Feminist Philosophy Graduate Programs

An incomplete, collectively assembled Report

My report on feminist-friendly philosophy programs, as compiled on the SWIP listserve from the contributions of both graduate students and faculty, includes the following.  Feel free to contribute comments and news on a program if you're a student or faculty member.  This report can be found in an older form on the SWIP website, and the APA CSW has its own, somewhat different listing (in an Adobe document).

What follows are, first, general information sources, second, individual institutions that were either recommended overall by grad students and professors, or recommended for housing feminist philosophers even if not described as feminist-supportive, and third, a summary of comments on the state of the situation for feminist women in graduate study.

Informational sites:

1. The Leiter report released in November 2004 does have a list of "feminist philosophy" programs:

http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/breakdown.htm#29

2. A list of the percentage of female faculty (tenured/tenure-track) at 94 doctoral programs, including every department on Leiter's "top-50", maintained by Julie Van Camp – ("a different matter, of course, from feminist philosophy, but worth looking at...Some departments have one notable feminist, but no others. Some department with a decent representation of women don't necessarily have many feminist philosophers." [--JVC])

3. And future sources cometh: From Lisa Tessman, “FEAST (The Association for Feminist Ethics and Social Theory) is in the process of putting together links from the FEAST website <www.afeast.org> to the departments of FEAST members that offer graduate degrees and are feminist friendly.” 

Individual institutions and philosophers

Institutions are listed in two groups.  Group I lists programs which offer a Ph.D. in Philosophy.  Group II lists programs which offer an M.A. in Philosophy or closely related field.  In each group, institutions are listed alphabetically for my own ease of recordkeeping, and their order should not be taken to indicate some sort of rank or reputability. Note that these are informational entries volunteered by students or faculty at the program.  Therefore, they are not exhaustive of all the possibilities, and not unbiased or perfectly informed.  Assume that many of these departments do not explicitly support feminism as a philosophical enterprise, sub-discipline, or critical methodology, unless the notes suggest otherwise. (A * indicates an institution also listed on the APA's CSW report. A ^ indicates an institution also listed on the Philosophical Gourmet site under "Breakdown of Programs by Specialty: Areas Rated by the Advisory Board: Feminist Philosophy," linked below.)  Summary comments are appended below.

Group I: Ph.D.-granting programs

1.  Loyola University, Chicago

Feminist-friendly -- our dept. has a strong emphasis in Continental, ethics -- and some history of phil; we currently have 5 women working in feminist areas (or overlapping areas): Patricia Huntington (cont'l phil., Irigaray), Jennifer Parks (fem ethics), Jackie Scott (Nietzsche& fem'ism, race theory) Heidi Malm (ethics), and me, Julie Ward (Ancient, Beauvoir).  There are also fem friendly male colleagues like Dave Ingram (critical theory) and Dave Schweickart (pol. phil. Marxism).  [Plus, the editor of this list thinks everyone should live in Chicago.  Go Cubs, I think this is your year.]

2.  McGill U.*

Notes: there are presently two philosophers on faculty who do research in or teach feminism: Marguerite Deslauriers (ancient philosophy, feminist political theory) and Alia Al-Saji (French feminism, feminist theory informed/informing race theory).

3.  Michigan State. *

Notes: Amazing strength in feminist philosophy.  Four faculty members do feminist philosophy here: Lisa Schwartzman   ---   political theory sort of stuff

Hilde Lindemann   ---    editor of HYPATIA; ethics, medical ethics, other "applied" ethics

Me (M. Frye)   ---   language, ontology, radical feminism

Judy Andre  ---   ethics, health care, value theory

and two more faculty members are women: Debra Nails (ancient) and Jennifer Susse (metaphysics and philosophy of mind), and both are feminists in their own selves, though not doing feminist philosophy as such.  We also have two people doing race theory, and people in interdisciplinary work related to ecology, health care, biological sciences, food and agriculture, development.  It's a very politically progressive department, with plenty of support for feminist philosophy.  

4.  Northwestern U.

Notes: Penelope Deutscher on faculty

5.  Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (contributed by Christine Overall)

First, the Department has a large proportion of women.  Out of about eighteen permanent, cross-appointed, and adjunct faculty members, eight are women.  Second, a number of us are engaged in feminist philosophy. Feminist philosophy is my main area of specialization.  Others who do some feminist philosophy include Susan Babbitt, Christine Sypnowich, and Jackie Davies.  The Department is very strong in ethics and political philosophy, and most members of the Department are open to and interested in feminist work.

