By Cal State Long Beach is the latest school to propose a queer studies minor, which focuses on educating students on the variety of sexualities.
The minor already exists in several Cal State University campuses like Northridge, San Diego and Fullerton.
Jennifer Reed, a professor in the department of women’s, gender and sexuality studies (WGSS) at CSULB, was responsible for constructing a proposal to present to the College of Liberal Arts.
“It has taken over a year to get to this point, just because pulling a proposal together and classes require a lot of documentation,” Reed said.
Reed has presented the proposal to the College of Liberal Arts and the committee will review the proposal and vote on Tuesday.
According to Reed, the purpose of the minor is to help educate students on sexuality and the variety of sexualities.
“It’s not to say anything bad about heterosexuality, but it is to say that heterosexuality is this social thing, this social construction, and should be seen in that way instead of a natural thing,” Reed said.
The WGSS will offer an introductory class to queer studies next spring and already offers a course titled “Queering Gender,” which is a requirement for the minor in Reed’s proposal.
Other elective courses outlined in the proposal are offered through the WGSS, history, criminal justice, Chicano-Latino studies, Asian-American studies and geography departments, which means there will be no additional costs implementing the minor, according to Reed.
Reed has been working closely with the LGBTQ Task Force and Curriculum Committee. She said several colleagues have approached her about developing more classes in the future.
Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts Mark Wiley said CSULB President F. King Alexander will have the last say.
If both committees approve the proposal, it will go to Alexander for final approval. However, the process can take as long as a full academic year, meaning that the queer studies minor could be approved as late as fall 2013.
“If President Alexander approves this program, it widens the range of students that might not completely identify with the WGSS major itself,” said Joanna Sanchez, senior WGSS and English double major. “It also allows for queer studies, an emerging field, to be explored by undergraduate students who might become inspired to further pursue it in graduate school.”
Cal State Fullerton launched its queer studies minor this fall semester. Associate professor Karyl Ketchum, who co-proposed the minor, said the hardest part of the process was helping people understand the name.
“People complained about the name,” she said. “I ended up writing, at the request of our Curriculum Committee, an addendum to the proposal, and that addendum explained the term queer studies.”
Although it is uncertain if the minor will be approved at CSULB, Natalie Rivera, a senior WGSS and German double major, said a queer studies minor would be essential.
“Such a study in a university setting is very important to have so that people can learn about a discourse that is often ignored and very much a part of our society,” Rivera said.
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