Eventually, a full interdisciplinary committee monitors the student's progress through the dissertation. The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program Committee handles administrative and policy matters pertaining to the interdepartmental doctoral degree. The Committee consists of a representative from the English, History and Psychology departments and is chaired by the Director of Graduate Studies of the Women's Studies Program. Curriculum The Curriculum for the interdepartmental doctoral program includes training in English and in Women's Studies. WS 530, Feminist Theory, the course that normally fulfills this requirement, provides an interdisciplinary exploration of various schools of feminist thought.
Specific content varies, depending on the particular interests of the instructor.
Courses in feminist cultural and political thought or lesbian and queer theory are alternatives for students with strong undergraduate backgrounds in feminist theory. These courses are designed to examine various theoretical, substantive and methodological issues in feminist scholarship in relation to the paradigms of traditional disciplines. The course is designed to culminate in the production of an interdisciplinary research paper. The process for achieving this goal will vary from year to year. At least one of these courses must be an interdisciplinary Women's Studies course and must include substantial coverage of theoretical issues.