Program Requirements
The MA degree of the University of Prince Edward Island requires the demonstration of a reasonable mastery of a concentrated field of study. The latter is attested by the achieving of satisfactory standings in the minimum number of graduate courses required by the respective Faculty, the completion of a research project, and the writing of a thesis based upon the research.
Graduate students will register in the interdisciplinary MA program in Island Studies, under the Dean of Arts. Each student’s program of study will be designed in consultation with the Program Administrator and student’s Supervisor.
There will be considerable interaction and cooperation among the departments to provide courses and research facilities to meet the needs of individual students and their research projects.
In addition to the “General Regulations for Graduate Programs,” described above, the following regulations apply specifically to the Master’s degree:
Residency Requirements
Normally, at least two semesters of full-time study in residence at the University must be devoted to the Master’s program if the student is admitted as a regular student. Upon completion of the residency requirement, the student is then eligible to become a candidate for the MA degree.
Normally, the thesis must be formally submitted or the program be otherwise complete within 48 months of the completion of the residency requirement. Departure from these normal requirements requires approval from the Graduate Studies Committee.
Courses
Prescribed Studies The proportion of weight attached to the research and thesis may vary, even within a department. Accordingly, the number of courses and/or general examinations may correspondingly vary. In no case, however, will the minimum requirements be less than those outlined in the following two paragraphs. For graduate credit, the courses selected must be acceptable to the department and the Graduate Studies Committee. The candidate must maintain an average grade of at least a B standing (see Grades in General Regulations section) in the substantive courses outlined below in order to maintain registration in the program.
In the Faculty of Arts, students are required to take a minimum of three substantive courses at the graduate level and the appropriate one-credit Graduate Seminar for their program, totalling a minimum of 10 credit hours. The Seminar course is required and must be taken in the first year of study. Students may take only one Directed Studies course for credit. Students lacking an Honours degree or background in one or more area may, at the discretion of the Supervisory Committee, be required to take the appropriate undergraduate level course(s).
For the MA in Island Studies, up to six courses in addition to the Seminar may be required because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program. Advanced Topics in Island Studies I and II are both required courses and must be taken in the student’s first year, along with the Graduate Seminar.
A department may require examinations (oral and/or written), from time to time, to evaluate the student’s progress in his/her overall program.
Additional Courses
In addition to these prescribed studies, the candidate may undertake to achieve satisfactory standings in courses supportive of the special discipline. These courses may be at either the undergraduate or the graduate level. The standings obtained in them will not affect the average grade of the prescribed studies.
When a student is required to register in a seminar or colloquium course in more than one semester, the record will show a grade or a designation of “In Progress” for semesters prior to completion of the course and “Pass” or “Fail” for the final semester. With the consent of the Supervisory Committee, and of the instructor and the Department Chair concerned (or the Dean of Arts in the case of the MA in Island Studies), a student may register for, and audit, all or part of a course. It is understood that the student will attend lectures as prescribed, but will not write any examination or receive any grade. Such a course may be recorded as an additional course, identified by AUD.
The Thesis
Research
Normally, the equivalent of at least two full-time semesters must be devoted to research in fulfilment of the thesis requirement. Summers during which research work is actively conducted may be counted as research semester equivalents, even though courses would not normally be offered at that time. In order to avoid undue prolongation of the time required to complete the degree, the research topic should be identified early and approved by the Supervisory Committee. Research involving the use of animals must follow the Guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
Research involving human participants must adhere to the Tri-Council policy on research ethics and be approved by the University’s Research Ethics Board.
Thesis
Each candidate for the degree of Master of Arts is required to submit a thesis based upon the research conducted under supervision as described above. The thesis must demonstrate the candidate’s capacity for original and independent work, and should include a critical evaluation of work which has previously been done in the field of his or her research. The thesis should emphasize any new conclusions which may be drawn from the candidate’s own research.
General specifications as to paper, format, order and binding are available from the Office of the Program Administrator.
Procedures
The thesis may be handed in at any time of the year, but candidates must bear in mind the desirability of having the final examination as much in advance of the deadline date for thesis submission as possible. Candidates are advised to inform themselves of the deadlines schedule, a copy of which may be obtained in the Office of the Program Administrator. It is desirable that each candidate initiate discussion about examination dates with the Supervisor early in the final semester.
The candidate should keep in close touch with the Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee, throughout the preparation of the thesis. The final draft of the thesis, after it has been reviewed by all members of the Supervisory Committee, is sent when ready for examination, to the members of the Master’s Examination Committee (see below).
Following the Master’s Examination, the candidate, if successful, arranges for the preparation of the thesis in final form, and for its submission to the Program Administrator (see below). The thesis in final form must include any minor corrections or revisions indicated during the Examination. Approval of the thesis takes the form of a Certificate of Approval, signed by the Examination Committee.
The Master’s Examination
The final oral examination, devoted chiefly to the defense of the thesis, is a departmental examination identified as the Master’s Examination and carried out by the Master’s Examination Committee.
In the Faculty of Arts, the Master’s Examination Committee normally consists of three members of the Supervisory Committee, including the Supervisor of the candidate’s research who will chair the Master's Examination Committee on behalf of the Dean of Arts.
The Department Chair (or the Dean of Arts, in the case of the MA in Island Studies) selects the Examination Committee at the request of the Supervisor and is responsible for notifying the Program Administrator of its composition.
