Guide to the Gay and Lesbian Studies Program Records, 1999-2002
No restrictions.
Gay and Lesbian Studies Program: Records, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
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Gay and Lesbian Studies is an interdisciplinary program coordinating courses that examine the role of sexuality in culture; consider the specific cultural achievements of lesbians and gay men; and take a critical perspective on the experiences and depictions of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. The Committee for Gay and Lesbian Studies was instituted by President Robert Edwards in 1990 with a mission to raise Bowdoin's institutional awareness of Gay and Lesbian Studies as an academic discipline; to encourage the development of courses in gay and lesbian studies; and to monitor the growth of offerings and interest at Bowdoin with the intent of proposing a minor, and perhaps eventually a major, in the field. In 1999 the Committee, chaired by James McCalla, successfully proposed a Gay and Lesbian Studies minor to the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee (a 1997 proposal had been turned down). The minor was officially added to Bowdoin's curriculum in the 2000-2001 academic year.
The collection contains records, correspondence, and audio tapes of oral history interviews. Records relate to the creation of a minor in Gay and Lesbian Studies, including the Gay and Lesbian Studies Committee's 1999 proposal (to establish a minor) to the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee, and related correspondence. Also includes information, mostly correspondence, pertaining to guest speakers at Bowdoin funded by the Lesbian and Gay Lectureship Fund, which is endowed by private donors, not the College. There are also oral history interviews conducted with gay and lesbian alumni/faculty/staff in 2002 under the auspices of the Gay and Lesbian Studies Program.
This series contains records relating to the establishment of a minor in Gay and Lesbian Studies. Includes the Gay and Lesbian Studies Committee's 1999 proposal (to establish a minor) to the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee and related correspondence.
Arranged chronologically.
No restrictions.
Proposal for a minor in gay and lesbian studies. March 1999.
Letters to department heads about courses relevant to the minor. September 1999.
Responses to departmental inquiries. September 1999.
Letter to the CEP committee regarding the minor. 27 September 1999.
Correspondence. September and October 1999.
Correspondence. March - July 2000.
This series contains information, particularly correspondence, concerning speakers brought to the College through the Lesbian and Gay Lectureship Fund. The fund is endowed by private donors, not Bowdoin College itself, and is managed by the Gay and Lesbian Studies Committee.
Arranged chronologically.
No restrictions.
Lesbian and Gay Lectureship Fund: General, 2000-.
Daryl Bem, "Exotic Becomes Erotic: Explaining the Enigma of Sexual Attraction." 19 October 2000.
Colleen Lamos, "'I'm Not a Lesbian, I Just Loved Thelma': Djuna Barnes' Lesbian Disavowal." 4 April 2001.
This series contains audio tapes of oral history interviews conducted with gay and lesbian alumni/faculty/staff in 2002 under the auspices of the Gay and Lesbian Studies Program. Margaret Peachy conducted the five interviews, two of which are transcribed.
Arranged alphabetically.
As noted on individual Informed Consent Forms.
Becker, David - 2002 Aug 29 informed consent form and audio tape
Cerf, Steven - 2002 Aug 27 informed consent form and audio tape
Dickey, Sara - 2002 Aug 28 informed consent form and audio tape
McCalla, James - 2002 Aug 16 informed consent form, audio tape and transcript
Wilson III, Delwin - 2002 Jul 29 informed consent form, audio tape and transcript