Academic Transgressions I: Masters Tools in the Master’s House? The Good, Bad and Ugly of Earning a WGS PhD

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

At last year’s NWSA conference, former Women’s and Gender Studies (“WGS”) PhD students discussed their transition to life as junior faculty members in WGS or related programs. This year, our roundtable continues this conversation by turning a critical lens on the WGS graduate programs that are producing these scholars. We ask: What are the expectations and experiences of students in these programs? Of what import is the notion of “employability,” particularly when WGS programs lack a realistic professional development component? How has our feminist training shaped us as instructors, researchers and social justice advocates in and outside the academy?

Sub Unit

• General Conference / Theme 5: Creating Justice

Moderators

• Kimberly A. Williams, Mount Royal University

• Bianca Laureano, The LatiNegr@s Project

Presenters

• Sarah Tillery, Portland Community College

• Stacia Kock, Illinois State University

• Ryan Shanahan, Vera Institute of Justice