Canadian Immigration Updates

Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more

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
Bergmann, Luke Department of Geography Social and economic geography; Geomatics; Globalization
Berryman, Sylvia Department of Philosophy Philosophy; Ancient Greek natural philosophy; Aristotle's ethics; Philosophy, History and Comparative Studies
Biesanz, Jeremy Department of Psychology personality, Personality, interpersonal perception, accuracy, personality coherence, quantitative methods
Birch, Susan Department of Psychology Social perspective taking, social learning, social cognition, imitation, nonverbal behavior, confidence, communication, decision-making, impression formation, child development My primary area of expertise is the study of children and adults’ social perspective taking abilities (i.e., their abilities to reason about other peoples’ mental states–their intentions, knowledge, and beliefs) and how their abilities to take another person’s perspective impacts how they form impressions of others, learn from others, communicate with others, and informs a range of socials. Of particular interest is a) how children make inferences about what is credible information to learn (e.g., how they decide whether someone is a credible source of information based on how confident that person seems) and b) how a widespread bias in perspective taking referred to as ‘the curse of knowledge bias’ (a difficulty reasoning about a more naive perspective as the result of being biased by one’s current knowledge) can impair communication (both written and in person) and decision-making across a range of fields (politics, law, education, economics, medicine, etc.)., Development of language, learning, and social understanding in infants and children
Blackburn, Carole Department of Anthropology relationship between Indigenous peoples and settler states; how Indigenous nations assert their rights and sovereignty in struggles over land and political recognition, and the consequences for Indigenous people of engaging states in legal and political arenas.
Bloch, Alexia Department of Anthropology Social sciences; migration; Gender; Eurasia; Russia; ethnography
Bloemraad, Irene Department of Political Science Political science; Sociology; migration & mobilities - politics, law, social movements; immigrants and refugees - integration & incorporation; comparative research design & mixed methods
Boccassini, Daniela Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies Italian Verbal and visual arts, mediterranean cultural exchanges
Bochnak, Ryan Department of Linguistics Linguistics; Semantics; linguistic fieldwork
Booker, Courtney Department of History Early medieval europe, histiography, rhetoric, narrative, hermeneutics, literary and textual critcism, latin philology, codicology, transmission of texts, and intertextuality, drama and performativity, politcal theology and l'augustinisme politique, medievalism
Borwein, Sophie Department of Political Science intersection of political economy, political behaviour, and public policy
Bostanci, Gorkem Vancouver School of Economics Macroeconomics (including monetary and fiscal theory); Industry economics and industrial organization; Firm Dynamics; Input Allocation and Productivity; Labor Demand; intellectual property
Bouchard, Marie-Eve Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies Humanities and the arts; Sociolinguistics; Linguistic Anthropology; ethnography; language ideologies; Language and identity; migration; Language variation and change; Language contact; Creole languages
Bourges, Antoine Department of Theatre & Film Film Production
Bowers, Katherine Department of Central, Eastern & Northern European Studies Literature and literary studies; Arts, Literature and Subjectivity; Arts and Cultural Traditions; Arts and Technologies; Arts and Literary Policies; Dostoevsky; genre; gothic fiction; imagined geography; literary culture; narrative; Russian culture; Russian literature; the novel
Brain, Robert Department of History History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Modern European Cultural and Intellectual History
Bratiotis, Christiana School of Social Work Social work; interventions in the context of hoarding; organizational processes involved in hoarding task forces; service utilization
Briggs, Marlene Department of English Language and Literatures war and conflict; cultural transmission and reception of the First World War (1914-1918) in modern and contemporary British literature
Britton, Dennis Department of English Language and Literatures early modern English literature; history of race; Critical Race Theory; Protestant theology; history of emotion
Brown, William Department of Theatre & Film film-philosophy, digital media, posthumanism, critical race theory
Brownlee, Kimberley Department of Philosophy Philosophy; Applied Ethics; Ethics and Fundamental Issues of Law and Justice; Ethics and Health; Human Rights and Liberties, Collective Rights; Social Aspects of Aging; Belonging; Civil Disobedience and Conscientious Objection; Loneliness; Philosophy of Punishment; Social Human Rights; Virtues and Vices
Bryce, Benjamin Department of History Historical studies; Argentina; Canada; Education; health; migration; Race and ethnicity; The Americas; Transnational history
Bullard, Julia School of Information Organization of information and knowledge resources; Library science and information studies; classification systems; subject indexing; Cultural Institutions (Museums, Libraries, etc.); Information Systems; metadata
Burgess, Miranda Department of English Language and Literatures English language; Arts, Literature and Subjectivity; British and Irish Romanticism; history of feeling (affect, emotion, sensation); history of literary form; history of media and mediation; poetics; riparian and oceanic studies
Byers, Michael Department of Political Science International relations; Public international law (except international trade law); international law; international relations; Outer Space; Arctic; Law of the Sea; Laws of War; International Human Rights; International Environmental Law

Pages

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: Asian Survey
UBC Author(s): Julian Dierkes (School of Public Policy / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00044687
Volume: 65
Page Range: 348-358
Publication Date: 1 April 2025

