies (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and Musicology (University of Western Ontario). Students who seek to enter the workplace will be able to apply their knowledge in a variety of cultural industries, or in government service in areas such as cultural policy, communications, research, consulting, and education.