Mission

The Gender and Sexuality Studies department offers students an opportunity to engage in the interdisciplinary study of gender and sexuality in their intersections with race, class, nationality, disability, and religion, among other axes of difference. Students will examine the politics of identity formation within specific historical and cultural contexts, with a particular emphasis on the relationships among identity, interlocking systems of privilege and oppression, and movements for social change. 

 Students will examine a range of feminist and queer theoretical and political traditions, focusing on the interrelationships and tensions between these various approaches. What does meaningful social change look like, and what is the best way to bring it about? In studying how queer, trans, and feminist scholars and activists have answered (and complicated) these questions, students will develop a critical toolkit for conducting politically engaged research and analysis. Students will approach this work from an interdisciplinary and intersectional vantage point, integrating insights from across the liberal arts curriculum to develop holistic frameworks for the study of gender and sexuality.

Grounded in a commitment to feminist pedagogy, courses in the department invite students to interrogate the politics of knowledge formation and engage in a range of collaborative work. Core courses for the major include Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies and/or Introduction to Queer Studies, Feminist Theory, and Gender, Power, and Knowledge: Research Practices, as well as the senior colloquium course. 

Learning Outcomes: 

 Students will: 

●        Analyze the construction of gender and sexuality within specific social, historical, cultural, and political contexts across the globe.

●        Understand how gender and sexuality intersect with other axes of identity and systems of power, including race, class, nationality, disability, and religion.

●        Develop an understanding of the relationships between major analytical frameworks in gender and sexuality studies, along with the ability to apply these analyses within and across various academic disciplines.

●        Use these analytical lenses outside of the classroom, applying them in their own lives and communities to imagine and/or effect change.

●        Demonstrate the ability to engage in self-directed, collaborative learning and research.