6.  Stanford University (Modern Thought and Literature program)* ^

Notes: MTL is an interdisciplinary PhD program, but it has a strong relationship with philosophy. Described as extremely supportive of feminist graduate work.  Debra Satz and (soon) Helen Longino on staff

7.  5. SUNY- Binghamton University*

There are two separate programs at Binghamton University that grant graduate degrees in Philosophy. 1) The graduate program of the Philosophy department offers an M.A. and a Ph.D. and is a program in Social, Political, Ethical and Legal Philosophy (SPEL). It is very feminist friendly. Faculty doing feminist work include the chair of the department, Bat-Ami Bar On (feminist political philosophy, violence, Arendt), the director of graduate studies, Lisa Tessman (feminist ethics and social thought), and Melissa Zinkin (feminism in the history of philosophy, feminist theory). Other faculty members (Max Pensky, Steve Scalet) are familiar with and supportive of feminist work. Students may also work with other feminist philosophers at the University such as Maria Lugones and Jeffner Allen. Many graduate students study feminist philosophy and write dissertations on feminist topics. Students may also earn a graduate certificate in Feminist Theory alongside their degree in Philosophy. See <http://spel.binghamton.edu/> or contact <ltessman@binghamton.edu>. 2) There is also an autonomous, interdisciplinary program (separate from the Philosophy department) in Philosophy, Interpretation and Culture that is friendly to feminist work. See <http://pic.binghamton.edu/>. (Information contributed by Lisa Tessman, Director of Graduate Studies, Philosophy Department, Binghamton University)

8.  SUNY Stony Brook * ^

Notes: described as definitely feminist friendly.  Two feminist scholars have recently left (Linda Alcoff & Kelly Oliver).  Eva Kittay and Mary Rawlinson are on faculty.  Many of the male professors are both open to and knowledgeable of feminist philosophy—e.g. Eduardo Mendieta & Lorenzo Simpson; Lee Miller directed Susan Bordo's dissertation. 

9.  Syracuse University (contributed by Linda Alcoff) ^

Two feminist philosophers are in the department, Linda Martín Alcoff, who focuses on feminist epistemology, continental philosophy and critical, race theory, and Ishani Maitra, a recent student of Sally Halslanger's who focuses on philosophy of language and also teaches philosophy of law.  Also in the department is Michael Stocker, who has worked on philosophy of the emotions, and other philosophers who are feminist friendly.

10.  University of Alberta*

Notes: Faculty include Cressida Heyes; more recently Karen Houle; until recently Margaret van de Pitte (retired); Janet Wesselius (visiting); and the (pro)feminist political philosopher David Kahane.

11.  University of Connecticut -- Storrs * ^

Faculty members include Diana Tietjens Meyers, who specializes in ethics, feminist theory, and social and political philosophy, and Serena Parekh, who specializes in social and political philosophy, philosophy of human rights, continental philosophy, feminist theory and the history of philosophy, including Hannah Arendt's theory of human rights. The Women's Studies Program offers a Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies, which philosophy PhD students can take to complete an outside field requirement.

12.  U Kentucky (contributed by Joan Callahan)

We list at least eight explicitly committed women-supportive feminist-supportive faculty.

