/College of Arts and Sciences
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

WGSS PhD Program

 

WGSS PhD Program Overview

 

The PhD program in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Stony Brook creates a space within the academy for critical thinking across disciplines about the explanatory categories of gender, race, nation, class, disability, and sexuality. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies examines how these categories emerge and operate across diverse cultures and historical periods, and how they influence social, political, economic, and institutional structures, as well as personal experiences in the world. 

The program is particularly strong in the following areas:

  • Black & Women of Color Feminisms
  • Critical Disability Studies
  • Feminist Media Studies
  • Political Thought, Social Justice & Policy
  • Race & Ethnic Studies
  • Queer & Trans Studies
  • Transnational Feminisms

Students benefit from mentorship by WGSS core faculty and an interdisciplinary network of affiliated faculty across the social sciences, humanities, and health sciences. Stony Brook WGSS PhD Graduates have gone on to accept positions at teaching-centered colleges and research universities, and others outside of the academy at UX research firms, policy institutes, and other community-based and non-governmental organizations. 

 

WGSS Graduate Student Handbook

Please review our WGSS Graduate Student Handbook for in-depth information on program requirements, policies, and procedures.

 

Requirements

  • WST 600: Feminist Interdisciplinary Histories and Methods (Offered in Spring)                                  
  • WST 601: Feminist Theories (Offered in Fall)                                                                  
  • WST 680: Proseminar: Navigating Graduate School and Beyond (Offered Fall)  
  • WST 698: Practicing WGSS/Teaching Practicum (Offered Spring)  

  • WGSS 600 Level Electives (9 credits/ 3 courses)
  • Additional Electives (27 credits/9 courses)

One of the most significant milestones in the WGSS PhD program is the Comprehensive Exam. The Comprehensive Exam is designed for you to show that you have the historical, theoretical,  and methodological foundations needed to undertake doctoral research. The exam process is intricately connected to your dissertation project and serves as a launching pad for the dissertation. 

The dissertation represents the culmination of your doctoral study and must be an original contribution to the scholarship in your field(s) of expertise. The form of the dissertation is determined by the candidate in consultation with their committee members. A traditional dissertation is approximately 200 pages, double-spaced, and written in standard academic prose.  However, the dissertation could also take the form of a book manuscript, a series of journal articles, or a multimodal project that combines academic prose with images or other forms of artistic expression. Thus, the length will vary based on the style of the dissertation. 

Teaching is a vital component of graduate education. This is especially true within the field of  Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. As such, our graduate program emphasizes the importance of becoming familiar with feminist pedagogical approaches and gaining formal teaching experience in WGSS. 

Students accepted into the PhD program are often offered a four-year Teaching Assistantship.  You must be enrolled as a full-time student to remain eligible for this assistantship, and the continuation of this funding hinges on your remaining in “good standing” in your academic progress and satisfactorily completing your teaching duties.  

Upon admission to the PhD or MA program, your default advisor is the Graduate Program  Director. You will meet with the Graduate Program Director shortly before your first semester begins to discuss your coursework plans for the year and to talk about your larger goals for graduate study. You will need to select and formally designate a WGSS Core Faculty member to serve as your Primary Advisor by the end of your second year. Your advisor/mentor will guide you through all stages of your PhD. 

 

Five-Year Plan to Completion

 Fall

  • WST 601
  • WST 680
  • Elective

Spring

  • WST 600
  • WST 698 
  • Elective

Milestones

  • Settle in to Grad School
  • Identify Potential  Advisor and Mentors

Fall 

  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective

Spring

  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective or WST 690/696

Milestones

  • Complete Seminars and coursework
  • Select Primary Advisor 

Comprehensive Exam Preparation

  • Assemble Committee
  • Compile Reading List 

Fall

  • WST 610
  • WST 690/696
  • WST 690/696

Spring

  • WST 690/696
  • WST 696
  • WST 696

Milestones

  • Fall: Study for Exam and Draft Prospectus 
  • Spring: Take Exam and "Defend" Prospectus 

Fall

  • WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)

Spring

  • WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)

Milestones

  • Dissertation Research and Writing 

Fall

  • WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)

Spring

  • WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)

Milestones

  • Defend Dissertation 

 

Quicklinks

 

 

WGSS Graduate Contacts

 

Angela Jones

Charles Edwards