Course Requirements
LGBTQ Studies minors are encouraged to take at least one elective course in each of the following three areas of concentration. This list is not exhaustive as new courses are regularly created and approved. Students should contact the Program Director for a current list of approved electives. Students may also petition the Director for approval of a course not listed. Courses followed by the designation “on approval” include Special Topics and other courses that can significantly change focus with each offering; students should check the current list of approved electives for confirmation.
Areas of Concentration
Queer Theory and the Intersections of Identity.
This concentration poses fundamental questions about constructions of personal and social identity in relation to sexuality and gender. In these courses, students probe the discourse of sexual identity from several disciplinary perspectives, including psychology, psychoanalysis, geography, and women’s studies. Approved courses include:
Queer Representations
This concentration includes courses that study the many ways in which same-sex desire has been represented in art and literature present and past. Approved courses include:
History, Politics, and Power
This concentration studies LGBTQ history in a variety of periods and settings, as well as current issues in LGBTQ politics. Approved courses include:
LGQ 150
INTRODUCTION TO LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUEER STUDIES [SSMW]
This course will focus on defining this emerging field while giving students some perspective on the history and diversity of LGBTQ communities. It will also help prepare students for study in the various fields covered by the electives required for the minor. The course will be taught by faculty from a variety of disciplines and thus undoubtedly shift emphases somewhat with every offering. Topics will include: introduction to and definition of LGBTQ Studies as a field; historical roots of LGBTQ communities in the US and elsewhere; theoretical models of sexuality and gender; contemporary issues in LGBTQ politics and culture.
PSY 213
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PSYCHOLOGY
Overview of psychological and social issues relevant to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) individuals and communities. The course will examine key concepts, LGBT psychological research, and efforts to promote liberation and well being.
PSY 215
HUMAN SEXUALITY
Historical, cultural, psychological and physiological aspects of human sexuality. Cannot be used as psychology major course.
Prerequisites:
PSY 105 or PSY 106 is a prerequisite for this class.REL 254
THE BODY & HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS:DIVERGENT MEANINGS, CONFLICTING VALUES
Love and sexuality in biblical and nonbiblical religions, examined cross-culturally, conceptually, and ethically.
WGS 388
QUEER THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION (FORMERLY WMS 284)
This course examines some of the central texts of queer theory in order to contextualize and historicize the notion of homosexuality as a primary category of identity. The issue of sexual normativity as it relates to gay and lesbian assimilation will also be discussed. Because of the significant relationship of gender and sexuality, we will also examine theories of embodiment and take up the debates around the politics of intersex and transgender identities.
WGS 488
QUEER THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION
This course examines some of the central texts of queer theory in order to contextualize and historicize the notion of homosexuality as a primary category of identity. The issue of sexual normativity as it relates to gay and lesbian assimilation will also be discussed. Because of the significant relationship of gender and sexuality, we will also examine theories of embodiment and take up the debates around the politics of intersex and transgender identities.
WGS 394
WOMEN, SELF, AND SOCIETY SEMINAR
Women, Self and Society Seminar (cross-listed as Women's and Gender Studies 480 and Master's of Liberal Studies 468). Variable Topics. See course schedule for current offerings.
ENG 272
LITERATURE AND IDENTITY
Studies in the literary expression and representation of identity. This course is not repeatable.
ENG 379
TOPICS IN LITERATURE
See schedule for current offerings.
ENG 389
TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
See schedule for current offerings.
LGQ 397
SPECIAL TOPICS IN LGBTQ STUDIES
See course schedule for current offerings.
LST 310
SPECIAL TOPICS: LATINOS IN THE U.S.
SPECIAL TOPICS: LATINOS IN THE U.S.
WGS 255
DECONSTRUCTING THE DIVA
This course studies the figure of the diva as a powerful cultural text, central to both understanding historical conceptions of socially normative femininity and to uncovering and examining our own present-day conceptions of what it means to be feminine, to be a woman. Through fiction, drama, biography, autobiography, film, audio recordings, gender and performance theory, the course explores representations of the diva in literature, art, and popular and high culture.
WGS 290
SPECIAL TOPICS
See course schedule for current offerings.
AMS 275
HISTORY OF SEX IN AMERICA 1: COLONIAL TO LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY
This course will provide an overview of the history of American sexuality from the colonial period to the late 19th century.
