UCLA to Propose Undergraduate Program in Gay, Bisexual Studies : Education: If approved by the faculty senate, the new minor could be offered to students as early as next spring.

After several years of planning, UCLA faculty members, staff and students are finalizing a proposal to have the university join a small but growing number of schools offering college degrees in lesbian, gay and bisexual studies.

If approved by the faculty senate, which has final say over new courses, the minor would be in place as early as next spring, said Raymund Paredes UCLA’s associate vice chancellor for academic development. The program would include about 12 elective classes and an internship.

The classes would be concentrated in social sciences, the humanities and life / health sciences. Some of the proposed course topics include gay and lesbian scientists, sexual orientation and the law, homosexuality and the medieval world and the psychology of the lesbian experience.

In their senior year, students would be required to do an internship with Los Angeles-based companies or organizations--such as law firms or gay and lesbian help centers--that handle discrimination cases or matters relating to those communities, according to Peter B. Hammond, a UCLA anthropology professor. Hammond is also the chairman of the chancellor’s task force on lesbian, gay and bisexual studies.

To graduate, students would be required to write a thesis on their internship experience, said Hammond, who has been leading the effort to put the new program in place.

The curriculum is part of a nationwide trend at universities to offer courses that cover a wide range of lesbian, gay and bisexual topics. For example, UCLA already offers a handful of courses that deal with gay issues, and many of the classes are filled to capacity, according to UCLA professors.

“In the last two years the growth (in such courses) has been absolutely amazing,” said John Younger, professor of classical archeology at Duke University, who keeps a list of universities that offer such programs and courses. “I would say in general it’s because students are looking more at society through gender.”

The effort at UCLA is supported by the university’s administration, which has funded the research that is necessary to compile information about the types of programs the university should offer. Although there is no formal opposition to the program, some faculty members have expressed their reservations, according to Hammond.

One such faculty member is language and literature professor Jules Zentner, who says he considers it unfortunate that a separate curriculum is being considered for gay, lesbian and bisexual studies. He argues that more research should be done on gay, lesbian and bisexual issues, but that the information should be incorporated into UCLA’s current programs.

“Having separate programs . . . divides people,” Zentner said. “It seems to me that students at a university ought to have a broader perspective on life than their own identity--whether it’s sexual or ethnic. It’s hard to get a broader perspective when you focus on something so close to you.”

Zentner also said he is concerned about the lack of objectivity that may occur in a program charged with such emotions and politics.

“I think it may be tough for both the students and faculty to be objective and not to have a social or political agenda,” he said.

Others are concerned about the stigma that may be attached to the program, both for students and non-tenured professors.

But UCLA administrators argue that the minor will help UCLA stay on the cutting edge of academia. San Francisco State, for example, already offers a minor degree program, and UC Berkeley is proposing such a program.

Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., permits students to take random courses in lesbian, gay and bisexual studies and build a major in this area. So does the University of Chicago. USC offers an undergraduate degree and a graduate certificate program in the Study of Women and Men in Society, concentrating in gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender studies.

Perhaps the most important feature of a minor program will be to foster acceptance of gay lifestyles at UCLA, said one administrator.

“If you have an academic program, there is a legitimacy that comes from that,” said Dr. Rae Lee Siporin, director of undergraduate admissions and relations with schools. “And there tends to be greater acceptance and understanding. Homophobia is a lack of understanding.”