Sep17
Online with Skylar Hall. Focus programs: Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.), Critical Sexuality Studies (M.S.), Human Sexuality (Ph.D.), Transformative Leadership (M.A.), Transformative Studies (Ph.D.)
Department of Human Sexuality
Grounded, contextual engagement with current issues in sexuality to drive positive change
Our degrees in critical sexuality studies explore the intersections of power and sexuality. Students explore the urgent challenges in the field and the best theoretical and methodological solutions to meet them.
What Our Faculty and Students Have to Say
Learn about our new Master of Science degree program that can be completed in a minimum of two years and 42.2 units.
The Human Sexuality department at CIIS draws professionals from many disciplines who are interested in furthering the scholarship of sexuality studies. We strive to provide an integral view of human sexuality that includes multiple perspectives and philosophies. Students are invited to explore desire, intimacy, identity, sexuality/gender, cultural influences, power and stigma, sexual response and practices, and reproduction.
The rigorous coursework invites students to create new knowledge via a scholar-practitioner model that allows for a deepening impact on scholarly insights and social change initiatives while remaining situated in the complexity of life. The department provides a rigorous academic environment and a way for you to engage in subject matter that will position professional work after graduation.
The program’s model moves you towards a grounded, contextual engagement with current issues in sexuality that have real material impact on people’s lives. Some examples of real-world inquiries pursued are:
- Black women’s sexual freedom
- Sex trafficking amongst Indigenous girls and women in Canada
- Clinical approaches to polyamory amongst millennials
- Examining self-compassion techniques for women dealing with the aftermath of sexual violence and trauma
Our Programs
CIIS offers a Ph.D. as well as a certificate in Sex Therapy to advance your understanding of human sexuality.
The M.S.
M.S. in Critical Sexuality Studies - Our master’s degree is designed to introduce students to critical sexuality studies and support their becoming scholars in the field
The Ph.D.
Ph.D in Human Sexuality Studies - Our Ph.D. curriculum is designed for individuals who wish to gain further expertise after having obtained a master’s degree.
The Sex Therapy Certificate
The Sex Therapy Certificate - CIIS offers a Sex Therapy Certificate through our Public Programs department. The certificate program is open to all.
Faculty Research and Scholarship
Our faculty explore a wide variety of topics, including social and economic justice issues for the LGBTQ+ community, the biopolitics of HIV prevention, and the reproductive journeys of transgender and nonbinary people.
Celebrating Black Sexual Freedom: Prioritizing Accurate Research of Black Sexuality
Check out this piece by recent alumna and current faculty member Erika Burns who contributed a chapter to the book Locating Critical Sexuality: Forecasting Trends in Sexual Politics, Diversity and Pedagogy which happened to also be edited by program chair, Michelle Marzullo.
Mothering in the Margin: A Narrative Inquiry of Women with Children in a Homeless Shelter
Professor Katharina Azim's current research centers around women’s reproductive health, agency, and rights in the United States. In this paper she dives into the way "appropriate mothering" is deeply dependent on the assumptions surrounding a parent's context and situation.
Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Toward Transgender People: Findings from a National Probability Sample of US Adults
In this paper, professor Aaron Norton tests various hypotheses about correlations between a binary conception of gender and propensity for psychological authoritarianism, political conservatism, and anti-egalitarianism, and religiosity.
Our Upcoming Events
Sep21
Attend the Fall Open House on September 21, 2024 to get to know your admissions counselors and learn more about CIIS' bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. programs.
Sep24
Online with Skylar Hall. Focus programs: Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.), Critical Sexuality Studies (M.S.), Human Sexuality (Ph.D.), Transformative Leadership (M.A.), Transformative Studies (Ph.D.)
Our Department in Action
Campus News
CIIS breaks ground with its new, one-of-a-kind M.S. in Critical Sexuality Studies
Campus News
When Florida laws threatened queer scholarship, CIIS provided a new home
Campus News
Scholars in queer linguistics, language, and sexuality share about their experience going to the Lavender Language conferences of the past