Women's studies program associate professors Lisa Foster (left) and Clemencia Rodriguez listen to student feedback at the "What is Queer Studies?" Panel Thursday, hosted by OU GLBTF. Students gathered in the Women's Studies Library to learn more about OU's first queer theory class offered this summer. Renee Selanders/The Daily

Fifteen students and faculty explored queer theory at the “What is Queer Studies?” panel Thursday night, learning more about the first queer studies class at OU and brainstorming ways to bring similar courses to the university.

Held in the Women’s Studies Library, the panel discussed topics of OU’s first queer studies class, Queer Theory, which the Women’s Studies Program will offer this summer. Student requests for queer studies classes brought this new course to OU.

Sponsored by OU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Friends as part of OU Gay Pride Week, the panel featured Lisa Foster, panelist and women’s studies professor; Clemencia Rodriguez, women’s studies program associate professor; and Madeline Ambrose, women’s studies sophomore.

“‘To queer’ means to say ‘OK, instead of this person being cast as a straight person or being cast as a gay person, why don’t we look at the person?’” Foster said.

In an interview prior to the panel, Rodriguez, who will be teaching Queer Theory, said the course will study theories of modernization as well as studies of gay and lesbian social and political issues. Rodriguez said this critique of modernization, which led to the social norm of pigeonholing people in rigid societal roles, will allow students to better understand queer studies.

“All those categories and labels come from modernity, which basically forces you to categorize everything – gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, etcetera,” Rodriguez said. “Most of the time our personal experiences actually spill over the categories.”

This new class will incorporate studies of social and political theories that evaluate social norms and how marginalized groups become viewed as second-class citizens, Rodriguez said.

“Gay and lesbian people also ... have been pushed by modernity to the status of second-class citizens” Rodriguez said. “That’s why I think that all these theories need to be looked at as a family of theories.”

Foster said Rodriguez’s method of teaching queer studies using broad social and political theories better allows students to discuss queer theory.

“In our [society], we have cognitive folders for racial struggle, civil rights and even gender struggle, and so I think when you start putting queer theory as a critical theory in conversation with these other theories, that helps make it more understandable and palatable,” Foster said.

Jessie St. Amand, English sophomore and OU GLBTF president, said the prospect of having more queer studies classes at OU shows the community matters in the university setting.

“It would mean that issues that relate to their lives are given privilege in academic departments for the first time,” St. Amand said.