Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Courses

Reproductive Justice has three primary dimensions: (1) the right not to have a child; (2) the right to have a child; and (3) the right to parent children in safe and healthy environments. We will focus on each principle for a unit, paying special attention to the intersection of race, class, gender, and sexuality on reproductive choices and constraints. Diverse sexual and gender identities, including LGBTQ+ experiences, will be integrated throughout. Topics include sex education, compulsory heterosexuality, sex & the law, abortion, maternal mortality, assisted reproductive technology, queer reproduction, birth, parenting choices, breastfeeding/chest feeding, and more.

This course explores the multidimensional impact of trauma at the intersection of racial and gender inequality. Students will examine personal, intergenerational, and historical trauma, focusing on issues such as, but not limited to, gender-based violence, colonization, slavery, and systemic oppression. The course places a strong emphasis on healing through both community-based practices and a social justice lens. Using diverse materials and approaches, including creative writing, literature, music, and visual media, students will explore strategies for fostering transformative justice.

With a focus primarily on the status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and affiliated (LGBTQIA+) communities in the U.S., we will utilize a variety of resources (academic journals, video, music, literature, theory, news, historical and current events) as well as personal experiences, to investigate some of the central health-, care-, and healthcare-related issues facing (LGBTQIA+) folx, both past and present. Participation and group discussions are at the heart of the class and, together, we will deeply and respectfully analyze the interlocking nature of gender-, sex-, and sexuality-based inequalities as they affect people across intersecting demographics like dis/ability, age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic, and more. We will also explore strategies for critiquing and evolving the existing status of LGBTQIA+ folks and change-making strategies for students to integrate into their own personal and professional lives. All students and all majors are welcome! While this course will be especially beneficial for students interested in careers in any allied health profession (nursing, medicine, physical therapy, etc.), as well as social welfare, psychiatry, psychology, public health, emergency preparedness, criminal justice, education, political science, and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, students from ALL majors will gain valuable insights.