13.  U. of Minnesota* ^

(contributed by Naomi Scheman): Feminist-friendly department with many distinguished alums. Active feminist philosophy graduate student group. Feminist Studies (PhD-granting) graduate program offers graduate Minor: faculty includes philosopher Jacquelyn Zita. Feminist bioethicist Deb DeBruin in Bioethics Center (minor available there as well). Younger ethicists in Phil. Dept. (Sarah Holtman, Valerie Tiberius, and Michelle Mason) all feminist-knowledgeable and feminist-friendly.  The University of Minnesota is one of the departments with the longest record of being supportive of feminist philosophy graduate students (alumnae include Nancy Potter, Peg O'Connor, Amy Hilden, Melissa Burchard, Heidi Grasswick, Anne Phibbs, and Lisa Bergin).  Several students have done or are doing a graduate minor in Feminist Studies in the Women's Studies department, which is where Jacquelyn Zita is.  All grad students have outside members of their dissertation committees and can work with her or with a large number of feminist faculty in a wide range of other departments.  The graduate students in Philosophy are about half women; the current first year class is all women.  Four out of six recent hires were women, three of whom work in ethics (Sarah Holtman: philosophy of law, political philosophy, and Kant; Michelle Mason: moral philosophy and moral psychology; and Valerie Tiberius: moral philosophy and environmental ethics); although none of them specializes in feminist ethics, all of them are sympathetic, interested, and happy to work with graduate students who do. Current graduate students have organized a new seminar (led by the current chair, Doug Lewis, who has been very active in working with feminist graduate students both as a dissertation supervisor and on projects of transformiing and revising the curriculum), at which a number of faculty will discuss the impact of feminism on their own fields (ethics, aesthetics, history of ancient and of modern philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of social science, and epistemology).  Minnesota has a strong Center for Bioethics, with faculty who are members of the Philosophy Graduate faculty, notably Deb DeBruin, who does feminist bioethics, and Carl Elliott, whose work includes issues related to mind and body modification and who has worked with feminist philosophy graduate students interested in, for example, transexual and transgender issues.  (Sadly for us, Helen Longino is moving to Stanford at the end of the 2004-05 academic year, leaving only one specifically feminist philosopher in the Philosophy department, namely me, Naomi Scheman.)

14.  UNC-Chapel Hill (contributed by Jan Boxill)

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, out of 46 graduate

students, 24 are women.  This year 3 of these received their Ph.D.s and

all received tenure-track positions: one to Columbia, one to Michigan

State, and one to Tulane with a joint appointment in Women's Studies.

All three have taught and will likely teach feminism. Fall 2005 incoming class of 8 includes 5 women. Despite the fact that Carolina has only 4 women on the faculty of 18, our graduate students do very well. This is not to say everything is perfect.  We do have a women's brunch once a term to discuss particular issues, and this seems to be a good forum.

15.  University of Oregon

16.  University of Western Ontario * ^

Notes: feminist as department chair (me[Samantha Brennan]) and a feminist philosopher as Dean (Kathleen Okruhlik). Other faculty include Tracy Isaacs (ethics, feminist ethics, collective responsibility), Carolyn McLeod (feminism, moral philosophy, and health care ethics), and Helen Fielding (feminism and phenomenology). We currently have graduate fields in moral, political, and legal philosophy as well as philosophy of science and history of philosophy. We are in the process of having graduate fields in philosophy of mind and language, and feminist philosophy recognized by the Ontario College of Graduate Studies. In the past few years we have been host to conferences of the Canadian Society for Women in Philosophy and the Society for Analytical Feminism. We also hosted an independent conference simply called Feminist Moral Philosophy.

17.  U. of Wisconsin ^

Notes: Claudia Card on faculty, and as it’s a large school, offers a decently sized feminist graduate school community.  [Note: The editor/hostess of this webpage is an alum, and I have biases large and small regarding my own program.  Please feel free to contact me for my subjective experience within the program!]

18.  Washington University (contributed by Marilyn Friedman)* ^

The Philosophy Department includes Marilyn Friedman and Larry May in the philosophy department; May’s done work on masculinity, among other things relevant to feminist philosophy.  Linda Nicholson, in the history department, is also Director of the Women's Studies Program, which offers a graduate certificate in Women's Studies. 

19.  York University (contributed by Lorraine Code) ^

Judy Pelham is chair of the Philosophy Department at York University and under her leadership the department is noticeably becoming a very collegial place to work and study. There is currently a large and active population of female graduate students.

Group II: Programs offering Master’s degrees in philosophy or related field

1. Cal State LA

Notes (submitted by Ann Garry): Philosophy has an MA program only, not a Ph.D program. There is no MA in Women's and Gender Studies (though one can be constructed through a special interdisciplinary masters, and a post-baccalaureate certificate and Women's and Gender Studies is being created in 2005). Feminist-friendly and lgbt-friendly MA programs, with faculty including five women, all of whom are feminists: Sharon Bishop, Talia Bettcher, Jenny Faust, Kayley Vernallis and Ann Garry.  Some of our six men are feminists, too.

2. Cal State University, Chico*

Notes: feminist philosopher on faculty works with students creating an interdisciplinary Master's degree; feminists in Women's Studies program, philosophy, and religious studies and the student can design an interdisciplinary program. There is a great Women's Studies program there with lots of feminists teaching various disciplines (i.e., religious studies, sociology, gender studies).

