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The Faculty of Arts at UBC brings together the best of quantitative research, humanistic inquiry, and artistic expression to advance a better world. Graduate students in the Faculty of Arts create and disseminate knowledge in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Creative and Performing Arts through teaching, research, professional practice, artistic production, and performance.

Arts has more than 25 academic departments, institutes, and schools as well as professional programs, more than 15 interdisciplinary programs, a gallery, a museum, theatres, concert venues, and a performing arts centre. Truly unique in its scope, the Faculty of Arts is a dynamic and thriving community of outstanding scholars – both faculty and students. 

Here, our students explore cutting-edge ideas that deepen our understanding of humanity in an age of scientific and technological discovery. Whether Arts scholars work with local communities, or tackle issues such as climate change, world music, or international development, their research has a deep impact on the local and international stage.

The disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches in our classrooms, labs, and cultural venues inspire students to apply their knowledge both to and beyond their specialization. Using innovation and collaborative learning, our graduate students create rich pathways to knowledge and real connections to global thought leaders.

 

Research Facilities

UBC Library has extensive collections, especially in Arts, and houses Canada’s greatest Asian language library. Arts graduate programs enjoy the use of state-of-the-art laboratories, the world-renowned Museum of Anthropology and the Belkin Contemporary Art Gallery (admission is free for our graduate students). World-class performance spaces include theatres, concert venues and a performing arts centre. 

Since 2001, the Belkin Art Gallery has trained young curators at the graduate level in the Critical and Curatorial Studies program in the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory. The Master of Arts program addresses the growing need for curators and critics who have theoretical knowledge and practical experience in analyzing institutions, preparing displays and communicating about contemporary art.

The MOA Centre for Cultural Research (CCR) undertakes research on world arts and cultures, and supports research activities and collaborative partnerships through a number of spaces, including research rooms for collections-based research, an Ethnology Lab, a Conservation Lab, an Oral History and Language Lab supporting audio recording and digitization, a library, an archive, and a Community Lounge for groups engaged in research activities. The CCR includes virtual services supporting collections-based research through the MOA CAT Collections Online site that provides access to the Museum’s collection of approximately 40,000 objects and 80,000 object images, and the Reciprocal Research Network (RRN) that brings together 430,000 object records and associated images from 19 institutions.
 

Research Highlights

The Faculty of Arts at UBC is internationally renowned for research in the social sciences, humanities, professional schools, and creative and performing arts.

As a research-intensive faculty, Arts is a leader in the creation and advancement of knowledge and understanding. Scholars in the Faculty of Arts form cross-disciplinary partnerships, engage in knowledge exchange, and apply their research locally and globally.

Arts faculty members have won Guggenheim Fellowships, Humboldt Fellowships, and major disciplinary awards. We have had 81 faculty members elected to the Royal Society of Canada, and several others win Killam Prizes, Killam Research Fellowships, Emmy Awards, and Order of Canada awards. In addition, Arts faculty members have won countless book prizes, national disciplinary awards, and international disciplinary awards. 

External funding also signifies the research success of our faculty. In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the Faculty of Arts received $34.6 million through over 900 research projects. Of seven UBC SSHRC Partnership Grants awarded to-date, six are located in Arts, with a combined investment of $15 million over the term of the grants.

Since the 2011 introduction of the SSHRC Insight Grants and SSHRC Insight Development Grants programs, our faculty’s success rate has remained highly stable, and is consistently higher than the national success rate.

