Bergen Community College

PARAMUS, N.J. – Bergen Community College will become one of the only community colleges in the country to offer a course in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer studies this fall. College officials, students, faculty, staff and members of the LGBTQ community celebrated the launch of the course with a ceremonial flag raising as part of Bergen’s annual Pride Month celebration June 1.

The three-credit sociology course, “Introduction to LGBTQ Cultures,” will provide a framework for students to explore the biopsychosocial and historical perspectives of voices and experiences of LGBTQ people in the U.S. Topics include exploring the 1970s gay liberation and lesbian feminism, the 1980s AIDS epidemic, the rise of “queer” theory in the 1990s, popular fiction and memoirs in the 2000s and the emergence of current transgender and intersex issues, research and theory. Professor Lori Talarico will teach the course online beginning Sept. 1. Students can register by searching for SOC-106-001 at my.bergen.edu. The class requires no prerequisites.

“Offering ‘Introduction to LGBTQ Cultures’ adds another dimension to Bergen’s ongoing efforts in diversity and inclusion,” Talarico said. “While many people may have heard about some events in LGBTQ history, such as the Stonewall Riots or the assassination of Harvey Milk in San Francisco, many significant events and issues have been underrepresented in the curriculum. It is time for all LGBTQ students and their allies to have access to an academically rigorous and inclusive in-depth look through this course.”

For more information on SOC-106-001, or any of the College’s fall offerings, visit Bergen.edu or attend a Tuesday, July 13 open house from 5 to 7 p.m. at the main campus, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus.

Bergen offers more than 130 degree and certificate programs in areas such as aviation, criminal justice, dental hygiene, fashion design and hospitality. Students considering enrolling at the College should first file their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Filing a FAFSA can help students become eligible for programs such as the state’s tuition-free Community College Opportunity Grant, which has now expanded to include households making up to $65,000 per year, and other tuition assistance programs. The College ranks No. 1 in New Jersey for associate degree graduates. The College has also frozen tuition rates at last year’s levels and offered students the opportunity to apply for stimulus funds awarded through the institution and federal government.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

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