Qualitative Gender/Sexuality Sociology Programs

[MSilves]

Hi everyone, 

 

I am planning on applying to sociology Phd programs in the next few years, and I want to study gender identity, sexuality, and masculinity/femininity using qualitative methodologies. I am having a bit of trouble locating more than a couple programs that have a strong emphasis in these topics - does anyone have any suggestions? It would be much appreciated  

[CozyD]

I'd look for the people publishing work you're interested in and see where they are working.

Some of them may be teaching in social psych or women's/gender/sexuality departments -- if your research focus lines up, you might still want to apply to those programs.

[lkaitlyn]

I have similar interests, though adding in the law/criminology. I've found, as CozyD mentioned, that there are several Gender Studies/Feminist Studies PhD programs out there that might be better suited to these interests than many Sociology PhD programs (particularly if you have a qualitative focus). The ones that are well-known and have good funding include (but are not limited to) Emory, Stony Brook, U of Minnesota, Arizona State, UCSB, U of Arizona, Indiana, UCLA, UW (very different than their quant-focused Soc department), and Rutgers. There are tons more, actually, so you might want to use "gender studies" or "feminist studies" as search terms in the results page to get ideas. I'd look there first; there are few sociology departments I've found that are qualitative and have a large gender focus (though I suppose looking at Berkeley wouldn't hurt, Columbia has many students working on gender stuff that I know personally, and UT Austin has a "gender" specialization option when you apply even though it mixes qualitative/quant methods). Also, Wisconsin has a funded M.A. in Gender Studies that could be a great back-up, and I believe San Jose State offers some funding to M.A. students as well! I hope this helps  — I'm applying next cycle so this is just what I've researched myself as an applicant.

[pistachiomacaron]

Pittsburgh's Sociology program is largely qualitative & has a high number of staff working on gender. That and generally speaking, most soc programs will let you overlap / take courses in or consult with advisor from gender programs if you feel like you prefer sociology to WGS as a whole.