Seeking: PhD programs for trans studies

[bumbleblu]

Hi folks. I'm popping by to see if anyone has ideas about PhD programs/schools/professors I ought to check out based on my interests.

I have a B.A. and M.A. in English lit, but was encouraged by my thesis committee to look into WGSS programs in addition to/instead of literature programs (last application cycle was extremely dismal). While I have bookmarked a few programs (UC Irvine Culture and Theory, UCSC Feminist Studies, e.g.), I'm sure I'm overlooking many. Here are some things that I will probably pursue in future work:

• Autobiography/memoir
• Philosophies of perception, esp. phenomenology
• Transgender studies

It's this last that I'm especially curious about; it's easy to find profs who are interested in feminist/gender/sexuality/etc. studies, but if I could find someone/where that could support specifically trans studies, that would be ace.

Any thoughts off the top of your head?

[CulturalCriminal]

I can't say I know of a specific program that is geared towards Trans* studies, but I feel like scouring faculty bios for interests that go beyond cis-gendered language would be a good way to find a program with a strong fit. Even an interest in Queer Bodies would be a good starting place to look for with faculty bios, and I feel like I have seen that phrase on quite a few faculty pages.

Edited August 31, 2017 by CulturalCriminal

[bumbleblu]

I've definitely been doing this, and have found more than one faculty bio using gender neutral pronouns, or at least faculty who list their preferred pronouns. Thanks for the tips!

[Karou]

Off the top of my head: if you haven't already, I think Jack Halberstam at USC might be a good person for you to look at. I've read some of his work and really like his style (I'm using masculine pronouns as he now goes mostly by Jack but he has stated that he accepts both feminine or masculine pronouns). I haven't read any of his  work in terms of transgender studies, with the exception of the article in which he discusses his pronoun preferences, but have read some of his work on gender norms and such, and greatly enjoyed it. 

https://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/faculty-and-staff/faculty.cfm?pid=1003321

[bumbleblu]

Of course! I had forgotten to add him to my list. I'm sort of familiar with his work, so I'm surprised I'd forgotten about him. Thank you!

[feminismismism]

Halberstam is no longer at USC- just accepted a position at Columbia in the English/Comp Lit dept. 

If you take a look at graduate student profiles, you'll see that pretty much all WGSS programs can and do support projects on trans studies, but it depends on the project. Among WGSS programs, I think Arizona is usually regarded as the strongest in trans studies. UA hired a cluster of Assistant Profs in the field a few years ago. As well as Susan Stryker, Eva Hayward and Francisco Galarte are in the GWS program at UA. Amanda Lock-Swarr works on sex, gender, trans studies in a South African context. She's at UW. Kadji Amin's working on a book on the history of transsexual science. He's at Emory. Marcia Ochoa is at UCSC. If you are looking outside of the U.S., Bobby Noble is at York. 

[Karou]

Oh, you're right, he is at Columbia now! I had no idea, apologies. He was still at USC when I encountered his work, and apparently they're not big on updating faculty profiles over there.

[bumbleblu]

Thanks for the leads, feminismismism! And for the update on Halberstam's whereabouts.

[feminismismism]

No problem! Also, to clarify, the above mentioned folks write very specifically about trans people/histories, but there are definitely many more WGSS faculty for whom trans studies influences the way that they think about queer studies (e.g. Jen Tyburczy at UCSB, Alexis Lothian at UMD, Liz Montegary at Stony Brook, etc etc etc). If you want to apply WGSS programs, I'd recommend just taking a quick look at all of them. Of course, one of the tricks of applying to an interdisciplinary program rather than a traditional discipline (like English) is that you'll also need to think about method/(inter)disciplinary training- rather than just topic/area of interest.   

[rising_star]

I saw a job ad today for someone specializing in Trans Studies so there must be programs/people out there... Good luck, OP!

[bumbleblu]

feminismismism, that list is exactly what I needed. THANK YOU

 

11 hours ago, rising_star said:

I saw a job ad today for someone specializing in Trans Studies so there must be programs/people out there... Good luck, OP!

That is very heartening!! Thanks

[Adelaide9216]

I believe that feminist studies that integrate an intersectional approach to coursework and program would maybe be a good fit for you.

[Sigaba]

On 8/30/2017 at 3:43 AM, bumbleblu said:

Hi folks. I'm popping by to see if anyone has ideas about PhD programs/schools/professors I ought to check out based on my interests.

[....]

Any thoughts off the top of your head?

Please keep in mind that some programs may allow you to have a dissertation committee member from a different department, even another institution as well as take courses at nearby schools.