Queer Studies Certificate
The WGSS Program's Queer Studies Certificate is an option for undergraduate students wanting to enhance their understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) issues or whose undergraduate curriculum or professional goals would be enriched by additional course work in this emerging vibrant field.
The certificate focuses on LGBTQIA+ histories, political movements, aesthetics, arts, cultures, literatures, scholarship, contemporary experiences, and social formations. Students who complete the sequence can apply their knowledge to positions in education, government, nonprofit organizations, activism, journalism, law, public policy, social services, health services, and careers in the humanities and fine arts.
Requirements for the Queer Studies Certificate
The Queer Studies Certificate requires 12 credit hours of coursework (four courses), which include three core courses and one elective. This may be taken either within the WGSS Minor or as a stand-alone certificate independent of the minor. You may begin the certificate at any time, although we strongly recommend that students begin by first taking WGS 120, and that they complete WGS 292 before enrolling in WGS 392.
Core courses
- WGS 120: Gender, Sex, and Power
- WGS 292: Introduction to LGBTQ Studies (typically taught in the fall)
- WGS 392: Queer and Transgender Theory (typically taught in the spring)
One additional elective may be chosen from the following list of approved courses:
- ANT 270: Anthropology of Gender, and Sexuality
- PHI 202: Sex, Values, and Human Nature
- POL 337: Gay and Lesbian Politics & Theory
- PSY/SOC 123: Human Sexuality
- THE 176a01.002: Queer Theater
- Seminars and topics courses with at least 50% queer/sexuality content may be sub-waivered into the sequence with permission of the WGSS director and academic advisor.
The Queer Studies sequence will not appear on a student's transcript. Students will instead receive a certificate of completion.
How Do I Add the Certificate?
Interested students should meet with the WGSS academic advisor to develop a Plan of Study. Please use the following link to apply for the QSC: Apply now
For more information about our curriculum, please review the Queer Studies Certificate Plan of Study Worksheet.
Student Learning Outcomes
- A familiarity and working knowledge with major concepts and vocabulary in the interdisciplinary field of Queer Studies.
- An understanding of historical and contemporary LGBTQIA+ issues.
- An intersectional and transnational framework to analyze multiple dimensions of human identity and experience that are shaped by sex, gender, and sexuality in relation to race, age, (dis)ability, ethnicity, economic class, and nationality.
- A demonstrated commitment to social justice that positively transforms our communities in ways that value LGBTQIA+ people.