Speaker Series Focus on Sexuality

CSUF Kicks Off “Thinking Queer” Lectures Sept. 14

Sept. 9, 2011 :: No. 18

What: Richard A. Lippa, Cal State Fullerton psychology professor, will kick off the university’s “Thinking Queer” lecture series Sept. 14 with a discussion on “Looking at and Longing for Male and Female ‘Swimsuit Models’: Studies in the Category Specificity of Sexual Attraction.”

lippa Caption: Richard A. LippaDownload Photo

Other lectures in the series this fall will focus on Chicano masculinity and marriage equality.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 14
5:30 p.m.

Where: Mihaylo Hall Room 1406
Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., 92831

Parking: $2 per hour or $8 for a daily permit
Details available online: http://parking.fullerton.edu/visitors

Sponsors: Cal State Fullerton's Psychology Department, Women and Gender Studies Program, and Women and Gender Studies Student Association

More Information:
To read one of Lippa's recent journal articles on the swimsuit model topic, visit the “Thinking Queer” series website at http://hss.fullerton.edu/womens/speaker_series.htm. Additional information about the series is available from Sharon Howard at 657-278-3888.

Upcoming:
Oct. 12, 5:30 p.m. — “Pochos, Jotos, Sissies: A Cultural Genealogy of Queer Chicano Masculinity” presented by Melissa Hidalgo, Pitzer College professor of English
Mihaylo Hall Room 1406

Nov. 8, 5:30 p.m. — “Marriage Equality, Politics and the Courts” with M. Katherine Darmer, Chapman University professor of law
McCarthy Hall Room 264

More lectures are being scheduled for spring.

Media Contact: Mimi Ko Cruz, Public Affairs, 657-278-7586 or mkocruz@fullerton.edu

Top of Story

New Minor in Queer Studies

By Mimi Ko Cruz

Student demand and enthusiasm from faculty members throughout campus led to a new minor in queer studies being offered this fall. The minor fills a gap in the university's course offerings, said Karyl E. Ketchum, assistant professor of women and gender studies.

“Queer studies programs make critical contributions to university curriculum and culture across the country,” she said, adding that Cal State Fullerton is the fourth in the CSU system to offer the minor. Cal State Northridge, Sonoma State and Humboldt State were the first to offer the minor.

Ketchum; Kris Beals, assistant professor of psychology; John Ibson, professor of American studies; and Jim Taulli, associate dean of the College of the Arts, developed the minor with support from more than 40 other faculty members and administrators.

The minor encompasses 23 elective courses — housed in departments and programs across campus, including History, Philosophy, American Studies, Child and Adolescent Studies, Chicana and Chicano Studies and Human Services. None of the courses are new.

In fact, Ketchum said, “what the queer studies minor does is formally connect courses, that already exist, into a degree program.”

“For students, a queer studies minor designation on their transcript would distinguish them affirmatively in application to graduate schools across many fields,” Ketchum and colleagues noted when they proposed the new minor. “Additionally, it would make students more competitive for employment and internships in fields including social work, counseling, education, health care, social service, government and nonprofit advocacy. In a private-sector job market with increasing demand for sensitivity and nuance to issues of diversity, social marketing and critical/intellectual flexibility, a queer studies minor would allow CSUF graduates to position themselves on the leading edge of cultural, social, political and scientific knowledge, and it would recognize their specific expertise in one of the most culturally and politically relevant topics of our time.”

Beals and Ketchum serve as the minor's advisers.

California State University, Fullerton

Speaker Series Focus on Sexuality

CSUF Kicks Off “Thinking Queer” Lectures Sept. 14

New Minor in Queer Studies