Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies (LGBT)

The goal of this course is to examine the attitudes and practices of the major world religions regarding human sexuality. Topics to be covered will include marriage and procreation, and such controversial issues as abortion, homosexuality and sexual activity outside of marriage. Note: Religion and Human Sexuality is taught as a cross-listed course in Religion; Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies; and LGBT Studies. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: REL 2002, LGBT 2002, GSWS 2202, WMST 2202.

This course uses feminist and queer film theories to critically explore how gender, queer and trans identities are depicted in Hollywood, independent, documentary, international, and experimental films. The course examines feminism's relationship to racial, class, sexuality, gender identity and other differences through the medium of film. NOTE: Students who earned credit for "Sexual Differences in the Cinema" will not receive additional credits for "Gender in the Cinema." Additionally, students who completed GSWS 2002 will not receive credit for LGBT 2003.

In this course, students will grapple with all areas essential to the craft of writing fiction, especially as they are used to tell LGBTQ-centered stories. As LGBTQ identities have not always been accepted in the mainstream, we will also examine the use of subtext to inform plot and/or character development. Through the use of class discussion, individual and group writing activities, and workshopping peer drafts, students will hone their writing tools. By class' end, students will achieve stronger reading and writing skills as well as develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of how to apply elements of fiction to LGBTQ subject matter. Last: this classroom is a brave space, in which writers - regardless of how they identify in terms of gender or sexuality - should feel welcome to work with material that speaks their truth; as such, as peers, we will listen and respond without judgment to the various work we discuss. NOTE: Students can receive credit only once for either GSWS 2007 or LGBT 2007.

For people who identify as members of the LGBTQIA community, queer stories carry a particular significance. In part, these stories allow members of the community to process how their sexuality has influenced their lives but also how these stories have influenced the degree to which they accept and express their sexuality. To people outside the LGBTQIA community, these stories offer a glimpse into what queer individuals have experienced. Because writing about queer lives is inherently political, these stories have often been fashioned into confining structures, such as the "coming out" story. And although this particular approach to telling these stories is important, queer lives often extend well beyond this particular moment in the development of their sexual identity - and some individuals even lack such a "moment" to serve as the core of their story. This course examines a variety of ways to approach telling these stories, for both people without and within the LGBTQIA community. NOTE: Students can receive credit only once for either LGBT 2207 or GSWS 2207.

A number of films examine how queer youth do grapple with their LGBTQIA identity in their adolescent years, thus representing the typical sociological understanding of "coming-of-age." But a number of films instead explore how members of the LGBTQIA community explore their queer identity later in life. These films focus on the more psychological understanding of "coming-of-age", a point when people, mentally, fully accept who they are, inclusive of their sexual identity. Regardless of the timing in a person's life, this life stage focuses on a shift from innocence to a more "adult" or "realistic" take on the world around us. This course explores how the queer coming of age genre renders the often-unique approach queer individuals face as they come of age. NOTE: Students can receive credit only once for either GSWS 2305 or LGBT 2305.

This course explores the way in which film has portrayed LGBTQ individuals. Drawing from a diverse slate of films, the class examines not just the various ways in which LGBTQ sexual expression has been rendered but also the political and sociological implications of this depiction over various decades. In addition, the class explores the ways in which those who have fought for LGBTQ visibility and equal rights have been framed through various films, whether they are recognizable figures in LGBTQ history or not. The class explores the ways in which these films have accomplished their goals and discusses the ways in which these films have been received. NOTE: Students can receive credit only once for either GSWS 2306 or LGBT 2306.

Specific cultural or social studies in LGBT issues with an emphasis on interdisciplinary analysis.

