This project seeks to develop a joint academic certificate program in Sexual and Gender Diversity between EU Peace Alliance members that would solidify the presence of this academic content across Europe and which would be made available to Europe students. Building off our project for the second call, in which we´ve been developing a series of on line recorded classes and conducted a mapping of LGBTQIA+ content in four Alliance institutions, this project creates a certificate program in which students will be able to enroll in short online courses towards the fulfillment of a joint certificate organized by partner institutions in sexual and gender diversity studies. The classes will be taught by leading academics in the material.
This project, we believe, will form the basis of a future degree program in gender and sexuality studies as part of a European studies track at the proposed European University. This project is particularly timely and relevant for a number of reasons. Firstly, because our research from our current project evidences the lack of LGBTQIA+ content in most classes, and a reluctance on the part of many professors to integrate this content. Secondly, because our research from this first project has demonstrated the increasing pressure by far right political forces to cut back on programs that deal with sexual and gender diversity studies. Therefore, this project is both timely and necessary in order to ensure that academic studies in the field of sexual and gender diversity are not only protected in Europe, but can continue to be offered to students around the continent, and that professors, as well, have a safe academic space to advance knowledge and scholarship.
This project is made possible through seed funding from the EUPeace Fund, an initial incentive launched to cultivate and develop interest across EUPeace communities in our network; by providing a first format for collaboration, the Fund equips participating researchers, educators, students and administrators with a practical tool for experimentation and active participation, employing a bottom-up approach that generates concrete information on the interests and needs of our communities and informs future collaborative initiatives.
© Adam Dubin