View Publication
Publication: PLoS ONE
UBC Author(s): Jessica Tracy (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Current Directions in Psychological Science
UBC Author(s): Mark Schaller (Psychology / Faculty of Arts), Ara Norenzayan (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 09637214
Volume: 34
Page Range: 97-104
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Nature Neuroscience
UBC Author(s): Kalina Christoff (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 10976256
Volume: 28
Page Range: 689-693
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
UBC Author(s): Joan Ongchoco (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00278424
Volume: 122
Publication Date: 1 April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
UBC Author(s): Noah Silverberg (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00039993
Volume: 106
Page Range: 527-536
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Adolescence
UBC Author(s): Grant Charles (Social Work / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 01401971
Volume: 97
Page Range: 758-777
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Autism
UBC Author(s): Connor Kerns (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 13623613
Volume: 29
Page Range: 1058-1071
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
UBC Author(s): Amori Mikami (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 27307166
Volume: 53
Page Range: 443-457
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Social Science and Medicine
UBC Author(s): Veena Sriram (School of Public Policy / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 02779536
Volume: 371
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
UBC Author(s): Sheila Woody (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 22113649
Volume: 45
Publication Date: April 2025

View Publication
Publication: Logomotives: Words That Change the World, 1400-1700
UBC Author(s): Katharina Piechocki (French, Hispanic & Italian Studies / Faculty of Arts)
Page Range: 81-94
Publication Date: 31 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Routledge International Handbook of Visual Research Methods in Anthropology
UBC Author(s): Hannah Turner (School of Information / Faculty of Arts)
Page Range: 245-253
Publication Date: 31 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Geophysical Research Letters
UBC Author(s): Ramana Mani (School of Public Policy / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00948276
Volume: 52
Publication Date: 28 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
UBC Author(s): Marwan Hassan (Geography / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 01979337
Volume: 50
Publication Date: 15 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: A Companion to the Translation of Classical Epic
UBC Author(s): Siobhan McElduff (Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies / Faculty of Arts)
Page Range: 77-93
Publication Date: 10 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Internationalization of Higher Education: The Dynamics of Educational Ecology
UBC Author(s): Kurt Huebner (Political Science / Faculty of Arts)
Page Range: 45-52
Publication Date: 7 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Developmental Science
UBC Author(s): Andrew Baron (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 1363755X
Volume: 28
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Population and Environment
UBC Author(s): Ethan Raker (Sociology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 01990039
Volume: 47
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
UBC Author(s): Gerry Veenstra (Sociology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 01674943
Volume: 130
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Geomorphology
UBC Author(s): Marwan Hassan (Geography / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 0169555X
Volume: 472
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Journal of American Culture
UBC Author(s): Nathan Hesselink (Music, School of / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 15427331
Volume: 48
Page Range: 3-22
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Family Process
UBC Author(s): Eric Kim (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 00147370
Volume: 64
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Neurotrauma
UBC Author(s): Noah Silverberg (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 08977151
Volume: 42
Page Range: 391-398
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
Publication: Assessment
UBC Author(s): Elisha Klonsky (Psychology / Faculty of Arts)
ISSN: 10731911
Volume: 32
Page Range: 244-252
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication

Pages

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
2025 Dr. Parsons explored different reassurance-seeking strategies used by people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her research highlights the internet as a key source of reassuring information, which people may prefer when feeling self-conscious about their fears. This work expands theories of reassurance-seeking and may inform treatments for OCD. Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Kim examined Korea’s military reform and exile policies from 1863 to 1894. He found that military service was viewed as a social disgrace and reforms remained deeply rooted in traditional values. His work challenges Eurocentric narratives of military history during this period. Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD)
2025 Dr. Bateman studied how human-animal shapeshifting figures in 21st-century narratives reflect Indigenous American and African diasporic worldviews and resistance. Unlike colonial worldviews, these worldviews value other-than-human beings. Dr. Bateman argues these figures and worldviews resist colonial racist violence and lead to more just futures. Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD)
2025 Dr. Fox’s research examined patterns in the environmental and cultural histories of residential, industrial, and military waste plumes in Washington and British Columbia. Her dissertation offers a model of these patterns for scholars and communities working on pollution, climate change, public health and environmental policy issues. Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
2025 In a longitudinal study, Dr. Drew followed 500 infants’ socio-cognitive development from birth to preschool, to assess whether a mature moral sense can be traced back to rudimentary behaviours exhibited during infancy. Her work contributes to our understanding of individual differences in the earliest stages of moral and social development. Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
2025 Canada’s federal prison system removes and disappears people, despite the stated aims that prisoners can maintain relations across the prison threshold. The practical realities of this are compounding and harmful. By centering lived expert knowledge of those who have survived women’s prison, Dr. McIlveen’s work moves us beyond academic debates that ignore the processes that isolate and perpetuate harm. Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)
2025 Dr. Cotugno examined the relationship between attention and ethics. He argued that the conscious direction of attention can cultivate habits of moral behavior. Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD)
2025 Dr. Engbrecht investigated the role of romance in 20th and 21st century literary formations of gender and sexuality. Combining literary theory and cultural studies, they developed a theoretical model of the “critical-romance” genre to explore queer intimacy and the genderqueer. Their research contributes to studies of gender and sexuality broadly. Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD)
2025 Dr. Turley studied landscape changes following glacier retreat over decades to millennia, focusing on the patterns and variability in sediment supply, transport, and deposition. The amount of sediment leaving a single watershed was shown to vary by over five orders of magnitude, influenced by geology, glacial history, and postglacial adjustment. Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)
2025 Dr. Jensen studied experiment and experience through Georges Bataille’s proposal that "inner experience" constitutes the field of transformation as we struggle for social change. In French the word experience also means experiment. Adjoining Bataille, I argue that the experiment of thinking together contributes to our ability to practice transformation. Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (PhD)

Pages