PhD in Cultural Studies - Science and Technology Studies in Davis United States | University of California Davis

The UC Davis Graduate Group in Cultural Studies provides an interdisciplinary framework for examining culture and society, emphasizing how factors like sexuality, race, ability, citizenship, gender, nationality, class, and language shape identities, social dynamics, and cultural artifacts. Under faculty mentorship, students conduct cross-disciplinary research in diverse fields such as critical race studies, ecocriticism, fashion theory, queer studies, media analysis, science and technology studies, Marxist thought, tourism, food culture, disability studies, cultural geography, transnational politics, globalization, religious studies, rhetoric, performance theory, and critical theory. While both Ph.D. and M.A. degrees are available, the program only accepts Ph.D. applicants, with the M.A. serving as an optional milestone toward doctoral completion.

The Designated Emphasis in Science & Technology Studies (STS) allows PhD candidates to enrich their primary studies with STS methodologies and theoretical perspectives. Open to all doctoral students in good standing, it particularly benefits those researching intersections between science, technology, and society. The program provides access to extensive STS case studies and emphasizes how scientific practices and technological dissemination are fundamentally social processes. With a flexible curriculum drawing from multiple disciplines, students can select STS courses to broaden their scholarly approaches. Participants gain from campus STS networks, colloquia series, and the annual STS Summer Retreat, fostering interdisciplinary academic development.