LGBTQ Studies Minor

Director Dr. Cindy Gissendanner
Liberal Arts Building 3125
Phone: 410-704-5456
Email: cgissendanner@towson.edu

The LGBTQ Studies minor addresses issues of sexual orientation and gender identity from interdisciplinary and multicultural perspectives. The growing public awareness of diverse sexualities and gender identities and their cultural and political ramifications for individuals, social institutions and communities is evident. LGBTQ Studies represents a growing field of scholarship which is in the forefront of developing theoretical and methodological innovations. The minor aims to give students the critical skills to analyze a wide range of issues, including the historical evolution of sexual and gender identities in different cultural settings, the development of LGBTQ+ cultural institutions, institutionalized forms of heterosexism, cisgenderism and homophobia, and the efforts to eliminate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Educational Objectives

1. To familiarize students with major concepts, theories, substantive findings and in scholarly works and nonfiction in the field of LGBTQ+ studies.
2. To make students aware of the diverse attitudes toward and the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals in different cultures and historical periods.
3. To examine institutionalized homophobia and its impact on the political, social and economic status of LGBTQ+ individuals.
4. To investigate the social construction of sexualities, gender identities and the cultural images associated with them.
5. To examine differences within LGBTQ+ communities and the social and political ramifications of such differences for those communities.
6. To understand the wide range of political strategies used by LGBTQ+ individuals in their struggles against oppression.
7. To trace the historical evolution of sexual and gender identities and the roles of LGBTQ+ individuals in reshaping them.

The LGBTQ Studies minor requires 18 units. All minors must complete a minimum of 12 units toward the minor at Towson University, with at least 9 units at the upper (300-400) level. 

¹

Please contact Interdisciplinary Studies for acceptable topics.