The minor invites any Cornell graduate student enrolled in a research degree program interested in FGSS to design an interdisciplinary program of study. Faculty spans several fields, including literatures in English, performing & media arts, anthropology, communication, history, and africana studies, allowing studies to develop a graduate minor to meet their specific interests. 

A required introductory course, FGSS 6880: Proseminar in Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies, is taught every spring and offers an introduction to theoretical and practical aspects of the interdisciplinary field of FGSS. Students will explore both the disciplinary specifics of FGSS scholarship and the interdisciplinary breadth of gender/sexuality's reach as an analytic lens. While many of our graduate courses train students in highly specialized areas of feminist theory, this course aims to teach students how to find common intellectual ground from interdisciplinary perspectives without sacrificing the complexity of any disciplinary approach.

Students will complete the required course and designate a member of their special committee, drawn from the list of FGSS grad field faculty, to guide research in the minor area of FGSS, recommend classes, and attest to competency in FGSS at the time of the A-Exam and dissertation defense. That committee member will inform the FGSS DGS of their student's progress in fulfilling minor requirements. Fill out the FGSS Graduate Minor application form here:

FGSS graduate minor application

Upon completion of the minor and graduate degree requirements, the student will be awarded an FGSS Graduate Minor Certificate. 

FGSS Graduate Studies email: fgss@cornell.edu.

Want to be added to the FGSS graduate student mailing list? Please email Program Manager Maria Montesano.

This is a minor field. Application for admission to the Cornell Graduate School is made only to the major fields. 

Cornell graduate students whose research interests include feminist, gender, and sexuality studies are encouraged to apply for the FGSS First-Year Writing Seminar Award or the FGSS Teaching Assistantship.

First-Year Writing Seminar Award

The FGSS First-Year Writing Seminar Award will be offered to one or two graduate students at Cornell for demonstrated excellence in teaching. Applicants must have completed their third year. The award will provide tuition and a stipend, equivalent to the current teaching assistantship stipend, for the one semester of teaching. 

Applications are due by February 15, 2025. 

Teaching Assistantships

FGSS has a limited number of teaching assistantships each year and is particularly interested in graduate students at Cornell who would benefit from working with our joint faculty and serving as a TA in our core curriculum. 

Applications are due by February 15, 2025. 

Graduate Assistantship

The FGSS and LGBT Studies graduate assistant provides event, community-building, and communications support for the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (FGSS) and LGBT Studies programs.

The FGSS Graduate Colloquium gives graduate minors across disciplines the opportunity to present their feminist scholarship to faculty and other graduate students interested in gender and sexuality studies. If you are interested in presenting at the colloquium, please contact fgss@cornell.edu.

Graduate Student Activities

• Queer and Sexuality Studies Reading Group (QSS): The Queer and Sexuality Studies Reading Group (QSS) provides graduate students with a space to discuss sex and sexuality through a specifically queer lens. Here we seek to explore questions of sexuality as they relate to race, gender, disability, class and more. We will mostly be reading texts from queer theory and LGBT studies, but readings can also include fiction, memoir, manifestos, visual media, etc.

Graduate Student Organizations

• QGrads (LGBTQ+ Graduate Student Association): QGrads is a graduate student organization focused on building a strong queer community at Cornell, by creating spaces for graduate students of all sexual orientations and gender identities to feel seen, heard, and supported. We serve approximately 150 graduate students in various fields of study, with exciting programs throughout the year including professional development events, community discussions, and social gatherings. In addition to planning events that promote personal and professional development of LGBTQIA+ graduate students, we work with other organizations at Cornell to facilitate activist training, social justice events, and events focused on diversity and inclusion.

Grants and Awards

• Constance E. Cook and Alice H. Cook Award: Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are eligible to be nominated for the Cook Award. The Cook Award honors those who demonstrate a strong commitment to women's issues and to improving the climate for women at Cornell. 
• Graduate Diversity & Inclusion Awards: Each year, OISE and the Graduate and Professional Diversity Council present several awards to graduate and professional degree students who have demonstrated a strong commitment towards advancing efforts around diversity, inclusion, outreach, and student engagement.

On-Campus Resources

• Gender Equity Resource Center: The Gender Equity Resource Center strives for education, empowerment, and strength for women and gender-expansive students. The center aims to foster a vibrant and supportive campus community to help empower students to bring their full and authentic selves to every part of their lives – on campus and beyond. We fully believe that it is best to champion gender justice from an inclusive and intersectional place that acknowledges and supports individuals across their multiple identities. Through leadership development opportunities, dynamic programs, and educational events, the center seeks to build community and promote gender equity and inclusion at Cornell and beyond.
• LGBT Resource Center: The LGBT Resource Center is proud to welcome all LGBTQ+ students to our space, our programs, and the community on campus! All are welcome here.As a unit within the Dean of Students’ Center for Student Equity, Empowerment, and Belonging, the LGBT Resource Center is the hub of LGBTQ+ student life and resources at Cornell.