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Welcome to Master of Arts in Liberal Studies!

The Graduate Liberal Studies program offered by Simon Fraser University is an interdisciplinary program leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies. It addresses some of the great works of our intellectual and artistic heritage, studies the perennial concerns that have shaped our culture, and explores contemporary perspectives on traditional ideas and values.

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News + Events

GLS 20th Anniversary Celebration

Thanks to all of you who came out and celebrated with us! It was a great party. Pictures will be posted soon.

Ted Whittal, cohort 2009, has been accepted to pursue a PhD in Performance Studies at York University next year. His Extended Essays consist of a paper called “The Gates: Liminality and Grief Tourism in New York Post 9/11” and an adaptation of J.M. Coetzee's “The Lives of Animals” into a short performance piece.  “The Gates: Liminality and Grief Tourism in New York Post 9/11” explores the political and discursive connection between GroundZero and Central Park during the 16 days in February, 2005 that Christo and Jeanne-Claude's installation “The Gates” was erected. The play will be annotated with thematic links between Coetzee's story and critical animal studies.

His PhD thesis proposal is called “Common Sense: The Performance of Food and the City.” He will be doing research on how the public performances of modern food culture - open kitchens, food festivals and street food, feasts and protests - might be linked to the performative pressures of globalization on urban culture. His SSHRC application has been chosen by SFU to enter the national competition, and he has been awarded a York graduate Entrance Scholarship.

Congratulations, Ted!

Mari-Lou Rowley, 1994 cohort, has been accepted to start her PhD through the Graduate of Interdisciplinary Studies Program at the University of Saskatchewan.   Her thesis is tentatively titled, "Technologies-R-Us"--The Psychological, Neurological and Sociological Effects of Multimedia and Internet Technologies.

Her PhD research stems from her GLS MA extended essay Virtual Reality, Narcissism and the Disintegrating Self. Since then, new media and internet technologies have become ubiquitous—and the questions more complex. How are these technologies altering our “selves” and our brains, and what are the social and ethical consequences? And if these technologies are addictive, as recent neurological research has shown, what does this mean for psychological development and social responsibility?

For her PhD research, she plans to examine these questions by drawing on current interdisciplinary research on neural plasticity—the ability of the brain to adapt to new environments, including immersive digital ones—and related humanistic and social science scholarship on mirroring and empathy. She is also very excited to have Michael Kenny on her advisory committee and look forward to continued association with SFU.    

Congratulations, Mari-Lou!

June 22-24, 2012--6th Annual West Coast Symposium at University of Southern California

Last June, we hosted the very successful 5th Annual Joint GLS Symposium. This year, it will be hosted by the University of Southern California. The West Coast Liberal Studies Symposium is a great opportunity for current students and alumni to present their work to an audience of their peers, as well as for the attendees to learn about new topics. It is a positive and energizing weekend full of new ideas. 

The Call for Papers is due to, Stephen Duguid, by March 1, 2012. There is a standard form that needs to be filed out and a copy of it is found here: http://dornsife.usc.edu/2012-gls-symposium/call-for-papers/. The presentation of your work is expected to be a maximum of 20 minutes with about 10 minutes of questions and answers following your presentation. 

The main site with more information and registration details is here: http://dornsife.usc.edu/2012-gls-symposium/