PhD Program

Program Overview

The Feminist Studies Ph.D. program at UC Santa Cruz offers an interdisciplinary approach to studying gender, power, and social relations. It trains scholars and teachers while preparing students for careers in public policy, human rights research, and advocacy. The program emphasizes feminist modes of inquiry and problem-based research methodologies, fostering intellectual and social transformation. Students benefit from collaboration with diverse departments and research centers, exploring areas such as social justice, sexuality studies, and critical race theory.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Feminist Studies Ph.D. program at UC Santa Cruz offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary approach to studying gender, power, justice, and social relations. The program is designed to train scholars and teachers while also preparing students for careers in public policy, human rights research, and advocacy. It encourages students to challenge existing disciplinary boundaries and reconsider the relationships between knowledge, power, and expertise. The program emphasizes feminist modes of inquiry that can restructure both theoretical and practical models.

Objectives:

The program has two main objectives:

To train scholars and teachers:

The program provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in academic careers.

To serve the needs of professionals:

The program also prepares students for careers in public policy, human rights research, and advocacy.

Program Description:

• The program is designed to attract students with diverse career goals who will benefit from collaboration in a vibrant intellectual environment.
• Students engage in problem-based research methodologies that go beyond conventional notions of international and comparative studies.
• The program emphasizes epistemology alongside problem-based research areas that foster both intellectual and social transformation.
• The program maintains close relationships with various departments across the university, including Anthropology, Art, History, History of Art and Visual Culture, History of Consciousness, Latin American and Latino Studies, Literature, Politics, Psychology, and Sociology.
• It is also closely affiliated with the Critical Race & Ethnic Studies program (CRES) and the Science and Justice Research Center (SJRC), which provides a platform for interdisciplinary scholarship bridging diverse fields.

Careers:

The program prepares students for a range of career paths, including:

• Academic positions: The program trains scholars and teachers, preparing them for university positions.
• Public policy: The program equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to work in policy analysis and development.
• Human rights research and advocacy: The program provides students with the tools to conduct research and advocate for human rights.

Other:

• The program is a collaborative, cross-divisional enterprise with its inaugural cohort starting in Fall 2013.
• The program currently enrolls approximately 20 students.
• The Ph.D. curriculum focuses on producing new knowledge clustered around larger epistemological, methodological, and conceptual issues or problems.
• Students typically complete most coursework within the first two years, including three required courses on Feminist Theories, Feminist Methodologies, and Disciplining Knowledge.
• The third year focuses on preparing problem-based research areas and dissertation prospectuses.
• The Ph.D.
Qualifying Examination is typically taken in the third or fourth year, and students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language.
• The normative time to complete the degree is six years.
• The program offers a range of areas of study including Social Justice, Sexuality Studies, Postcolonial Theory, Transnational Feminism, Science & Technology Studies, Critical Race Theory, Feminist Critical Race Studies, Film Studies, Cultural Studies, Transgender Studies, Critical Prison Studies, and Post-Socialism.