Literatures of Modernity

Known for its innovative approaches and its cutting-edge scholarship, the Department of English offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Literatures of Modernity.

Unique in Canada, the program begins in 2008.

The salient features of modernity – subjectivity, urbanization, migration, new technologies, war – remain pressing issues in today’s world. Covering literatures from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries, the new MA program explores the rich variety of literary forms and theories surrounding and shaping different understandings of modernity. Taking advantage of Ryerson’s dynamic urban location in downtown Toronto, the program combines advanced literary studies, innovative research, and theoretical perspectives with a fine honing of professional skills. A unique combination of theory and hands-on involvement in scholarly and practical fields builds the foundation for a broad range of careers as well as for PhD studies in English and related literary fields.

The MA in Literatures of Modernity is an intensive, rigorous, and diverse one-year program for students of English, Arts and Contemporary Studies, and related fields. Students will receive advanced training in literary methodologies, research and scholarship, and hands-on involvement in literary fields by exploring some of the following questions:

What are the literary forms of modernity?

What is the relationship between the experience of modernity and literary narrative?

What are the literary institutions of modernity and how do they represent and facilitate social change?

What role does geographic and cultural displacement play in literatures of modernity?

How does the city impact these literatures?

By working closely with internationally leading scholars and teachers in the field, and by completing an original Major Research Paper on a chosen topic or a Practicum at a literary institution, students gain an English degree with a thematic and an experiential spin. Toronto’s immense diversity of identities and cultures offers unique opportunities for practica with literary magazines, literary agencies, archives, poetry festivals, literary research centers, scholarly journals, and so on. With more than 60 books and more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in circulation, in addition to funding provided by external grants and the Department’s Canada Research Chair program in Modern Literature and Culture, the English Department’s eighteen faculty members provide enriched opportunities for mentoring graduate students through course work, project supervision, and research assistantships.

The highly experienced faculty also boast an enriched teaching environment with opportunities for graduate students to hone their skills through professional skills courses and teaching assistantships. With its innovative combination of theory and hands-on involvement in research and literary practice, the program in Literatures of Modernity prepares students to become the leaders of tomorrow while also preparing them for doctoral studies.