Graduate Degree Programs

Research Supervisors in Faculty

or browse the list of faculty members in various academic units. You may click each unit to view faculty members appointed in that unit. View the full faculty member directory for more search and filter options.
Name Academic Unit(s) Research Interests
Abdul-Mageed, Muhammad Department of Linguistics Artificial intelligence (AI); Deep Learning; Natural Language Processing; Machine Learning; Computational Linguistics; Social Media Mining; Arabic
Abedinifard, Mostafa Department of Asian Studies Literature and literary studies; modern Iran; Iranian/Persianate studies through fiction, drama, poetry, cinema, andnonfiction
Abrutyn, Seth Department of Sociology Social theory; Sociology and social studies of health, health systems and health care; Sociological Theory; Youth Suicide; Sociology of Emotion; Culture; Medical/Mental Health; Institutions/Organizations
Adriasola Munoz, Ignacio Alberto Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory investigates responses by artists and intellectuals to the crisis of aesthetic and political representation triggered by the failed protests against the US-Japan Security Treaty of 1960, and in particular their reliance on depictions of the sexual and geographical margins in their articulation of an aesthetics of political disaffection.
Afsahi, Afsoun Department of Political Science Democratic theory and practice, Gender in politics, Challenges, opportunities, and best methods of inclusion, Representation of marginalized communities in democratic decision-making processes
Ahmed, Rumee Department of Asian Studies Islamic studies; Human rights, justice, and ethical issues; Islam; Muslims; Religion; Law; Theology; ethics; Philosophy
Akinwole, Tolulope Department of English Language and Literatures
Al-Kassim, Dina Department of English Language and Literatures Critical identity, ethnic and race studies; English language; Gender, sexuality and education; Human rights, justice, and ethical issues; anti-colonial; Artistic and Literary Movements, Schools and Styles; Artistic and Literary Theories; Arts and Cultural Traditions; Arts, Literature and Subjectivity; comparative literature: Arabic, English, French; feminist; Gender Relationship; Identity and Transnationality; Philosophy, History and Comparative Studies; postcolonial; psychoanalysis; queer theory; sexuality; Subjectivity
Al-Solaylee, Kamal School of Journalism, Writing, and Media Literary nonfiction, Race and representation, Migration studies
Alaica, Aleksa Department of Anthropology Other agricultural sciences; Archaeology; human-animal interactions; Moche Perceptions and Use of Animals; Food Security and Interregional Interaction during Wari State Expansion; Colonization, Diet and Animal Management
Alden, Lynn Department of Psychology Cognitive processes in the anxiety disorders, Social Anxiety Disorder, adult-onset Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, cognitive-behavior therapy
Alford-Duguid, Dominic Department of Philosophy Philosophy; Philosophy of mind/cognitive science; Philosophy of Language
Alvarez Moreno, Raul Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies Literary or Artistic Works Analysis; Artistic and Literary Movements, Schools and Styles; Artistic and Literary Theories; Literary or Artistic Work Dissemination or Reception Contexts; Language, Knowledge, Significance and Thought Building; Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literature and Culture (Celestina, picaresque novel, short story); Economy and Medieval Literature and Culture; Visual Culture in Medieval and Early Modern Spain; Relations between Language and Ideology; travel writing
Amijee, Fatema Department of Philosophy Metaphysics; Modern Philosophy; feminist philosophy; History of Analytic Philosophy
An, Ji-yoon Department of Asian Studies Korean cinema, K-drama, Rise of Hallyu, Diasporic cinema, Diasporic identity, Identity and cultural flows, Monsters of different cultures
Anderson, Scott Allen Department of Philosophy intersection of ethics and social and political philosophy, largely focused on how to use and regulate power, coercion, and social norms; action theory and moral psychology, privacy, and problems related to the intensification of technology and information.
Anderson, L. Mark School of Music Piano, Piano Pedagogy
Anderson, Siwan Vancouver School of Economics Micro-level institutions, role of gender, studies of rural governments
Anger, Suzy Department of English Language and Literatures Victorian Literature, Literature and Philosophy, Victorian Literature and Psychology, Victorian Literature and Science, Hermeneutics
Antwi, Phanuel Department of English Language and Literatures critical black studies; settler colonial studies; black Atlantic and diaspora studies; Canadian literature and culture since 1830; critical race, gender, and sexuality studies; and material cultures;
Arefin, Mohammed Department of Geography Human geography; History of sciences and technology (except medicine and health care); urban geography; discard studies; urban political ecology; Environmental justice; waste; sanitation; geographical political economy
Arneil, Barbara Department of Political Science Identity politics, history of political thought
Averill, Gage Haitian music, barbershop harmony, sound, music and power, music and politics, Caribbean music, steelband, ethnomusicology, world music, Ethnomusicology, Haiti, Haitian diaspora, American Popular Culture, Trinidad and Tobago, and Traditional Irish Music
Ayan, Irem Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies French language; Sociology of translation and interpreting; Gender and work exploitation; Emotional labour and work alienation; Fictional representations of translators and interpreters
Ayars, Alisabeth Department of Philosophy Ethics, Metaethics, Metaphysics, Moral Psychology, Epistemology, Cognitive Science

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Recent Publications

This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Arts.

 

