Graduate Studies

Scottish Studies

The University of Guelph is internationally rec­ognized for a distinguished Scottish Studies graduate program. Along with the Department of History, there are several academic units with scholars and students studying Scottish topics in them. Mentoring a strong cohort of inspired leaders sustains a bright future for the Scottish Studies program.   

Learn more about History Graduate Studies. 

Student Research Spotlight!

Brenna is a PhD candidate in Scottish History working with Dr. Susannah Ferreira. Brenna completed her first research trip to Scotland in Spring 2023 with the generous support of the Duncan Campbell Memorial Travel Grant and the Frank Watson Travel Scholarship.

"My SSHRC-funded research project examines the late medieval North Sea trade networks of Orkney and Shetland to better understand how both their Norse cultural heritage and contact with Scotland—represented by their economic links—informed the unique social and cultural identity of the islands. My research focuses on the exchange of parchment and incorporates an interdisciplinary methodology that combines close study of documentary records, like Scotland's exchequer rolls, with genetic analysis of animal DNA retrieved from parchment charters. My work contributes to and draws on the University of Guelph’s established expertise in both Scottish history and animal genetics to inform persistent questions of national identity in the Northern Isles." Brenna Clark

^{Pictured: Brenna Clark © Brenna Clark, 2022}

Katherine is a PhD candidate in Scottish History working with Dr. Cathryn Spence. Since beginning her studies in Fall 2022, Katherine has been instrumental in coordinating, along with fellow PhD History students a new lecture series - the Scottish Research Circle, to highlight a blend of senior and emerging scholars in a variety of topics related to the history of Scotland.

“I chose to pursue my PhD at the University of Guelph because the reputation of the Scottish Studies program speaks for itself. I’m humbled to be working and learning with colleagues of this caliber. My research focuses on the Scottish Wars of Independence and the elements of gender present throughout contemporary tellings as well as through epic poems. I hope to highlight how women were not only passive bystanders but actively willing and involved in times of violence within the range of their own autonomy. Women are seen through their familial connections to elite men or working women on campaign. While typically left out of historical narratives, they had a place and purpose. Further I hope to address medieval masculinity and the standards placed on men during this era and specifically in times of conflict.” Katherine Foran

^{Pictured: Katherine Foran © Katherine Foran, 2022}

Sasha is a Scottish History MA student working with Dr. Cathryn Spence. In Fall 2023, Sasha was the recipient of the Edward Stewart Scholarship in Scottish Studies, which recognizes graduate students in the field of Scottish Studies who have achieved high academic standing. 

“My Master’s thesis explores how men reacted to hair loss in eighteenth-century Britain. I explore the unique sociocultural and sociomedical understandings of hair loss as represented in a variety of medical and lay sources including chapbooks, newspaper advertisements, domestic and commercial medical texts, and ego documents. I am fortunate to conduct my research at the University of Guelph because of its extensive Scottish Studies Collection. The Collection supports my research by providing a vast array of prescriptive and descriptive sources that help piece together the tripartite relationship between aging, masculinity, and hair loss. While my thesis takes root in England, the importance of Scotland – especially Edinburgh – as a medical epicenter is insurmountable and plays a key role in understanding the symbolism of men’s hair lines in the eighteenth century.” Sasha Jones

^{Pictured: Sasha Jones © sasha Jones, 2024}