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Cultural, Social & Political Thought

Future students

The Cultural, Social and Political Thought (CSPT) program is for students who want to ask big questions and explore new ideas across subjects.

You’ll learn with people from areas like history, political science, sociology and English, and be part of a lively group that values deep thinking and creativity. You'll take seminars that challenge you, work on your own research and get support from outstanding professors.

CSPT helps you see the world in new ways and prepares you to make a real difference in school, work and the community.

Our students play a key role in the program, including organizing colloquia, contributing to the CSPT annual student conference and participating in committees. You'll get more than just a comprehensive program of theoretical instruction. You'll be involved from the start in a community dialogue with other students, professors and research partners. 

The program is built on the principles of inclusiveness and democratic participation. As a CSPT student, you'll play an important role in contributing to progressive values like respecting and upholding diversity, fostering equity, advocating egalitarianism, partaking in democratic citizenship and engaging with the world in a critical fashion.

Applicants should have a strong background in the theoretical problems within their field of research.

Areas of study

CSPT faculty members cover a range of disciplines. Members are from Anthropology, English, History, Political Science, Environmental Studies, Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, Law and Sociology.

We are dedicated to cross-disciplinary engagement in such areas as:

  • international relations theory and globalization
  • political theory and philosophy
  • Marxist and post-Marxist thought
  • post-structuralism and deconstruction
  • literary and aesthetic theory
  • political ecology and ecofeminism
  • approaches to social movements
  • post-humanism
  • theories of sovereignty, governmentality, the State and the city
  • feminist thought, gender/sexuality studies and masculinity theories
  • surveillance studies
  • phenomenology
Master's program Doctoral program