The Department of Philosophy and World Religions is opening the floor to a new certification program called Queer Theory. Recently launched in the fall of 2024, the queer theory certificate of undergraduate studies (CUGS) offers Rowan students an interdisciplinary approach to learning about gender, sexuality, and the power structures within society.

The three-credit course can also count as the necessary Rowan Core Humanistics Literacy requirement students across all majors need. For students seeking to earn the CUGS, it’s 12 credits and four courses. The two basic courses include Intro To Queer Theory and Topics In Queer Theory, which is being taught for the first time this semester by Dr. Edward Kazarian, assistant teaching professor at Rowan. 

“It was very clear almost from the beginning that there was a population of students who were interested and found this very important but were not being particularly well served on campus,” said Kazarian.

Kazarian worked in collaboration with Dr. Whitney Cox, assistant teaching professor of world religions. 

Conversations on how they’d build the foundation for what is now the CUGS in Queer Theory began four years ago when Cox came to Rowan University and met with Kazarian to discuss the desire to team-teach a course on Queer Theory.  

Four years ago when Cox came to Rowan University she began having early conversations with Kazarian about wanting to co-teach a course in queer theory. In spring of 2022 Cox and Kazarian spoke to faculty and were able to convince them to move forward with establishing the course.  Although co-teaching was difficult for them to set up because it was hard to get two faculty members assigned to one course.

“The goal in the future is to pass it among different people but no one else on campus could teach it the way we’ve taught it,” said Cox, who has been working to spread the word and promote the program alongside Kazarian. The two have attended many LGBTQ+ student-run events such as SOUL, Prism, Pride Fest, and Pink Pony Profs. 

“The Queer Theory CUGS has a narrower, more specific focus than Women and Gender Studies,” Cox said. “Both programs examine gender, sex, and sexuality, but this certificate is more focused on the theoretical frameworks behind those concepts.”

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