LBGS Studies

Film and Media Studies contributes to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies (LGBT Studies) Certificate and BIS Concentration offered by the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies, administered through the College of Public Programs.

Description
Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered (LGBT) people play important roles as colleagues, clients, parents, children, siblings, neighbors, employees and employers, religious leaders, and friends. Given the increasing visibility and changing political climate for LGBT people in the United States, all students-not only those who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender-are served well by learning about the histories, communities, and contemporary social issues regarding people from LGBT backgrounds. The educational experience is enhanced when students are introduced to complex intersections between and among sexual, racial, ethnic, religious, geographic, and national identities. The philosophy of this certificate program is to promote intellectual and pedagogical diversity as one of the university's greatest assets, in part by instilling in students sensitivity to cultures different from their own, but also through careful analysis of the self in historical, artistic, and sociocultural contexts.

The goals of the certificate program are to give students knowledge about specific lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered communities; knowledge about the history and maintenance of the category, lesbians and gay men; theoretical perspectives on heterosexuality as a presumptive sexual identity; an understanding of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies as an academic area of inquiry; an understanding of community politics, dynamics, and conflicts; use-inspired education that culminates in a public presentation; and practical experience in utilizing course work knowledge in the community through an internship or community service project.

Program Requirements
The certificate requires 15 semester hours; a minimum of 12 must be upper division. The two required courses are Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies and the capstone experience. The remaining nine hours are electives from an approved list.

Please contact the department for more information: http://www.asu.edu/copp/bis/.