The Examination is normally open to the public; however, members of the audience may question the candidate only upon invitation of the Chair of the Committee. The Examination is passed and the thesis approved in principle if there is no more than one negative vote, an abstention being regarded as a negative vote. The report, from the Department Chair (or the Dean of Arts, in the case of the MA in Island Studies) to the Program Administrator, records the result as “unsatisfactory,” or “satisfactory.” If the result is “unsatisfactory,” the candidate may be given the opportunity by the Master’s Examination Committee of a second attempt. A second “unsatisfactory” result will terminate candidacy at this university.
IST 601 ADVANCED TOPICS IN ISLAND STUDIES I
This course explores contemporary and historical research questions and issues central to the interdisciplinary and comparative study of small islands and archipelagoes. Topics include islands’ identity, characteristics, challenges, opportunities, cultures, geography, economics, history, environmental concerns, and governance systems.
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 2
Seminar: 1
IST 602 ADVANCED TOPICS IN ISLAND STUDIES II
A continuation of IST 601. Students will be required to complete a draft thesis proposal for submission to their Supervisory Committee.
PREREQUISITE: IST 601
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 2
Lecture: 1
Seminar: 1
IST 604 RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN FOR ISLAND STUDIES
Introduction to research methods and research design as they pertain to study of small islands. The non-availability of island-specific data in non-island jurisdictions and researchers’ perspectives and points of view will be considered.
PREREQUISITES: Admission into a UPEI graduate program or eligibility for graduate studies
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 2
Seminar: 1
IST 609 MIGRATION AND MOVEMENT AMONG SMALL ISLANDS
This course examines the diverse issues arising from migration and movement among and within small islands. Topics will include the creation of small island societies through successive and often competing waves of colonization by migrants, adventurers, and/or conquerors, as well as the complex two-way traffic that generally characterizes the subsequent development of island societies. Case studies of specific small islands as well as comparative assessment of different small-island cases provide opportunities to investigate the themes discussed in a concrete and practical manner.
PREREQUISITE: Admission into a UPEI graduate program or eligibility for graduate studies
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 2
Seminar: 1
IST 611 STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR SMALL ISLANDS
This course using case studies, introduces the comparative study of economic development strategies applicable to small-island economics.
PREREQUISITES: Admission into a UPEI graduate program or eligibility for graduate studies
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 2
Seminar: 1
IST 612 THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF SMALL ISLAND STATES
Small island states share a wide range of issues that are either exclusive to small islands or of particular salience for these island states. This course explores in depth the international agenda for small island states, the channels and resources involved in their international relations, and the attention and commitment of metropolitan states and international organizations.
PREREQUISITE: Admission into a UPEI graduate program or eligibility for graduate studies
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 2
Seminar: 1
IST 613 THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF SMALL ISLANDS
This course examines the intersections among politics, policy, and island environments. The tension between external economic pressures and trans-jurisdictional environmental protection mechanisms, with particular emphasis on topics such as global warming, fishing stocks, and biodiversity, is examined. Other factors including cultural and political forces that encourage development despite environmental risks also are explored.
PREREQUISITE: Admission into a UPEI graduate program or eligibility for graduate studies
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 2
Seminar: 1
IST 614 ISLANDNESS: CULTURE, CHANGE,A ND IDENTITY ON SMALL ISLANDS
In this course students investigate the effects of insularity on small-island populations. The relationship between the population’s identity (culture, ethnicity, self-confidence) and its economic and political choices is examined. Students examine history, folklore, art, literature, anthropology, economics, and political theories in the context of “islandness.”
PREREQUISITE: Admission into a UPEI graduate program, or eligibility for graduate studies.
Semester hours of credit: 3
Lecture: 2 hours a week
Seminar: 1 hour a week
IST 615 PUBLIC POLICY IN SMALL ISLANDS
This course examines the determinants or causes of public policy in small island jurisdictions. Students familiarize themselves with various models for understanding the causes of public policy and with selected frameworks for comparing policy across jurisdictions.
PREREQUISITE: Admission into a UPEI graduate program, or eligibility for graduate studies.
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 2
Seminar: 1
IST 616 DIRECTED STUDIES
Under the supervision of a faculty member, a graduate student independently pursues an area of interest in depth. The course includes a thorough literature review of the topic and directed research.
NOTE: Students are permitted to take no more than one Directed Studies course towards the Master of Arts in Island Studies.
PREREQUISITE: Admission into a UPEI graduate program, or eligibility for graduate studies.
Semester hours of credit: 3
IST 617 SPECIAL TOPICS
618 COLONIAL AND POSTCOLONIAL DISCOURSE THEORIES: AN INTRODUCTION
Students will be introduced to the basic elements of colonial and postcolonial discourse analysis, an interdisciplinary field of study. Some of the prominent practitioners and debates in the field will be considered, as well as some of the cultural, historical, and political reasons for its emergence . A particular emphasis will be placed on colonialism and postcolonialism in island contexts.
PREREQUISITE: Admission into a UPEI graduate program, or eligibility for graduate studies.
Semester hours of credit: 3
Lecture: 2 hours a week
Seminar: 1 hour a week
IST 699 THESIS
Each student in the Master of Arts in Island Studies program is required, under the supervision of his or her Supervisory Committee, to write a thesis on an approved topic. These topics will ordinarily be comparative: that is, they will require research regarding more than one island, preferably in more than one region or country. Each thesis will be expected to show evidence of original research or original analysis of existing bodies of knowledge or both.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of 18 credit hours of course work towards the MA.
Semester hours of credit: 12, upon completion of Thesis
