Gender and Sexuality Studies Certificate

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

Cluster

The purpose of the Cluster is to introduce students to the basics of Gender and Sexuality Studies. While we encourage breadth in the field, the cluster serves as an opportunity for students who may not have much room or flexibility in their coursework schedules to still get training in topics related to Gender and Sexuality Studies. 

Students in established departmental graduate programs can participate in the Gender and Sexuality Studies Graduate Cluster. Note: This credential does not appear on transcripts. Most students proceed to the Certificate.

Cluster Requirements

  • At least one designated sexuality theory course from the list below
  • At least one designated gender/feminist theory course from the list below
  • One additional GSS course in any field
  • Any two quarters of the Graduate Colloquium

Certificate

The certificate is a more robust and thorough training in Gender and Sexuality Studies. It is not only to gain knowledge in matters and topics related to the study of genders and sexualities; it is also designed to broaden students’ understanding of the field and its many methodologies, questions, and scopes. To that end, we strongly encourage students pursuing the Certificate to engage in GSS coursework that falls outside of their primary discipline. GSS is deeply interdisciplinary, and students are encouraged to engage as fully as possible in that interdisciplinarity.

Certificate Requirements

  • At least two designated sexuality studies courses (at least one of which must be a sexuality theory course) from the list below
  • At least two designated gender/feminist studies courses (at least one of which must be a gender/feminist theory course) from the list below
  • One additional GSS course in any field
  • Any two quarters of the Graduate Colloquium

Courses

Please see below for the approved courses you may take to fulfill the GSS Cluster or Certificate. All courses designated as fulfilling the "theory" requirement are also courses that would qualify as general queer or feminist/gender studies course.

As an additional note, the approved courses will not always be taught each quarter. Please cross-reference what is currently being offered with the courses that have been approved for each requirement. If you would like to ask any questions or make any substitutions, please be in touch with the current Director of Graduate Studies for GSS before finalizing your plans.

Please be aware also that the GSS Colloquium is taught for two quarters each academic year. It is a 0.5 credit course and meets five times in each of its two quarters. Colloquium is a forum for the circulation and discussion of work-in-progress by advanced graduate students in GSS, and a workshop for pre-professional activities, meetings with faculty in the program, presentations by recent fellowship recipients, and discussion of topics and issues relevant to those enrolled in the course. Anyone is welcome to attend single sessions of the Colloquium whenever they wish, even when they are not participating throughout a given term. GSS students are invited to participate in the Colloquium as many times as they like over the course of their graduate career. The Colloquia you enroll in do not have to be consecutive.

Sexuality Studies Courses (400-level)

  • Sociology of Immigration (Carrillo)
  • Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)
  • Sexual Knowledges (Liu)
  • Queer Love and Loss (Chambers-Letson)
  • Queer Theory and Queer Cinema (Davis)
  • Feminist Conversations in Black, Disability, and Queer Studies (Bailey)
  • Queer Theory (Enteen)
  • Queering the Crown (Masten)
  • The Archive, Performance, and Queer Method (Chambers-Letson)
  • Sociology of Sexuality (Carrillo)
  • Early Modern Sexualities (Masten)
  • Gender in Colonial Spanish America (West)

Sexuality Theory Courses

  • Queer Theory (Enteen)
  • Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)
  • Queer Love and Loss (Chambers-Letson)
  • Queer Theory and Queer Cinema (Davis)
  • Sexual Knowledges (Liu)
  • Sociology of Sexuality (Carrillo)
  • Early Modern Sexualities (Masten)

Gender/Feminist Studies Courses (400-Level)

  • Feminist Conversations in Black, Disability, and Queer Studies (Bailey)
  • Philosophy of Protest (Medina)
  • Feminist Theory & the Study of Religion (Jacoby)
  • Gender History as Global History (Stanley)
  • Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)
  • Afrofeminists (Larcher)
  • Reading Gender Otherwise (West)
  • Gender in Colonial Spanish America (West)
  • Gender, Power, Politics (Orloff)
  • Locating Gender in Indigenismo and Indianismo (West)
  • Queer Theory (Enteen)

Gender/Feminist Theory Courses

  • Reading Gender Otherwise (West)
  • Feminist Theory and the Study of Religion (Jacoby)
  • Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)
  • Gender, Power, Politics (Orloff)
  • Locating Gender in Indigenismo and Indianismo (West)
  • Queer Theory (Enteen)

Additional Requirements

GSS Advisory form: Please fill out and submit with your materials the GSS advisory form to the current Director of Graduate Studies

Cover letter: Must outline your project and the ways that GSS is integral to it. The cover letter attached by the student to the major research project should include situating the project in its field, explaining its gender and/or sexuality focus, its contribution to the field, and the grounds on which it should be accepted in fulfillment of the certificate requirement. While there is no length requirement for this letter, it needs to clearly articulate the points above, so we recommend a minimum of one page. If need be, the GSS DGS will reach out to the student, and, if necessary, to the student’s adviser, for clarifications and further details.

Research project: This can be a seminar paper, prospectus, dissertation chapter, or conference paper. It must clearly show that GSS is foundational for your project and your thinking, and should ideally demonstrate the impact of GSS courses on your work. For any further clarifications, contact the GSS DGS directly. Preferred formats for submission are PDF, Word files, or MP4s.