Skip to main content

Gender and Sexuality Studies (Cluster and Certificate)

The Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSS) program brings together dynamic faculty and graduate students conducting research in the theory and history of gender, feminism, and sexuality studies. GSS draws from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, training students in core concepts of gender and sexuality studies while also mentoring students as they incorporate elements of this scholarship into interdisciplinary research projects centered in other departments and programs.

Doctoral candidates from any field are eligible to apply to join this intellectual “home” outside their department. While the majority of our students are pursuing Ph.D.s in programs housed within Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Communication, or the Bienen School of Music, we have also forged connections with MA and MFA programs on campus and, when possible, with students in other colleges at Northwestern.

GSS offers a Cluster and Certificate program, each with specific course requirements.

Programs and events

Many GSS events, such as visiting lecturers and conferences, are open to all members of the University. We encourage all students, faculty and staff of Northwestern to learn more about our research and activities by participating in our public events.

Graduate seminars in GSS are open to graduate students across the University. In addition, GSS students participate in a dedicated graduate colloquium with opportunities to offer and receive feedback on work-in-progress and to meet with visiting scholars. Other GSS events address areas related to professional development, conference planning, honing interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching, and other topics, in sync with the stated interests of the students involved.

GSS also makes available limited, competitively awarded funds to assist graduate students in the cluster/certificate program who present their research at professional conferences.

Every year, Gender & Sexuality Studies supports four Teaching Assistantships in conjunction with our 200-level courses. The Teaching Assistantships provide an opportunity to teach courses outside students' home disciplines and to supplement their professional training. Teaching Assistantships are competitively awarded on the basis of applications and brief interviews. This TAship includes 3 quarters of stipend (standard rate set by TGS), tuition, and health subsidy. You can also find additional information about the GSS TAship and in the interview process in the GSS graduate student handbook, which you can download here.

How to apply or get started

Prospective graduate students interested in participating in this program should indicate their interest when they apply to their respective graduate programs. Some students will be invited to Northwestern as Mellon-funded “fellows” of the Gender and Sexuality Studies Cluster,

Graduate seminars in GSS are open to graduate students across the University, and any graduate student may pursue the Certificate by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies in Gender and Sexuality Studies, and/or the program administrator of GSS (see below).

In general, students are encouraged to begin their participation in GSS in their first year of graduate study. During that year, students may want to enroll in a course designated as Queer or Feminist/Gender theory to begin developing a familiarity with theoretical concepts in the field. From here, students should pursue courses that sufficiently broaden their knowledge of the field beyond their particular home disciplines, and might want to confer with their thesis advisors and their Gender Studies Graduate Advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies to determine the specific direction of their coursework and research or performance project.

For yearly course listings, consult the GSS website here.

Who to contact

Please explore the GSS website for more information.  If you still have questions after reading the site, feel free to contact the DGS or the Program Assistant. Their information is listed below.

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

Cluster

The purpose of the Cluster is to introduce students to the basics of Gender and Sexuality Studies. While we encourage  breadth in the field, the cluster serves as an opportunity for students who may not have much room or flexibility in their coursework schedules to still get training in topics related to Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Prospective graduate students interested in participating in this program should indicate their interest when they apply to their respective graduate programs. Some students will be invited to Northwestern as Mellon-funded fellows of the Gender and Sexuality Studies Cluster.

Students in established departmental graduate programs can also participate in the Gender and Sexuality Studies Graduate Cluster. Note: This credential does not appear on transcripts. Most students proceed to the Certificate.

Cluster Requirements

At least one designated sexuality theory course from the list below

At least one designated gender/feminist theory course from the list below

One additional GSS course in any field

Any two quarters of the Graduate Colloquium

Certificate

The certificate is a more robust and thorough training in Gender and Sexuality Studies. It is not only to gain knowledge in matters and topics related to the study of genders and sexualities; it is also designed to broaden students’ understanding of the field and its many methodologies, questions, and scopes. To that end, we strongly encourage students pursuing the Certificate to engage in GSS coursework that falls outside of their primary discipline. GSS is deeply interdisciplinary, and students are encouraged to engage as fully as possible in that interdisciplinarity.

