Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Studies Program
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Studies is an undergraduate program dedicated to the academic study of gender and sexuality. The program offers coursework, programming, and internship opportunities for students looking to explore queer and trans issues through an intersectional lens.
LGBTQ Studies at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ is an interdisciplinary program encompassing over 30 courses in a dozen departments. Students can take courses on the academic investigation of sexuality and gender in established fields such as literature, history, ethnic studies, theatre, law, medicine, economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, and the arts. With its interdisciplinary approach, LGBTQ Studies interweaves complex theories and analysis into the study of sexuality and gender. Through the certificate program and the guidance of faculty advisors, students are given an opportunity to integrate a wide variety of courses, internships, and programming in order to deepen their understanding of sexuality and gender in their academic, professional, and personal lives.
 As an academic discipline, LGBTQ Studies examines:
- Histories of queer and trans identities
- Queer and Trans of Color experiences
- Relationships between sexual, racial, ethnic, and national identities
- Contemporary LGBTQIA+ activist movements
- Representations of queer and trans people in music, literature, and art
Earn a Certificate in LGBTQ Studies!
1. GLF demonstration, August 1971 by Peter Tatchell. Men holding Christopher Street Liberation Day banner 2. unknown source 3. 1970 Diana Davies / New York Public Library
Founded in 1995, the LGBTQ Studies Program Certificate encourages students to think across established disciplines in order to understand the meaning of sexuality in society. For example, some courses ask for sociological or theoretical questions about the production of sexual norms. How is heteronormativity constructed and maintained in society? How are rubrics critiqued?
Other courses ask historical questions about the specificity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender lives. How have queer communities evolved over time? What is the meaning of same-sex sexuality in a global context?
The LGBTQ Studies Certificate is open to any CU Boulder undergraduate and requires the completion of 18 approved credit hours, including two required courses:
The certificate allows students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the interdisciplinary and intersectional academic study of sexualities, and to work alongside award-winning faculty who research this field.
Photograph by Golden Cosmos
