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Memorial University of Newfoundland

Dept. of History
Arts & Administration Bldg., Rm. A4019
St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7
Canada

Phone 709.864.8420
Fax 709.864.2164
E-mail: tstirlin@mun.ca

Department Web Site

Areas of Specialization:

Canada, Maritime, Newfoundland and Labrador

Program Description

Doctoral candidates are required to spend a minimum of one year in residence. During their first year they complete a minimum of two courses, develop reading lists in three thematic fields and undertake directed readings in those fields. During their second year they complete a second language requirement, finalize their reading lists and complete their three thematic fields. Candidates then make a formal presentation of a thesis proposal to the History Department and sit a comprehensive examination. During their third and final years they write a dissertation based on original research.

Special Programs or Resources

Memorial's Queen Elizabeth II Library contains over three million titles, including microforms; a comprehensive collection of journals totaling almost 11,000 current subscriptions excluding government documents serials; and the considerable archival resources of the Centre for Newfoundland Studies.

Canadian History
The department has a strong and successful program in Canadian history. Ongoing faculty research includes the history of the Canadian North, the history of indigenous people, social history, environmental history, military history, the global dimensions of the fishery, Atlantic Provinces history, the history of the mass media, the history of the university, and political economy. With a long-standing tradition of interdisciplinary research Memorial is an excellent place to undertake graduate work in Canadian history.

Newfoundland and Labrador History
Much of the department's post-graduate work focuses on the history of Newfoundland and Labrador. The sources are all close at hand in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies (in the Queen Elizabeth II Library), the Maritime History Archive, the Folklore and Language Archive, the Provincial Archives, the Newfoundland Public Library System, and in other private and public collections throughout the province. With support services in other departments such as anthropology, folklore, English, geography, political science, religious studies, sociology, women's studies, and law and society, Memorial University is the logical place to do graduate work at all levels in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Maritime History
The department and the Maritime Studies Research Unit are internationally esteemed in the area of maritime history including the history of seafaring labour, shipping and fisheries. The department has considerable experience in the application of statistical analysis to massive data sets. The Maritime History Archive comprises one of the best repositories of information on maritime history anywhere in the world, and members of the department act in an advisory and consultative capacity for students and scholars all over the world. Since 1989, the International Journal of Maritime History has been published at Memorial.

Financial Aid

Doctoral fellowships $10,000-17,000/yr for a maximum of four years contingent upon of a satisfactory academic standing. To be eligible students must be full-time and, while they may work outside the academic programme, the total number of hours worked must not exceed 24 hours per week. Students who have entered the programme without fellowships may be considered for funding later if they show exceptional progress.

Graduate assistantships are also available and are offered at the beginning of a semester in units of $1,184 ($21.15 per hour). It is expected that one unit will require an approximate average of 4 hours per week over a 14 week term (and if finances permit, students could be assigned more than one unit). Teaching assistantships are available within the department.

Travel funds for conferences and research are possible through various competitions (such as the Smallwood Centre for Newfoundland Studies and the Institute for Social and Economic Research) or from the Graduate Students' Union. The School of Graduate Studies disburses such funds once per graduate programme. The Dean of Arts also provides travel assistance which is allocated through the School of Graduate Studies. No funds are available in the departmental allocation for travel and/or other discretionary expenditures.

Degree Requirements

Doctoral candidates will complete a minimum of two courses (6 credit hours), a language examination (usually French) and directed readings in three thematic fields before writing a comprehensive examination. A dissertation based on original research will follow the formal presentation of a thesis proposal.



Current Dissertations in Progress

PhDs Conferred by Department

 

 

Last Updated: October 19, 2012