Certificate Requirements

At least two designated sexuality studies courses (at least one of which must be a sexuality theory course) from the list below

At least two designated gender/feminist studies courses (at least one of which must be a gender/feminist theory course) from the list below

One additional GSS course in any field

Any two quarters of the Graduate Colloquium

Courses

Please see below for the approved courses you may take to fulfill the GSS Cluster or Certificate. As a note, the approved courses will not always be taught each quarter. Please cross-reference what is currently being offered with the courses that have been approved for each requirement. If you would like to ask any questions or make any substitutions, please be in touch with the current Director of Graduate Studies for GSS before finalizing your plans.

Please be aware also that the GSS Colloquium is taught for two quarters each academic year. It is a 0.5 credit course and meets five times in each of its two quarters. Colloquium is a forum for the circulation and discussion of work-in-progress by advanced graduate students in GSS, and a workshop for pre-professional activities, meetings with faculty in the program, presentations by recent fellowship recipients, and discussion of topics and issues relevant to those enrolled in the course. Anyone is welcome to attend single sessions of the Colloquium whenever they wish, even when they are not participating throughout a given term. GSS students are invited to participate in the Colloquium as many times as they like over the course of their graduate career. The Colloquia you enroll in do not have to be consecutive.

Sexuality Studies Courses (400-level)

Gender/Feminist Studies Courses (400-level)

Sociology of Immigration (Carrillo)

Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)

Sexual Knowledges (Liu)

Queer Love and Loss (Chambers-Letson)

Queer Theory and Queer Cinema (Davis)

Feminist Conversations in Black, Disability, and Queer Studies (Bailey)

Queer Theory (Enteen)

Queering the Crown (Masten)

The Archive, Performance, and Queer Method (Chambers-Letson)

Sociology of Sexuality (Carrillo)

Early Modern Sexualities (Masten)

Gender in Colonial Spanish America (West)

Feminist Conversations in Black, Disability, and Queer Studies (Bailey)

Philosophy of Protest (Medina)

Feminist Theory & the Study of Religion (Jacoby)

Gender History as Global History (Stanley)

Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)

Afrofeminists (Larcher)

Reading Gender Otherwise (West)

Gender in Colonial Spanish America (West)

Gender, Power, Politics (Orloff)

Locating Gender in Indigenismo and Indianismo (West)

Queer Theory (Enteen)

Sexuality Theory Courses

Gender/Feminist Theory Courses

Queer Theory (Enteen)

Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)

Queer Love and Loss (Chambers-Letson)

Queer Theory and Queer Cinema (Davis)

Sexual Knowledges (Liu)

Sociology of Sexuality (Carrillo)

Early Modern Sexualities (Masten)

Reading Gender Otherwise (West)

Feminist Theory and the Study of Religion (Jacoby)

Theorizing Black Genders and Sexualities (Bey)

Gender, Power, Politics (Orloff)

Locating Gender in Indigenismo and Indianismo (West)

Queer Theory (Enteen)

Additional Requirements

GSS Advisory form: Please fill out and submit with your materials the GSS advisory form to the current Director of Graduate Studies

Cover letter: Must outline your project and the ways that GSS is integral to it. The cover letter attached by the student to the major research project should include situating the project in its field, explaining its gender and/or sexuality focus, its contribution to the field, and the grounds on which it should be accepted in fulfillment of the certificate requirement. While there is no length requirement for this letter, it needs to clearly articulate the points above, so we recommend a minimum of one page. If need be, the GSS DGS will reach out to the student, and, if necessary, to the student’s adviser, for clarifications and further details.

Research project: This can be a seminar paper, prospectus, dissertation chapter, or conference paper. It must clearly show that GSS is foundational for your project and your thinking, and should ideally demonstrate the impact of GSS courses on your work. For any further clarifications, contact the GSS DGS directly. Preferred formats for submission are PDF, Word files, or MP4s.