Recent grad receives prestigious SSHRC award

Sam Boer ’17 is one of a third of applicants in a pool of 4,400 to earn the highly sought SSHRC award. This scholarship will fund his Master’s at Ryerson University. He will study Literatures of Modernity for his MA and will examine depictions of sexuality in contemporary graphic narratives for his SSHRC research.

The SSHRC award promotes and supports post-secondary research and training in both the humanities and social sciences. SSHRC strategically supports world-leading initiatives that reflect a commitment to ensuring a better future for Canada and the world.

Sam Boer graduated from King’s in June, 2017 with an honors specialization in English and a minor in Music.  "I am profoundly grateful to have received this award. We are so fortunate to live in a part of the world with great scholarly funding, and to have my research ideas acknowledged by such a significant entity as SSRCH is inspiring. The English faculty at King's (so many encouraging professors!), my the Foundations in the Humanities program in my first year, and my work with King's University College Student Council have provided me with the research skills, academic inspiration, and enthusiasm for collaboration that will serve me wonderfully at Ryerson," said Boer.

This young researcher was named a Highly Commended Entrant in the Literature category at the Undergraduate Awards in 2017. His paper was entitled  "The Sounds of Violence: Textualized Sound in Frank Miller's 'Sin City' and 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns."

Boer wrote this paper as his final assignment for ENG 3665E: The Graphic Novel, taught by  Dr. Selma Purac. "In his insightful paper, Sam analyzes the complex ways in which Miller visualizes sound in his work and addresses an aspect of Miller's work that is deeply important and yet often overlooked, thereby making a unique contribution to the field of comics studies," says Dr. Purac. "Being recognized by the Undergraduate Awards has inspired me to continue exploring and researching visual works outside of my undergrad and, hopefully, in the future as part of a master's program. I am so grateful to my graphic novels professor, Selma Purac, for her support and belief in this paper, and King's for its openness and innovation as an institution," says Boer.

Boer is one of a dozen King’s English graduates (so far) who have been accepted into graduate and professional programs beginning this fall.  “A number of our students have gone on to MA, PhD, and professional programs at schools such as the University of Toronto, Queen's, McGill, Western, and the University of St Andrews in Scotland. The English Program at King's prepares them well for the rigours of advanced research. Our professors are keen to mentor students who have the ambition and curiosity it takes to study beyond the undergraduate degree, and we always have students who are up for this kind of challenge," says Dr.  Krista Lysack, Associate Professor of English and Chair of Department of English, French, and Writing.