OLPD5705

This interdisciplinary course draws on scholarship in not only the field of education, broadly, but also from sociology, performance studies, history, anthropology, queer and trans studies, cultural, and gender studies to explore lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer complex identities, identifications, and the social, political, historical, and cultural problems underpinning these constructions with particular emphasis on and connection to past and current issues for queer and trans people in higher education.
Lange et al. (2019) remind us that there is “still a significant need to theorize liberation in higher education through queer and trans epistemologies” (p. 512). Through a consideration of the history of campus and community-based queer and trans activism, this course will explore ways of being, thinking, and doing for queer and trans people and provide scholars and practitioners with tools to advance difficult dialogues around issues or concerns related to the queer and trans community. Specifically, this course will explore queer and trans identities, queer and trans peoples’ experiences on college campuses (e.g., students, leadership, climate, etc.), and situate these issues in sociohistorical and cultural contexts. Students will utilize critical policy approaches to engage with campus and state policies including anti-queer and trans legislation and policies (ACLU, 2024), anti-discrimination statements, campus climate assessments, Title IX, queer and trans studies, and campus housing and bathroom policies. Finally, this course will provide a space for current and future scholars and practitioners to examine and interrogate how institutional programs and culture may influence the experiences of queer and trans people in higher education.
*I purposefully use the terms queer and trans to capture a broad inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer individuals.

000017

Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer