Encouraging students to explore and challenge the histories of sexuality and gender across multiple political and cultural contexts is the focus of a new undergraduate certificate in queer studies offered through the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). The certificate program is one of a few that centers on gender and sexuality issues in the Asia-Pacific region, with courses covering various disciplines.
In 2019, 73% of WGSS students surveyed indicated interest in a queer studies undergraduate certificate program. Core courses were introduced in fall 2020, and the program enrolled its first students in fall 2021.
“More than anything, we wanted to respond to our students’ needs, we wanted them to feel seen in this curriculum and we wanted to help prepare them for their future careers,” said WGSS Associate Professor and Chair Lani Teves.
The 15-credit program helps prepare students for a number of fields, such as health, media, business, law, social services and education, and to work toward building a more equitable future for all people. It examines sexuality with a focus on Hawaiʻi, Asia and the Pacific from a transnational, interdisciplinary and intersectional perspective.
For more information or to sign up for the undergraduate certificate program, visit the WGSS website or email undergraduate advisor Kathy Ferguson at kferguso@hawaii.edu.
