LGBTQIA+ Curriculum

Explore course offerings in various academic disciplines that feature both historical and current discussions of gender, sexuality, and sexual orientation. 

El Camino College offers a Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies degree and related courses. For more information on how these courses may be used toward graduation or transfer requirements, visit Counseling.

 
 

(3 units, CSU Transferrable)

This course examines how a culture’s ideas about gender identity and sexual orientation affect the form and impact of literature. Materials will include canonical works that reflect themes of dissident sexuality, as well as contemporary works that write openly about modern experiences of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, etc.) community.

 

(3 units, CSU/UC Transferrable)

This course is the scientific study of human sexuality.  Emphasis is placed on analysis of sexuality from a psychological theoretical framework. Topics include the history of sex, the scientific research methods used to study sex, and the psychobiology of sex. This course also examines cultural views of sex and gender, sexual behavior and relationships, and sex as a social and medical issue.

 

(3 units, CSU Transferrable) 

This course is an introduction to psychological, social, and cultural aspects of sexual orientation and gender identity, with an emphasis on examining sexual orientation and gender identity from a psychological perspective. Topics will include historical perspectives on sexual orientation and gender identity and basic research methods used to study gender and sexuality; applied topics such as identity, relationships, mental and physical health, sexuality, prejudice and discrimination, and the role of LGBTQ allies in effecting change will also be included.  

 

(3 units, CSU/ UC Transferrable)

This course is an overview of psychological perspectives and research on gender. Topics will include theoretical perspectives on gender, psychological research methods used to study gender, sex-related differences and comparisons, and the influence of gender in areas such as relationships, communication, health, and work. 

 

(3 units, CSU/UC Transferrable)

This course will provide students with an overview of the sociological perspective of the institution of family. Both historical and contemporary aspects of singlehood, courtship, mate selection, love, cohabitation, marriage, and divorce will be examined. Components of family life including gender socialization, parenting styles, communication, and conflict resolution will be analyzed using various theoretical perspectives. Emphasis will be placed on examining diverse family structures and relationships as well as how family experiences are shaped by social class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. 

 

(3 units, CSU Transferrable)

Through this course, students will explore the concepts of sex and gender from a sociological perspective. Course content will examine shifts in attitudes, the social construction, and the importance of gender, both femininities and masculinities, in our everyday lives. Students will examine the methods sociologists use to study gender as well as how gender shapes and is shaped by the family, work, education, politics, media, the criminal justice system, health, religion, interaction, and performance. This course also analyzes the interlocking nature of gender with other major organizing principles of life such as race, class, age, and sexuality.

 

(3 units, CSU Transferrable)

This course examines how and why sexuality matters in society at both individual and institutional levels. It addresses diverse sexualities using sociological theories, methodological processes, and an intersectional approach involving race/ethnicity, class and gender. Students will utilize a sociological lens to assess the relationship between historical socio-sexual contexts and contemporary sexualities.