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Faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts

Department of Cultural Studies

Programmes

MA Practice-Based Degree in Cultural Studies

MA Practice-Based Degree in Cultural Studies.png

About the Programme

The discipline of Cultural Studies seeks to unpack the complex and often contested nature of cultural practices, expressions, and representations. It recognizes culture not just as a reflection of society, but as a tool used to understand, challenge and reshape social norms and political systems.

The Postgraduate Programme in Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) is designed to foster a deep engagement with these critical questions in the particular context of the Caribbean. The program stimulates a nuanced, interdisciplinary approach to the study of culture, while also encouraging critical reflection on the role of academics, artists and cultural practitioners in shaping Caribbean identities and experiences within the region, its diaspora and beyond.

 

What Will I Study?

In Practice-Based Research in Cultural Studies, questions relevant to theoretical discussions and models in the field of Cultural Studies are investigated partly by means of a creative or arts-based practice. Practice is seen as being an integral part of the research process and a supplemental means through which knowledge is created and disseminated. The creative outcomes of the research, such as a play, a film, a concert, recital, body of works or an exhibition, are assessed as part of the student’s MA, MPhil, or PhD degree along with a written component. 

The practical and written components of practice-based degrees form a coherent whole. Both components must address the research question(s) and especially at the PhD level, communicate advances in knowledge. The written component provides the theoretical and conceptual framework for critical assessment and review; the practical component allows for an exploration of the identified issues in a tangible form, e.g. a work of art.  

At a Glance

  • Degree Level: Postgraduate
  • Qualification: MA
  • Duration: Full-time candidates must complete these requirements within fifteen (15) months of the start of the programme. Part-time candidates will have twenty-four (24) months.

Contact


Programme Details

Master of Arts (MA) - Practice-Based Degree

For the award of the MA Cultural Studies Practice-Based degree, students must complete 35-37 credits of courses as follows:

I. Core/Compulsory (32 credits)
CLTR 6000 Theory & Conceptualisation of Culture (4cr)
CLTR 6010  Debates in C’bean Cultural Identity (4cr)
CLTR 6030 Dynamics of Caribbean Culture (8cr) – yearlong course
CLTR 6100 Methods of Inquiry in Cultural Studies (4cr)
CLTR 6990 Research Paper (12cr)
 
II.  Select One (1) elective (3-5 credits) from:
ARTS 6001 Theorising Caribbean Art (3 cr)
CLTR 6050 Caribbean Cultural Diasporas (4 cr)
CLTR 6060  African Diaspora Studies 
CLTR 6230 Caribbean Popular & Creative Culture (4 cr)
CLTR 6270 Under Western Eyes: Rethinking Cultural Hegemony in C’bean Gender Relations (4 cr)
 
Out of Faculty:
GEND 7101 Feminist Methods and Epistemology
HIST 6302 Nation Building in Western Africa
HIST 6711 Caribbean History and Heritage
HIST 6714 Current Debates in History
HIST 6720 Museum Development, Curatorship and Management
HIST 6802 Reading Material Culture 
LING 6303 Language Variation and Change
LING 6601 Caribbean and Creole Linguistics
LING 6603 Caribbean Lexicography

Assessment:

The written component is weighted at 30% and the practical component at 70% of the overall mark. The length of the written component is 10,000-12,000 words. Together the practical and written components amount to 12 credits. The creative product examined could, but is not limited to one of the following:

1) A theatrical production
2) A film
3) An exhibition or launch of the artwork produced
4) A musical performance
5) A dance/movement production
6) An interdisciplinary creative work
7) Masquerade/Festival

Student tuition fees can be found on the School for Graduate Studies and Research website. Visit https://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/gradstudies/future-students/programme-fees.aspx.

In addition to the UWI minimum entry requirements, the specific entry requirements for each programme in the Faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts are as follows:

Practice-Based degree:

Applicants possessing an undergraduate degree and/or an acceptable portfolio showcasing their body of work viz:
 
a. Undergraduate degree in a creative discipline or related field as follows:
· For entry to the MA programme—Lower Second-Class Honours
· For entry to the MPhil programme—at least Upper Second-Class Honours
· For entry to the PhD programme– at least Upper Second-Class Honours and a Master’s degree in a field relevant to Cultural Studies or may provide the required portfolio.
 
b. Applicants for the MA degree, who do not have an undergraduate degree in the creative field they wish to pursue, but who can document significant experience, achievements and critical recognition in the field can submit a portfolio of their previous creative work and records of accomplishments for consideration.
 
c. Applicants without a first degree from an approved Tertiary Level Institution may be considered for admission to a Graduate Diploma or Degree programme. A recommendation from a Department to the Campus Committee that the University accept such an applicant, must be accompanied by full statement of the applicant’s academic qualifications and work experience, as well as an overall assessment of the ability of the applicant to pursue graduate studies at The UWI. This recommendation must be forwarded to the Board Graduate Studies and Research for final approval.
 
Candidates admitted without a degree may be required to register for additional courses as the department stipulates. Such requirements must be included in the offer of admission.