University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) offers more than 60 courses dealing with “queer” themes, according to their online course catalog.
The classes span across many departments including the African American Studies department, the Disabilities Studies department, the Psychology department, the Music History department, and of course the Gender Studies department.
According to Trans Student Educational Resources, “queer” is a “term for people of marginalized gender identities and sexual orientations who are not cisgender and/or heterosexual.
Some course titles include “Queer of Color Genealogies,” “Black Pleasure/Black Pain,” “Queering American History,” and “Psychology of Lesbian Experience.”
For example,“Psychology of Lesbian Experience” teaches “various aspects of lesbian experience, impact of heterosexism/stigma, gender role socialization, minority status of women and lesbians, identity development within a multicultural society, changes in psychological theories about lesbians in sociohistorical context.”
“Queering American History” teaches the history of “sexual and gender minorities in U.S.” including “changing norms, romantic friendships, medical discourse, liberation politics, post-Stonewall culture, AIDS, transgender movement, queer theory, and politics,” according to the course description.
Although UCLA’s course material puts a heavy emphasis on “queer academia,” it is unclear how understanding “queerness” will better prepare students for the workforce.
UCLA did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