3. Dalhousie University (Halifax, N.S., Canada) offers M.A. and PhD programs and is very receptive to feminist projects. Faculty members with explicitly feminist research interests include Francoise Baylis (bioethics), Sue Campbell

(philosophy of the emotions, aesthetics, race), Trish Glazebrook (ecofeminism, Heidegger, phil of technology), Letitia Meynell (feminist epistemology, aesthetics, phil of science), and Susan Sherwin (feminist health ethics,ethics, social and political phil.).

4. George Mason University

The new MA in philosophy at George Mason University is well suited for students interested in studying feminist philosophy and examining gender issues in a female friendly philosophy department. The MA program has concentrations in ethics and in the history of philosophy and is also a feeder MA for GMU’s Ph.D. in Cultural Studies. The faculty includes: Debra Bergoffen whose areas of specialization are existentialism, phenomenology, psychoanalytic, and French feminist theory. She

works on questions of the lived body and issues at the intersection of feminist theory epistemology, ethics and politics. Most recently she has focused on questions of gender and justice, especially with reference to human rights. Carol Gould who has

written extensively in feminist philosophy, especially on its implications for democratic community as well as on the idea of embodied politics. Her recent work develops feminist understandings of care, empathy, and solidarity for global democracy and human rights. Rose Cherubin whose areas of research and teaching are ancient Greek philosophy, especially metaphysics, epistemology, political

philosophy and contemporary applications of ancient Greek thought. Her recent work examines the philosophical role of goddesses in Parmenides' poem, and the metaphysics of justice and gender in Aeschylus' Eumenides. The GMU MA program will also work closely with faculty across the university, e.g. in the Public and International Affairs department, with its offerings in feminist theory and women and politics, in the English department, in the Women’s Studies Program, and in the Conflict Resolution program, which offer a range of courses in feminist theory. GMU is a member of the Washington area consortium which gives students access to the

libraries and courses of other universities in the D.C. area.  For more information, please contact tkinnama@gmu.edu.

5.  Union Institute

Notes: a low residency program (accredited Ohio Board of Regents) with many feminist scholars helpful in designing an interdisciplinary program. 

Summary of Comments:

Graduate students in general report that the search for a feminist friendly philosophy program was done in much frustration, especially due to a lack of guiding publications, knowledgeable undergraduate faculty and (relatedly) sometimes a fairly conservative undergraduate department.

The initial report included the now (hurrah!) somewhat outdated comment, “Feminist faculty in several graduate programs report knowing of no source of information on pro-feminist philosophy departments.”  The compilation and publication of relevant information by the APA CSW and by individual feminist philosophers resulted in, among other things, robust discussion on the SWIP listserve about the merits, demerits and complexities inherent in counting a program as feminist friendly or supportive.  Readers of this report are advised to search the SWIP archives for such discussions. 

Most professors and students agreed that it was best to start by identifying programs with at least one feminist faculty on staff, although all recognized this would not and sometimes did not yield a necessarily feminist-friendly department.  In addition, viewers of the initial report on an earlier website added comments such as the following: “The gender or biological sex of a faculty member does not guarantee he or she will be encouraging towards female graduate students.”  Women ought not be presumed to be guarantors of feminist support.

Many students and faculty still report a lack of female graduate students, let alone feminist students, and a sense that for many programs, one feminist on faculty is entirely sufficient.  This mitigates against communicative community.  Having said that, no respondent ever described any program as openly hostile to feminism, although several observed, in the words of one, "idiosyncratic" expressions of anti-feminist sentiment by individual faculty and graduate students. The predominant sense was that many departments may not be anti-feminist in principle, but are a long way from being pro-feminist in practice.

Last, prospective graduate students are urged to crosscheck the information above with other websites that provide more information about the strengths of each department.  A much-beloved feminist friendly program may sound attractive, but should not be presumed to offer strengths in all possible areas of interest.  I still remember the bright young feminist interested in continental and postmodern philosophy who visited Wisconsin while I was a student.  I think my tactful reaction to her consideration of our program was, “Why would you come here?!”  The schools’ own webpages, the personal webpages of their faculty, and the Leiter report are all indicative of the sorts of pursuits supported there, and prospective students should also consider emailing the department contacts and asking them directly about their offerings and strengths.