Queer, Trans, and Sexuality Studies
The Five College Queer, Trans, and Sexuality Studies certificate provides undergraduate students an opportunity to pursue a course of study that critically examines the relationship between sexual and gender identities, experiences, cultures and communities in a wide range of historical and political contexts.
Working across disciplines, students take courses in a variety of fields. The certificate also leads students to investigate how non-normative and normative genders and sexualities intersect with other social categories such as race, ethnicity, gender, class and nationality.
The certificate is available to undergraduate students enrolled at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
On This Page
Faculty
Frederick Griffiths, Professor, Classics: ftgriffiths@amherst.edu
Jen Manion, Professor, History and Sexuality, Women's, and Gender Studies: jmanion@amherst.edu
Khary Polk, Associate Professor, Black Studies and Sexuality, Women’s, and Gender Studies: kpolk@amherst.edu
rl Goldberg, Assistant Professor, Queer Studies: rlgFC@hampshire.edu
Caoimhe Harlock, Assistant Professor, Creative Writing and US Literatures: chFAC@hampshire.edu
Justin Crumbaugh, Professor, Spanish, Latina/o, and Latin American Studies: jcrumbau@mtholyoke.edu
Corey Flanders, Associate Professor, Psychology and Education: cflander@mtholyoke.edu
Christian Gundermann, Professor, Gender Studies: cgunderm@mtholyoke.edu
Ren-Yo Hwang, Associate Professor, Gender Studies and Critical Race and Political Economy: rhwang@mtholyoke.edu
Jacquelyne Luce, Senior Lecturer, Gender Studies: jluce@mtholyoke.edu
Jennifer DeClue, Associate Professor, Study of Women and Gender: jdeclue@smith.edu
Jina Kim, Associate Professor, English Language & Literature and the Study of Women and Gender: jbkim@smith.edu
Cameron Awkward-Rich, Associate Professor, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies: cawkwardrich@umass.edu
Lee Badgett, Professor Emerita, Economics: lbadgett@econs.umass.edu
Richard Chu, Five College Professor, History: rtchu@history.umass.edu
Stephen Miller, Associate Professor Emeritus, East Asian Languages and Cultures: smiller@asianlan.umass.edu
Svati Shah, Associate Professor, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies: svatipshah@umass.edu
Angie Willey, Five College Associate Professor, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies: awilley@wost.umass.edu
Certificate Requirements
To obtain a Five College certificate in Queer, Trans, and Sexuality Studies, students must successfully complete a total of seven courses, with at least 21 credits. These courses should include:
- One intro/survey/topics/foundational course in queer/trans/sexuality studies
- One intro/survey/topics/foundational course in critical race/transnational studies
- Five courses that demonstrate study in more than one of the following areas: the Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Engineering
- At least one of these five courses is at the 300-level or above
For courses to count toward the certificate, they must have:
- Significant queer/trans/sexuality studies content through reading and/or writing (i.e., a student can do a term paper focused in queer/trans/sexuality studies to enable a course to count that otherwise would not have significant enough content)
- Sexuality studies courses are expected to challenge the assumption that heterosexuality is natural and normal and should not be using “gender” as shorthand for “women” or for “women and men” (i.e., not treating gender as a binary)
Courses
Note that if you don't see classes from all campuses currently listed, they will appear as the campuses release their course schedules for the semester. The five campuses release their schedules on different dates. Visit this page for specific dates.
Fall 2026 Queer, Trans, and Sexuality Studies Courses
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAG | 188 | 01 | Sex, Race, and Empire | Khary Polk | Amherst College | TU/TH | 10:05 AM - 11:20 AM |
| SWAG | 235 | 01 | Black Sexualities | Khary Polk | Amherst College | TU/TH | 2:35 PM - 3:50 PM |
| SWAG | 262 | 01 | Feminist Legal Theory | Nica Siegel | Amherst College | TU/TH | 2:35 PM - 3:50 PM |
| FMT | 330FW | 01 | Future of Writing & AI | Kate Singer,Amy Rodgers | Mount Holyoke College | W 01:30PM-04:20PM |
| FMT | 330GM | 01 | Food, Power, Global Media | Instructor To Be Announced,Noah Tuleja | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 10:30AM-11:45AM |
| FMT | 330ME | 01 | Feminist Media Studies | Li Cornfeld | Mount Holyoke College | T 01:30PM-04:20PM |
| FMT | 330PF | 01 | Dangerous Movies | James Harold | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 03:15PM-04:30PM |
| GNDST | 204CW | 01 | AndrogynyGndr in ChineseTheat | Ying Wang | Mount Holyoke College | W 01:30PM-04:20PM |
| GNDST | 221 | 01 | Feminist & Queer Theory | Sarah Stefana Smith | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM |
| GNDST | 333AD | 01 | Abolitionist Dreams/Resistance | Ren-yo Hwang | Mount Holyoke College | T 01:30PM-04:20PM |
| GNDST | 333FM | 01 | Latina Feminism(s) | Vanessa Rosa | Mount Holyoke College | W 01:30PM-04:20PM |
| GNDST | 333ME | 01 | Feminist Media Studies | Li Cornfeld | Mount Holyoke College | T 01:30PM-04:20PM |
| GNDST | 333PC | 01 | Pregnancy and the Placenta | Sarah Bacon | Mount Holyoke College | MW 10:30AM-11:45AM |
| SWG | 290 | 01 | Gender/Sexuality/Popular Cltr | Jennifer M. DeClue | Smith College | M 1:40 PM - 2:55 PM; W 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM |
| SWG | 300lr | 01 | Sem:T-Care,Love,Resistance | Jina Boyong Kim | Smith College | TU 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM |
| SWG | 314 | 01 | Sem:DocumentingQueer&Trans | Jennifer M. DeClue | Smith College | TU 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM |
| PSYCH | 391LB | 01 | S-Psych of the GLB Experience | John Bickford | UMass Amherst | TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM |
| WGSS | 395D | 01 | S-Queer Trans Fem Disablty St | Cameron Awkward-Rich | UMass Amherst | M W 4:00PM 5:15PM |
Contact Us
Program Co-Chairs:
rl Goldberg, Assistant Professor of Queer Studies, Hampshire College
Caoimhe Harlock, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and US Literatures, Hampshire College
Five College Staff Liaison:
April Shandor, Academic Programs Coordinator