SCOTTISH STUDIES OFFICE
Melissa Turner
In August 2021, the Centre for Scottish Studies welcomed Melissa Turner as the new office administrator. Melissa has worked in post-secondary education for over twenty years and has spent the last twelve at the University of Guelph in various student services and administrative positions. Melissa works closely with the Scottish Studies Foundation Chair, faculty, students, and partners to support the smooth operation of the Centre. In her role as office administrator, Melissa coordinates the Centre's communications, events and special initiatives, including collaborations with the Scottish Affairs for Canada office.
The Interdepartmental Group in Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph was established in 1967 by Professor Stanford Reid to co-ordinate graduate studies in the history, literature and culture of Scotland and Scottish settlements in Canada. From these beginnings it has expanded to offer undergraduate courses and a Master of Arts in several disciplines, and a PhD program in history. The degree in History is offered through Guelph's involvement in the Tri-University Doctoral Program, which operates in concert with the history departments of the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.
At present, special emphasis is on Scottish history from the 14th to the early 20th century, Scottish migrations and settlement in Canada, and Scottish and Scottish-Canadian literature. Faculty's research areas and areas of interest include: medieval and early modern history; literary tradition in the 19th and 20th centuries; Scottish-Canadian and migrant literature; the literature of Renaissance Scotland; political and social history of the 18th to the early 20th century; women in medieval and modern Scotland; patterns of settlement in Canada, particularly Ontario; and nationalism and literature.
In addition to the resources represented by faculty members in Scottish Studies, the library and archives at the University of Guelph is home to the largest collection of Scottish and Scots-Canadian material outside of Scotland. Consisting of both manuscript and printed sources, this collection covers a broad range of documents from the fourteenth century through to the nineteenth century.
As well as the graduate and undergraduate courses offered on-campus, the program also offers courses through distance education and the Office of Open Learning. These courses are designed to extend the opportunity to explore Scottish and Scots-Canadian history to those not in the immediate vicinity of Guelph.
For more information on the Scottish Studies program at the University of Guelph, including faculty and student contacts and research interests, collections material, web-based resources, graduate and undergraduate programs, courses and upcoming conferences, visit
http://www.uoguelph.ca/scottish or contact the Scottish Studies Office:
Scottish Studies Office
MacKinnon Building, Room MCKN 1008
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
N1G 2W1
Tel: 519-824-4120 ext 53209
Email: scottish@uoguelph.ca
