Women and Gender Studies Offers New Minor in LGBTQ Studies

Last quarter, the Academic Committee of Seattle U’s Board of Trustees approved a new LGBTQ Studies minor, a focused examination of the intellectual, cultural and political experiences and knowledge of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified individuals and groups.

Students will study LGBTQ lives in both historical and contemporary contexts in world regions; examine LGBTQ politics in terms of policies, practices, and activism; use the lenses and representations of LGBTQ narratives to analyze ways of seeing and of telling our stories; and inquire into the distinct LGBTQ epistemological stance, both theories and ways of knowing, to analyze the entire world and to better understand the social, economic, historical, and political production of sexualities.

The minor requires six courses, including Introduction to LGBTQ Studies, Queer Theories, Research Methodology and three electives from an array of approved courses in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, or policy and professional studies including nursing, health sciences and business.

“Thank you to faculty who created the courses and advocated for the creation of this minor, which may be the first of its kind at a Jesuit college or university,” said Dr. Theresa Earenfight, Women and Gender Studies program director. “Their work has already made a difference and will continue to do so for generations to come.”

With the new minor in LGBTQ Studies, the Women and Gender Studies Program builds on its rich history of intellectual studies and creative work that links the campus to the community. Inaugurated as a Minor in 1992, expanded to a Major in 2006, and now with a minor in LGBTQ Studies, it is a stronger interdisciplinary program. Learn more about Women and Gender Studies and the new minor in LGBTQ Studies here.