Religious Studies: Gender and Women's Studies (Ph.D.)
Offered by: Religious Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Program Description
The Ph.D. in Religious Studies; Gender and Women's Studies focuses on feminist, women's, and gender studies in relation to religious traditions.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please refer to Visual Schedule Builder. A technical issue is causing the "Terms offered" field to incorrectly report "this course is not currently offered" for many courses in the Course Catalogue.
Thesis
A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.
Presentation to Doktorklub of student’s thesis research.
Required Courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| RELG 701 | Major Comprehensive Examination. | 0 |
Major Comprehensive Examination. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Major Comprehensive Examination tests whether the doctoral student has the professional scholar's grasp of the entire field of specialization. | ||
| RELG 702 | Minor Comprehensive Examination. | 0 |
Minor Comprehensive Examination. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Minor Comprehensive Examination tests the doctoral student's knowledge and understanding of a secondary field which is cognate or comparative to the field of specialization. | ||
| RELG 703 | Oral Comprehensive Examination. | 0 |
Oral Comprehensive Examination. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Oral Comprehensive Examination clarifies and supplements the written comprehensive examination(s). | ||
| WMST 601 | Feminist Theories and Methods. | 3 |
Feminist Theories and Methods. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of feminist theories and research methods from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. | ||
| WMST 602 | Feminist Research Symposium. | 3 |
Feminist Research Symposium. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Discussion and development of participants' research in gender and women's studies. | ||
Students admitted to Ph.D. 1
Students admitted to Ph.D. 1 take a minimum of six (3-credit) graduate seminars during their first year and a minimum of four (3-credit) graduate seminars in Ph.D. 2 including:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| WMST 601 | Feminist Theories and Methods. | 3 |
Feminist Theories and Methods. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of feminist theories and research methods from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. | ||
| WMST 602 | Feminist Research Symposium. | 3 |
Feminist Research Symposium. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Discussion and development of participants' research in gender and women's studies. | ||
and one 3-credit graduate seminar with a substantive focus on gender and/or women’s studies.
One 3-credit graduate seminar must be at the 700 level.
Students entering into Ph.D. 2
Students entering into Ph.D. 2 are required to take a minimum of four (3-credit) graduate seminars including:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| WMST 601 | Feminist Theories and Methods. | 3 |
Feminist Theories and Methods. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of feminist theories and research methods from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. | ||
| WMST 602 | Feminist Research Symposium. | 3 |
Feminist Research Symposium. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Discussion and development of participants' research in gender and women's studies. | ||
and one 3-credit graduate seminar with a substantive focus on gender and/or women’s studies.
One 3-credit graduate seminar must be at the 700 level.
Language Requirements
Modern and ancient languages as stipulated by field of study.