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"The instructors in my Department are excellent. The camaraderie as well is so welcoming. I have been fortunate to study at all three of SFU's campuses and they are all delightful!"
Leslie Brunanski
Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies doctoral student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
After my Bachelor of General Studies from SFU and Juris Doctor from UBC Law School in 2003, I practiced law in Vancouver as a criminal defence lawyer and then as a corporate litigator until my decision to return to academia in 2016. My research interests include law and policy around sexual violence and harassment; interpersonal violence; and women’s intersection with the justice system.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?
My undergraduate degree and MA are both from SFU so it was a natural choice for my PhD.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?
"I will quote my Senior Supervisor, Dr. Jen Marchbank who said: "We [GSWS] aim to bring feminist, queer and intersectional understandings of the analysis of power and how it operates locally and globally." My research seeks to shed light on the sexual harassment of women lawyers by male lawyers. Law firm culture was largely absent from the indictments of the #MeToo movement and I'd like to find out if the culture changed at all.
WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?
The instructors in my Department are excellent. The camaraderie as well is so welcoming. I have been fortunate to study at all three of SFU's campuses and they are all delightful!
HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.
I am the fortunate recipient of the Graduate Dean Entrance Scholarship and the scholarship of ..... ***** Being awarded these scholarships has allowed me to focus on my studies with much of my financial pressure abated.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PROGRAM/POSTDOC POSITION TO SOMEONE STILL SEARCHING FOR A PROGRAM OR POSTDOC POSITION?
The company you get to keep doing a PhD in Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies will teach you so much, even beyond coursework and research.
Contact : lbrunans@sfu.ca