San Diego State University, a public, taxpayer-supported institution, has announced its newest graduate-level program. The university will offer an “Advanced Certificate in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies,” starting this fall.
According to a university press release, the purpose of the program is to “advance knowledge in sexual and gender identity, and increase understanding of the diverse cultural, historical, ethnic, racial and contemporary experiences of people across sexualities.”
The university boasts that the new LGBT certificate program will be one of only a few such programs offered in the U.S.
In addition to twelve units of academic course work, the certificate will require students to participate in community service and “activism.” The university statement does not specify what kind of “activism” students will perform, but internships and gay and lesbian themed “study abroad” trips will be part of the program.
This year, students in the LGBT study abroad program will travel to Jamaica as part of their taxpayer-funded coursework.
Other courses in the program include, “Sex & the Sacred,” “Lesbian Lives and Cultures,” and one course entitled, “Women and the Environment.”
San Diego State was among the first public universities in the nation to offer courses in LGBT Studies. Its first such courses date back to the 1970’s. “We saw a real need to build a program to pull all of the graduate-level classes that explore LGBT issues together into one place,” said Esther Rothblum, a women’s studies professor who heads up the new program.
Each summer for the past seven years, the university has held a rainbow flag raising ceremony on campus, in honor of San Diego’s Pride Week.
SDSU even hosts a special “Lavender” graduation ceremony each spring, reserved exclusively for students “who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or allies.”
Traditional academic disciplines such as mathematics, science, and the humanities, are not placed on a pedestal at San Diego State University. Instead, SDSU’s focus on race and sexual orientation extends to its core academic requirements. The university requires every undergraduate to fulfill a cultural diversity requirement in order to graduate. Meanwhile, it is possible to graduate without ever taking an American history course.
“Diversity is a cornerstone of a well-rounded education,” said provost Nancy Marlin in response to the university’s newest graduate-level program.
The “Advanced Certificate in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies” adds yet another weapon to San Diego State’s arsenal of programs designed to shape the moral and political views of the youth–all at taxpayer expense.
Nathan Harden is editor of The College Fix and author of the book SEX & GOD AT YALE: Porn, Political Correctness, and a Good Education Gone Bad.
Follow Nathan on Twitter @NathanHarden
(Image: JeffHester.Flickr)
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.