HST 275
SEX IN AMERICA, PURITANS TO VICTORIANS
This course surveys the history of three centuries of American ideas about sex and sexuality. By focusing on sexual variation from the era of colonial settlement through the end of the nineteenth century, this course will challenge conventional interpretations of sex in early America.
AMS 276
HISTORY OF SEX IN AMERICA 2: LATE VICTORIANS TO THE PRESENT
This course will provide an overview of the history of American sexuality from the late nineteenth century to the present.
HST 276
SEX IN AMERICA, LATE VICTORIANS TO PRESENT
This course will provide an overview of the history of American sexuality from the late 19th century through the present. The course will draw from social and cultural history, the history of medicine and psychology, legal and political history, literature, mass media, and gender studies in order to understand the creation of modern sexual identities.
A&S 491
ADMINISTRATIVE THEORY AND BEHAVIOR
This course concerns theoretical concepts and empirical research relating to administrative behavior in organizations with special reference to educational organizations. Concepts are examined within the typical decisional framework of supervisors, chief school business officers, principles, and superintendents, and similar positions in the helping professions. Assignments are individualized.
Prerequisites:
Status as an Advanced Masters Education student is a prerequisite for this class.LGQ 332
CREATING CHANGE: CONTEMPORARY GLBT POLITICS (CROSS-LISTED AS WGS 332 & PSC 312)
This course explores the historical roots and contemporary realities of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) politics, nationally and internationally. GLBT groups and individuals are gaining political recognition, challenging institutions, and creating change by asserting claims to rights and protections under law. Such issues as hate crimes, marriage, AIDS, and ballot initiatives over non-discrimination law and policy have entered the political mainstream since the 1970's. This course examines the GLBT movement, its political and social strategies, conflicts and issues, and the political roles played by its members as participants in political culture.
WGS 432
CREATING CHANGE: CONTEMPORARY GLBT POLITICS
This course explores the historical roots and contemporary realities of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) politics, nationally and internationally. GLBT groups and individuals are gaining political recognition, challenging institutions, and creating change by asserting claims to rights and protections under law. Such issues as hate crimes, marriage, AIDS, and ballot initiatives over non-discrimination law and policy have entered the political mainstream since the 1970's. This course examines the GLBT movement, its political and social strategies, conflicts and issues, and the political roles played by its members as participants in political culture.
LGQ 338
SEXUAL JUSTICE: LESBIANS, GAYS AND THE LAW (CROSS-LISTED AS WMS 338)
This course examines the historical and contemporary relationships between lesbians, gays, and the law in the U.S., focusing on the intersections of power, sexuality, and identity with issues of sexuality-based discrimination. It focuses on case law, along with social science and legal literature, seeking out a diversity of voices and experiences. Primary emphasis will be on cases that have come before the U.S. Supreme Court since the mid-1950's, with particular attention paid to how groups and individuals have reached out to the court system for redress of injustice and how these groups and individuals have exercised or failed to exercise power within the legal process. The U.S. legal system has reflected a complex set of social and institutional arrangements with regard to sexuality. This course explores the evolution and current construction of these arrangements, how power is allocated and adjudicated, and how law may be used to resist and dismantle pervasive discrimination.
NSG 335
LESBIAN HEALTH MATTERS
This course explores the unitary processes and experiences of health and quality of life for lesbians in diverse communities and with a range of identification and orientation. The idea that homophobia exists and serves as a significant barrier to access and to maintenance of health for lesbians underpins the course. The course uses multiple forms of scientific literature, general literature, film, and art to study the personal, ecological, and socially constructed determinants of health and quality of life. Various feminist, nursing, queer, and post-colonial perspectives on contemporary scientific and social discourse will emphasize linking health and illness with economic, social/cultural, and political dimensions of society. Concepts of personal health patterning, risk reduction, and health promotion will be stressed.
REL 256
WELLNESS AND DISEASE IN RELIGIOUS PERSPECTVE
A study of notions related to human "health," "well-being" and "disease" in various religio-cultural situations. Physical, mental and spiritual health -- individual and communal -- will be considered. The significance of "plague," especially AIDS, as socio-religious and spiritual events will be critically examined.
ENG 371
AFRICAN-AMERICAN FICTION
Selected novels and short fiction by twentieth-century African-American writers.
Prerequisites:
A literature course is a prerequisite for this course.