Gender and Sexuality Studies

The Academic Program

Honors Minor

1. All requirements and options for the GSST minor apply to students wishing to complete the Honors minor.
2. Students must have a B average in GSST coursework at the College in order to be accepted into Honors.
3. Honors minors must consult with the GSST Coordinator in spring of their junior year regarding their Honors preparations and submit an application for Honors with their sophomore plan by the spring of their junior year. The Honors examination preparation usually consists of GSST 091 and a 1-credit Honors attachment. Students may propose an alternative preparation of at least two credits, such as an Honors seminar eligible for GSST, a thesis, or a combination of two GSST courses. In consultation with the instructor of the preparation, honors minors will assemble a senior honors study portfolio, which may include materials such as independent essays, seminar papers, additional reading lists, or research projects.
4. Honors minors may apply one GSST-related study abroad credit toward their minor.
5. Honors minors must complete the written and oral external examiniations for their preparation at the end of their senior year.

Special Major

Students have the option of completing a Gender and Sexuality Studies special major. 

1.  Special majors must successfully complete the program requirements - GSST 001 and GSST cross-listed courses from at least two different divisions.

2.  Majors are required to complete GSST 001: Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies and to take GSST 091: Seminar in Gender and Sexuality Studies in their senior year

3.  Majors should consult with the Coordinator to identify and include courses in their program that place significant emphasis on the theories and methods specific to Gender and Sexuality Studies as an academic inquiry.

4.  The senior culminating exercise in the major is the GSST capstone (GSST 91).

5.  With the approval of the GSST Coordinator, students may include courses offered by the Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, and by the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies program at U. Penn in their program.

6.  Up to two courses taken abroad may count toward fulfillment of the special major. In order to receive credit, the GSST Coordinator must pre-approve the course. If the institution offering the course has a Women’s Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, or similar program, the course in question must be part of that program in order to be approved as a gender and sexuality studies course at Swarthmore.

7.  Only one credit may overlap with the student’s minor. Two credits may overlap with a second major.

8. With approval of the GSST Coordinator, special majors may elect to write a one-credit thesis (GSST 092), or pursue an independent study as a substitute for regular coursework.  The thesis cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of the student’s other major or minor.  Students must have adequate GSST disciplinary background to carry out independent study or write a thesis.

Special Honors Major

In exceptional cases, students can pursue a special major in GSST in the Honors Program.  Interested students should consult with the GSST Program coordinator.

Application Process Notes

Students interested in pursuing a special major or minor in GSST are required to complete the applicable GSST application form and submit it to the Programs Office, Trotter 107, in conjunction with their online sophomore application.

Transfer Credit

To receive academic credit for women’s studies or gender and sexuality studies courses taken at other colleges and universities in the U.S., students must have the courses preapproved by the GSST Coordinator. If the institution that offers the course has a Women’s or Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, or a similar program, the course in question must be part of that program in order to be approved as a gender and sexuality studies course at Swarthmore.

Off-Campus Study

The Gender and Sexuality Studies Program grants academic credit for course work relevant to the academic program taken while studying abroad. Minors may apply for no more than one credit of work done abroad to meet their GSST requirements. GSST special majors may apply up to two GSST-related study abroad credits to their program.

In order to receive credit toward their program, the GSST Coordinator must preapprove the course(s).

When the student returns to campus, the GSST Coordinator will evaluate the work (syllabus, exams, papers, and class notes) and assign the appropriate amount of credit.

Summer Funding Opportunities

GSST students are eligible to apply through the appropriate divisions (Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering) for a summer stipend of $4,500 in order to allow them to devote a substantial period of time and effort to the pursuit of a creative scholarly project, internship, work or research leading to thesis, honors, or major project preparation, or immersion in the creative arts during the summer months. The work is intended to substantially expand the research engagement or professional exposure of students. Deadline is in early February.

The Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility offers funding opportunities for internships, projects, and engaged scholarship. The Richard Sager Internship, administered through the Lang Center, supports one student interested in working with a non-profit organizational host whose mission focuses on LGBTQ issues. Students applying as a result of their academic involvement in the GSST program may also be funded through a Nason grant, which funds students who are proposing to do work which relates to their academic studies. All students will be required to apply through the Lang Center Common Application. Students  do not have to select the Sager Internship in the application process, but will be notified on receipt of the grant if they do receive the named award. Summer funding deadline in early February. Students should contact Hana Lehmann (hlehman1), to schedule a required advising appointment.  

Gender and Sexuality Studies Courses

The program offers the following courses and seminars:

• GSST 001. Feminist, Queer, and Trans Life across Generations
• GSST 020. Queer Media
• GSST 021. Trans Lifeworlds in a Virtual Age: Intimate Media and Desiring Spectators
• GSST 056. Outbreak Narratives: A Medical Humanities Exploration of Literature on Germs, Vampires, and Other Plagues
• GSST 091. Seminar in Gender and Sexuality Studies: Explorations in Theory and Method
• GSST 092. Thesis
• GSST 093. Directed Reading
• GSST 180. Senior Honors Thesis