Programs: Some want queer studies program; others doubt its value
Continued from page 1
"We’re in a time of budget cuts,
and ‘Do we find the money to make
that happen?' is always a question,”
she said. “You have students who
want lots of different programs, and
some classes are being cut that stu
dents really like because we just
don’t have the money to offer them.”
She said an immediate goal is to
provide a “clearinghouse” for infor
mation about classes with LGBT con
tent, where students could find out
the classes that discuss the subject
and see whether it’s a side topic or
major focus.
The University has a clearly de
fined plan to add new instructional
programs on the academic affairs
Web site, but Martin said it seems
that working queer studies into the
diversity plan would be effective.
“People thought that this could
be a natural part of the diversity
plan. I think we were really waiting
to see where the diversity plan
would go because if that moved for
ward, then that moves into it,” she
said. “Let’s put this as part of our
commitment to diversity.”
Johnny Correa, a member of the
LGBTQA, said he is one of many who
would be interested in minoring in
queer studies.
“I’d be very excited ... I think stuff
on queer theory would be really in
teresting, looking at some of the cul
tural things that arise out of queer
community, looking at race and class
in the queer community.”
While it may seem that the women
and gender studies department
would encompass the content of a
queer studies minor, Correa said that
because the two subjects are very dif
ferent it doesn’t make sense to lump
them together.
He said examining an overarching
view of queer life, including literature
and experiences, would fit
in well with the University’s curricu
lum and although some classes are
available, there’s no comprehensive
program.
“My minor now is women and
gender studies, and that’s the closest
I thing can get to queer theory ... but
still, that’s a certain perspective,”
Correa said.
He added that many students
could appreciate and benefit from a
sexualities minor.
“People really want it, and we ac
tually made a list on the wall of the
classes we wanted to see,” he said.
“We filled four or five giant parch
ments of paper.”
Currently, there are six universities
in the United States that offer queer
studies majors and 26 that offer
queer studies minors or certificates,
including UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley,
UC Riverside and Arizona State.
ASU’s program consists of 15 credit
hours — two required classes and a
selection of electives such as queer
filmmaking, sexuality of men and
Victorian sexualities.
University student Aaron Reyna
said queer studies should be respect
ed as a valid academic program.
“They’re another group of people,
so just like we have ethnic studies, we
have different historical courses on dif
ferent cultures, queer studies is just
like the study of another culture. ”
But Tom Albright, a political sci
ence major and vice chairman of the
College Republicans, said he feels
queer studies isn’t necessarily an aca
demic pursuit.
“For general curriculum in the
mainstream, this sounds like it’s
ludicrous,” he said. “Things that
make sense — business, literature,
education — I think those are the
things that a university should have,
and this university has them. I think
those are the worthwhile type
of curriculum, not these gender
studies and all that sort of thing.
There’s absolutely no way to get a
grasp on them.”
Others said that queer studies is an
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important subject, but other new
programs would be in greater demand.
“I think that it would be a very good
program to add,” said Travis Smith, a
member of the College Democrats.
“But I think-I’d add Arabic right
now — OSU and PSU have 101
through 203 in Arabic. ... There’s
not enough Arabic speakers, and
there’s a very big interest in the self
study program.”
But Martin remains hopeful about
the prospects for the queer studies
minor. She said she thinks it could
be created by next year if it is ade
quately supported.
“I think there’s fundamental
things that have to be addressed —
like financial and administrative
support ... but I still think it very
well could happen, and then we
could work on making it nationally
known and supported,” she said.
Contact the higher education reporter
at kbrown@dailyemerald.com
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