General Information | The Program | Courses | PDF File

Graduate Study. The Cultural Studies Graduate Program offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Cultural Studies. The program emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to cultural inquiry that includes analyses of intersecting categories such as class, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, and the like. Students entering the program will use and develop methodologies from many fields to suit their objects of study. Students may pursue research in the following designated areas: 1) gender (including masculinity studies), 2) sexualities, 3) comparative race studies, 4) media and popular cultural representation, 5) science and society, 6) transnational and global studies, 7) religions, communities, and politics, 8) rhetoric and critical theory, and 9) disability studies. Or, with the close guidance and supervision of a faculty committee, students may create their own areas of emphasis.

Preparation. Normal preparation for the program is a bachelor's degree in a related field. M.A. students must pass an examination. Ph.D. students must pass a qualifying examination, a comprehensive examination, and complete a dissertation demonstrating original research in an area approved by the Graduate Group. In addition to the standard UC Davis graduate application (which requires a statement of purpose), we also require three letters of recommendation, transcripts, GRE scores, writing sample (ten-page minimum, not exceeding twenty pages), fellowship application, and a 250 word statement explaining the applicant's interest in pursuing a degree in Cultural Studies.

Graduate Advisers. Anna K. Kuhn (Women and Gender Studies) , Carolyn de la Peña (American Studies, Technocultural Studies), and Juana María Rodríguez (Women and Gender Studies)