The certificate in Gender, Sexuality, Theology, and Ministry (GSTM) can be earned within the M.Div. (residential and hybrid), M.T.S., Th.D., and M.A. in Christian Practice degrees and enables students to make the study of gender, sexuality, theology, and ministry a core component of their theological education. It fosters a collaborative environment for teaching, research, service learning, and dialogue.

Program Details

The GSTM program creates a network, community of discourse, and intellectual space—at Duke Divinity School and beyond—where we privilege questions of gender and sexuality in the academic study and practices of theology, ministry, and lived religion. We examine intersections of gender with race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality, and ask what these questions mean for the church and for our common work.

Students in the certificate program take elective courses in the Divinity School or Department of Religious Studies and in Duke’s Program in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies that use gender and sexuality as primary lenses. They also design and execute an independent research or contextual learning project and present their work in a senior colloquium.  

The work of the GTSM program also extends beyond the certificate into developing new courses that use the study of gender and sexuality as a primary analytical lens, fostering scholarship and academic dialogue across fields and positions, bringing guest lecturers to Duke Divinity School, sponsoring training in pastoral responses to domestic violence, and encouraging the community to engage with students’ work at the senior colloquia.

Requirements

The requirements for the certificate are:

  • Completion of three courses in gender studies: a graduate level course in the Program in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies or an approved alternative; and two courses within the Divinity School or religion department with a clear focus on gender studies (this could also be another Gender Studies course)
  • Students must complete a contextual learning or research project in the area of gender, sexuality, theology, and ministry. The project may be conducted in one of four ways:
    • within a course (but not within any of the three courses that fulfill the previous requirement)
    • within a directed study
    • as an independent community service project
    • within the context of a field education placement (Note: The field education office is not responsible for facilitating or evaluating this project in any way)
  • Participation in a colloquium by students to discuss their contextual learning projects and/or to share the results of their research. Affiliated faculty members will be responsible for directing the colloquy.

M.A. in Christian Practice Certificate Requirements

  • Completion of two courses in gender studies within the Divinity School or religion department (hybrid or residential), or an approved alternative, with a clear focus on gender studies
  • Completion of one assignment related to Gender, Sexuality, Theology, and Ministry for a non-GSTM course, with permission from instructor
  • If feasible, students will participate in a colloquium to discuss their contextual learning projects and/or to share the results of their research
  • Completion of 500-word summary of how coursework integrates with current vocation, with specific reference to GSTM certificate

Find detailed information about requirements and courses for current students (NetID required) »

For more information, contact:
Jerusha Neal
Director, Program in Gender, Sexuality, Theology, and Ministry
Assistant Professor of Old Homiletics