PhD in Communication, New Media and Cultural Studies in Hamilton Canada | McMaster University

The issues confronting us in modern times—including social and environmental inequities, global warming, unstable employment, privacy concerns, and diminishing public discourse—are vast, intricate, and multi-layered. These challenges also represent crucial matters of cultural exchange and societal values that require immediate attention. The PhD in Communication, New Media, and Cultural Studies (CNMCS) caters to innovative thinkers who thrive on complexity, relish tough inquiries, and seek intellectual, creative, and educational ventures aimed at fostering meaningful societal transformation. This interdisciplinary program merges three academic domains that emerged from efforts to analyze and discuss significant issues through artistic, humanistic, and social scientific lenses: cultural studies initially sought to define culture's role beyond academic elitism, communication studies aimed to decipher mass media's societal impact, while new media scholars explored how digital technologies reshape human cognition and artistic expression. These disciplines collectively recognize that contemporary challenges, with their technological, economic, environmental, and political dimensions, are ultimately rooted in cultural and communicative frameworks. Developing skills to interpret, analyze, and produce cultural artifacts, media content, and communication strategies is essential for innovative perspectives and approaches. This doctoral program is a collaborative initiative between the Departments of Communication Studies and Multimedia (CSMM) and English and Cultural Studies (ECS), combining expertise in digital arts, performance studies, policy analysis, visual culture, sound studies, gender and sexuality research, critical race theory, indigenous scholarship, postcolonial studies, global cultural flows, environmental critique, political economy, strategic communication, and media studies. Faculty supervisors are drawn from CSMM, ECS, and other Humanities departments to guide CNMCS doctoral candidates.