GSST: Gender & Sexuality Studies (Undergraduate)

GSST 1005  Introduction to Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies  (4 Credits)  

This course offers students an overview of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, an interdisciplinary field that establishes gender and sexuality as fundamental categories of social power and cultural analysis. Students will learn about different types of feminism and a variety of social movements that gave rise to feminist thought and practices in the United States and globally. Considering scholarship from various fields and perspectives, students will explore intersections of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, dis/ability, body size, and other facets of social identity that impact people’s lives. Related courses may be disciplinary rather than interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary; for example: Women, Girls, and the Media (COMM), U.S. Women’s Multicultural Life-Writings (LIT), Images of Women in Western Civilization (ART), Feminist Theory (CUL), Theories of LGBTQ Identities (CUL). This course was previously CUL 281324 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies.

Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, Liberal

GSST 1996  Speical Topics in GSST  (2-8 Credits)  
GSST 1998  Individualized Studies in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST)  (1-8 Credits)  

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

GSST 2005  Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies  (4 Credits)  

This course provides an introduction to the field of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Studies. We will ask, what does it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer? We will explore multiple answers to this question by learning about LGBTQ life through a variety of lenses, including history, sociology, literature, and the study of popular culture and media. Furthermore, we will incorporate race, class, religion, dis/ability, and other aspects of identity into our analyses of sexuality, identity, power, and society. This course was previously SOC-282314.

Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, Liberal

GSST 2998  Individualized Studies in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST)  (1-8 Credits)  

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

GSST 3005  Queer Theory  (4 Credits)  

This course provides students with an in-depth knowledge of contemporary theories of sexuality, an interdisciplinary field called 'queer theory.' While queer theory often focuses on the complexity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered identity, the elasticity of the term queer is one of its defining characteristics; the aim of queer theory is to challenge rigid categories and definitions. We will examine the inconsistencies and erasures that often characterize notions of sex, gender, sexuality, and sexual desire, and the categories that intersect with sexual identities such as race, ethnicity, class, nationality, dis/ability, and age. Students will apply queer theory to an array of events and texts Prerequisites: an introductory course in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Attributes: Liberal

GSST 3008  LGBTQ+ Youth & Education  (4 Credits)  

In this course, we will explore key issues that LGBTQ+ youth face within the P-12 U.S. educational system, and ways in which teachers and advocates are striving to make education more inclusive and welcoming to LGBTQ+ students. Issues may include: the risk of suicide for LGBTQ youth; history of LGBTQ+ inclusivity in public education in the U.S.; supportive movements in LGBTQ education; the role of educators and support staff; intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality and their impact on educational and health outcomes for students. In this course we will explore both the challenges that educators face and successes to date providing welcoming and inclusive educational experiences for LGBTQ+ youth. LGBTQ+ Youth and Education is a companion course to the 4 credit GSST 2005 Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies; students may enroll in both courses. Introductory level course in LGBTQ+ Studies, or Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies is strongly recommended.

Cross-listed with EDST 3008.

Attributes: Liberal

GSST 3015  Feminist Theory  (4 Credits)  

This interdisciplinary course explores the central issues of feminist theory, such as ideologies of woman and man, sexual politics, the political economy of patriarchy, and the ways that race, ethnicity, dis/ability, age, nationality, class and other aspects of social identity intersect with gender and sexuality. Students will apply feminist theory to a variety of texts and events. Prerequisites: an introductory class in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

GSST 3030  Sex & Gender in Global Perspective  (4 Credits)  

This study will explore the comparative study of gender and sexuality across different non-western cultures. Topics may include how different societies define femininity and masculinity, and how work, play, language, appearance and sexual expression come to be marked as 'appropriate' or even 'natural' for women and men. The course will examine non-binary gender systems, the variations in the sexual division of labor and economic organization, and the impact of forces such as colonialism and globalization on gender issues. This course was previously SOC-283324 Sex and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective: Advanced.

Cross-listed with ANTH 3122.

Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal

GSST 3152  Queering American Culture  (4 Credits)  

Examine recent and historical forms of cultural representation in the U.S. (e.g., plays, novels, autobiographies, movies, television programming, comic strips, and/or other cultural texts) for what they say about LGBTQ+ lives in America. Questions that may be considered include: How are LGBTQ+ people represented in American culture? How do LGBTQ+ people seek to represent themselves? How has American culture always been queer? This course was previously CUL-243204 Queering American Culture.

Cross-listed with CUST 3152.

Attributes: Liberal

GSST 3998  Individualized Studies in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST)  (1-8 Credits)  

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

GSST 4998  Individualized Studies in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST)  (1-8 Credits)  

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.