Friday, November 16, 2007

Feminist Philosophy Graduate Program Wiki

Kathryn Norlock, feminist philosopher and organizer of feminist resources, has announced that the Feminist Philosophy Program Wiki page has moved from Wikipedia to Wikispaces:
http://feministphilosophyprograms.wikispaces.com/

It's a public site and anyone can post or edit information about MA and PhD programs which are feminist-friendly. The benefit of using a wiki page is that it preserves anonymity and gathers collected wisdom. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to check the information that's posted. I think the likelihood that the information is incomplete is more a disadvantage than the possibility of bias.

This is a great resource for applicants to graduate programs who are looking to do research in feminist philosophy. Since programs that support feminist research are likely welcoming to women, it should also be a useful tool for women in philosophy who don't plan to write feminist theory. Of course, there could also be woman-friendly programs who lack resources for feminist theory.

If I were considering applying to graduate school in feminist philosophy, I would also take a close look at the recent placement history. At what rate are women accepted into a program? How many complete their degrees? How long do they take? Do they write on feminist topics? And do they get jobs?

1 comment:

KateNorlock said...

Hey, thanks for calling attention to this! I agree with all you say about the disadvantages of wikis, but can only trust that students trolling for information are pretty hip to the deficiencies of wiki formats. The next generation fills me with optimism.