In this course we will read autobiographical accounts (memoirs, essays, diaries, and poems) in which a significant portion of the narrative focuses on same-sex erotic attraction and/or gender difference, identified in contemporary society by the label Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Intersex or the generic (and contested) Queer. The works were selected both to examine how gay and lesbian lives have been defined and altered over the course of the last sixty years and to provide a perspective of national, ethnic, religious, and racial diversity. Our main focus in the classroom will be discussion of these texts and their contexts. The classroom will be augmented by a research assignment focused on a gay or lesbian life we have not examined together in class.

Starting in the 1950s forward, using a social science lens, this class examines the collective experience of LGBTQ-identifying lives. Focusing on various LGBTQ social movements, the course explores the various perspectives, targets, strategies, and goals of these various movements. The course also examines issues impacting the various factions within the LGBTQ community and how these factions have employed various tactics to effect social change. Starting with a basic foundation in social movement theory, class readings will explore the various targets addressed by social movements - such as science (medicine), culture, courts (legal), and states (not physical states, per se). The course will also address various ideologies (such as assimilation versus liberation). Students will leave the class with a clear sense of how to define a social movement, understand how it coalesces as a movement, how it operates, how it effects change, as the lasting impact of these various changes within society. Because not every moment that happens within the LGBTQ community happens as a consequence of one prior, the various movements we explore will not be examined chronologically. NOTE: Students can receive credit only once for either GSWS 2406 or LGBT 2406.

It is easy to assume that love, marriage, and family go together, but this has not always been the case. These concepts have a history. This course is a comparative examination of love, marriage, and family and the related themes of gender and sexuality in different historical periods and geographical areas. It includes ancient, medieval, and modern texts and materials and covers both western (European and American) and non-western (Asian, African, and perhaps Middle Eastern and Latin American) case studies. NOTE: Each instructor may place a different emphasis among those topics and regions. Please be advised that students who have earned credit for GSWS 2815 will not receive duplicate credit for LGBT 2815.

In this course, we will investigate what LGBT-themed novels of the 20th century convey about gender identity, how individuals form this identity, how an understanding (both conscious and unconscious) of this identity impacts individuals, and how the expression of sexuality dictates behavior, particularly in the LGBTQIA community. Beginning with a foundation in queer theory and various literary devices, students will build a theoretical vocabulary and lens through which to analyze a series of novels from both the US and International. The chosen novels reflect authors or works considered part of the literary LGBT "cannon." Note: Students can receive credit only once for either GSWS 3205 or LGBT 3205.

In this course, we will investigate what various LGBTQ-themed novels tell us about LGBTQ life in the 21st Century. Starting with a historical approach of how LGBTQ novels were shaped by attitudes about LGBTQ life in the 20th century, we will determine how the representation of LGBTQ lives have evolved in novels. Our novels will explore the lives of people from across the LGBTQ spectrum. A number of the protagonists' identities also represent important intersectional identities as well, such as nationality, religion, and race. Beginning with a foundation in LGBTQ theory and various literary devices, students will build a theoretical vocabulary and lens through which to analyze a series of contemporary LGBTQ novels. NOTE: Students can receive credit only once for either GSWS 3206 or LGBT 3206.

Specific cultural or social studies in LGBT issues with an emphasis on interdisciplinary analysis.

This course addresses gender-based violence, in particular, intimate partner violence. We will use intersectionality as a feminist tool in understanding how violence is mediated through the nexus of social power and control in which race, ability, sexuality, class, and other variables play a big part. Students will learn the impact of this gender-based violence on young girls, immigrants, women of color, elderly women, trans populations, lesbians and other marginalized groups within the U.S. NOTE: Students can receive credit only once for either LGBT 3548 or GSWS 3548.

The opportunity to work in a public or private agency whose mission includes advocacy for the LGBT community. Available to students minoring in LGBT Studies and throughout the College of Liberal Arts. A paper or project related to the area of the field study is also required. NOTE: Placement and faculty advisors arranged prior to registration (call 215-204-6953). Requires a designated supervisor at the field placement (minimum of 7 1/2 hours per week) and a faculty advisor within the College.