Publication: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
UBC Author(s): Hannah Kia (Social Work / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 6
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics
UBC Author(s): Ramana Mani (School of Public Policy / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 01777971
Volume: 136
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Research in Personality
UBC Author(s): Eric Kim (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00926566
Volume: 113
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
UBC Author(s): Hannah Kia (Social Work / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 6
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Scientific Reports
UBC Author(s): Luke Clark (Psychology / Faculty of Arts), Jason Rights (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 14
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Nature Communications
UBC Author(s): Andrew Jorgenson (Sociology / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 15
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Nature Communications
UBC Author(s): Kathryn McConnell (Sociology / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 15
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Scientific Reports
UBC Author(s): Ramana Mani (School of Public Policy / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 14
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Canadian Theatre Review
UBC Author(s): Keren Zaiontz (Theatre and Film / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 03150836
Volume: 197
Page Range: 25-31
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Health Research Policy and Systems
UBC Author(s): Veena Sriram (School of Public Policy / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 22
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: BMC Health Services Research
UBC Author(s): Connor Kerns (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 24
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Nature Communications
UBC Author(s): Tarun Khanna (School of Public Policy / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 15
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Communications Earth and Environment
UBC Author(s): Michele Koppes (Geography / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 5
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Scientific Reports
UBC Author(s): Camilla Speller (Anthropology / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 14
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Philosophy of the Social Sciences
UBC Author(s): Seth Abrutyn (Sociology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00483931
Volume: 54
Page Range: 516-540
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: NPJ Ocean Sustainability
UBC Author(s): Jessica Dempsey (Geography / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 3
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Child Abuse and Neglect
UBC Author(s): Joelle LeMoult (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 01452134
Volume: 158
Publication Date: December 2024

View Publication
Publication: Literature in Late Monolingualism: Literacies for the Linguacene
UBC Author(s): David Gramling (Central, Eastern & Northern European Studies / Faculty of Arts)
Page Range: 1-230
Publication Date: 14 November 2024

View Publication
Publication: Psychoneuroendocrinology
UBC Author(s): Joelle LeMoult (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 03064530
Volume: 169
Publication Date: November 2024

View Publication
Publication: American Journal of Public Health
UBC Author(s): Neda Maghbouleh (Sociology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00900036
Volume: 114
Page Range: 1158-1160
Publication Date: November 2024

View Publication
Publication: International Journal of Drug Policy
UBC Author(s): Hannah Kia (Social Work / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 09553959
Volume: 133
Publication Date: November 2024

View Publication
Publication: Social Science and Medicine
UBC Author(s): Hannah Kia (Social Work / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 02779536
Volume: 360
Publication Date: November 2024

View Publication
Publication: Obesity Reviews
UBC Author(s): Gerry Veenstra (Sociology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 14677881
Volume: 25
Publication Date: November 2024

View Publication

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Recent Thesis Submissions

Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
Year Citation Program
2024 Dr. Albuquerque investigates topics in the field of the economics of crime and violence, focusing on Latin America and its recent history. The studies that compose his dissertation highlight the interplay between historical events, trust, state capacity, cultural diversity, and political structures in determining the levels of violence and crime. Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Diwan studied how and why audiences in India watch video streaming media. Her work shows the role of factors like language, geolocation, fandom etc. in digital viewership practices. By theorizing this set of audience behavior, she developed the concept of the interactive viewer to advance the understanding of digital audiences in Media Studies. Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD)
2024 Dr. Burge studied how relationality plays a role in the revitalization of Lingít, an Indigenous language spoken in the Pacific Northwest. Her work reflects on ideas of gender, identity, organizational structures and academia, and how the intersection of those themes speaks to the active fight to reclaim Lingít as a language, and as a community. Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Deberdt addressed the unequal nature of green transition supply chains through the example of cobalt from the Congo. His dissertation demonstrates the greenwashing at stake in the fight against climate change and the more or less unintended human rights abuses of these processes. Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD)
2024 For her doctoral work, Dr. Bok studied on a global scale the people who think they are capable of providing cities with solutions. Her research found that many of these "solutions" remained unproven and unevaluated, often tangential to what cities really need. It might be of interest to people who work in the area of municipal policy. Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)
2024 How do actors protect their wellbeing, nurture their creativity, and cultivate an ensemble so supportive it embraces its audience? Dr. Fogal studied the theatre training of her four primary mentors including her father Dean Fogal. Preserving their oral traditions through text and film, she illuminates the deeply relational nature of their techniques. Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre (PhD)
2024 Dr. Chew examined how ethnic identity affects different types of political attitudes and behaviour in Myanmar and Singapore. She found that its effects are conditioned by institutions and the interests that they generate. Her findings have implications for policymaking in ethnically diverse societies. Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD)
2024 Dr. Manuel's research proposed a literary theory centered in the land and in the relations-based practices of the Syilx Okanagan people. The theory imagines new and dynamic methods of engaging with Indigenous literature beyond its textual form to also include stories told through the land, the body, and through dreams. Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD)
2024 Dr. Payne created a novel auto-classification process that leverages a record's context, not just its content, to improve classification accuracy. His research in artificial intelligence, context, and computational archival science, will help organizations around the world more effectively classify, organize and activate data and information. Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD)
2024 Dr. Possnig studied how algorithmic learning by firms affects prices. He showed what kinds of behaviours can be learned by competing algorithms, depending on the market and details of the algorithms. He used this approach to determine when and how collusive behaviours will emerge from algorithmic competition. Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD)

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