The Academic Program
Minor Fields of Study: Gender History
Ph.D. Students may complete an Inside Departmental Minor in Gender History. M.A. students may specialized in Gender History, but we offer no separate degree option at the M.A. level.
Course Requirements
The History Department approved the minor field in Gender History in 2003,
establishing the department’s first cross-sectional, topical, minor
field. The new rules governing the Departmental Minor Fields (established
in 2006) largely match or exceed the previous guidelines for Gender History. Wherever
possible students should take at least one graduate seminar concentrating
on a geographic area outside of the major field.
Qualifying Exam
As is the case with the other minor fields, students select a faculty member
to represent the minor field and serve on the student’s supervisory
committee. The chair of the supervisory committee (i.e. the student’s
dissertation director) may not serve in the additional role of supervisor
of the minor field.
In preparation for the qualifying examination, the student should meet with the minor field advisor to prepare a reading list, upon which s/he will be examined. That list, which is generally organized in four or five topical sections, usually consists of roughly 50 to 60 titles. The reading lists are tailored to the student’s individual interests while also ensuring a breadth of reading beyond the student’s more narrowly defined research field. As with all Departmental Minor Fields, at least half of the titles must focus on a geographic area outside of the student’s major field (these could include theoretical works that do not have a clear geographic focus).
