New LGBT/Queer studies minor available for students

Chantal Nadeau, director of Gender and Women's Studies, talks in front of others about the new LGBT/Q minor that is offered at the University at the Gender and Women's Studies house on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009.
Brad Meyer The Daily Illini

Gordana Rasic, sophomore in LAS, has one thing that sets her apart from other students at the University: she is the only student who has declared a minor in LGBT/Queer Studies.

The new minor became available earlier this semester, said Chantal Nadeau, director of LGBT/Queer studies and a professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, or GWS.

“It is almost like a gift for me,” Nadeau said. “I’ve been waiting for it for 15 years.”

While courses such as Intro to Queer Studies have existed at the University since 2003, for the past two years the department has worked to form an individual minor including 18 hours of coursework, Nadeau said. There are 10 different classes incorporated with the minor, including studies in areas of sexuality and literature and trans bodies and politics, she added.

Rasic said she declared the minor because of her interest in the subject matter and because both the minor and her major in anthropology deal with people and different aspects of humanity. She said her interest in LGBT/Queer studies increased after her high school involvement in the Gay Street Alliance and the National Day of Silence.

The GWS Program celebrated the new minor at a ceremony Sept. 24. About 15 professors, prospective students and supporters of the minor attended the ceremony.

Amy Leahy, sophomore in LAS, said she only heard about the minor recently, but she attended the ceremony because she wanted to learn more.

Nadeau said she is excited for how the minor will progress this year.

“Gender and sexuality is central to understanding the world we live in,” Nadeau said.

Nadeau said she believes this minor and its required courses will challenge students to ask questions about the role of sexuality in everyday life. She said students who decide to declare this minor will achieve a more cultured background, and that this will help students have a healthy attitude toward diversity in their future job placements.

Nadeau said the program is up and running this semester with the goal of obtaining the 14 more needed students.

The minor is not unique to the University. Others schools with the minor include Northern Illinois University, the University of Minnesota, and Indiana University–Bloomington, Nadeau said.

Students interested in enrolling in the minor or learning more about the courses can visit the GWS program office on the corner of Sixth and Chalmers.