Gender and Sexual Identity in the United States

All-Gender Course; Prerequisite - Successful completion of one year of high school social studies or permission from the administration; Fall semester or Full-year course
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How have conceptions of gender roles and definitions of sexual identity transformed throughout United States history and into the present day? How has historical climate affected the identity expression of LGBTQ Americans? This course opens with an exploration of gender and sexual identity through a variety of historical and current themes, such as heteronormativity, Second Wave Feminism, and intersectionality. The course then surveys significant aspects of LGBTQ history, focusing on the changing nature of identities over time, including efforts to expand and restrict identities in cultural and political forms. With this historical foundation, students work individually and collaboratively on research initiatives in the second semester on topics of their choosing, such as gay marriage, gender reassignment, reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, HIV/AIDS, heteronormativity, etc. This course offers students the opportunity to develop both cultural competency around gender and sexual identity while exploring their own interests on a wide range of related topics. 
WHAT STUDENTS SAY

“I do believe that I grew into a more accepting and open-minded person who cares enough to ask questions and hear the other perspective.

“I think most of my growth happened in the reflection essays each week in which we had to think a little deeper about the topics we covered in the learn and practice assignments. Every assignment meant a lot to me and I’ve learned so much this semester!”​

WHAT STUDENTS DO
Learning is an active process at One Schoolhouse. Students design, create and apply. And, they engage with classmates and connect with their teachers through discussions, video conferences, and projects. Specifically, in this class students will:
  • Set goals that drive their learning. Students reflect regularly on their growth, and meet on video chat with their online teacher to review progress towards their goals.
  • Have choice in how they learn new content and practice new skills. Students are given agency to determine the best ways for them to learn.
  • Apply what they are learning to the real world. Learning is meaningful and connects to concepts outside the classroom.
  • Practice constructive engagement in a diverse and changing world. Students interact with classmates from across the country and around the world.
  • Gain academic maturity. Online learning takes greater discipline and independence than a traditional face-to-face classroom. Teachers support students to build this skill.
MEET A TEACHER FOR THIS COURSE
SIGNATURE ACTIVITIES
Examples of signature activities and projects for this course are:
  • Reflective Essays: Describe your thoughts and perspective on the readings of various themes such as how toxic masculinity leads to rape culture or reflect on how intersectionality functions in your life.
  • Case Studies: You are presented with a real-life scenario and must detail what you would do in that situation and why.  You must back up your claims and actions with evidence from the articles you have read. 
  • Role Reversal: You become the teacher and create a lesson to teach to a class, in the form of a Google Slide presentation. ​
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SECOND SEMESTER?
Students wishing to pursue an identity-related project may enroll in the course for the full year. For students continuing into Semester II, the course shifts into personalized, project-based work, where students engage in deep, sustained inquiry; authentic and iterative research; critical analysis; and rigorous reflection, revision, and assessment as they journey through a self-designed, long-term activism, design, or research project on the topic of their choosing. Guided by a One Schoolhouse teacher, students pursue individual study/self-assessment or collaborative seminar/peer-review. Pathway options from which students choose include:​
  • Spring Activism Seminar: In this seminar, students identify a need and create a plan to effect economic, environmental, political, or social change in a target community.  Utilizing a social science approach to research and evaluation, students are guided through the process of planning the deployment of a novel idea and identifying markers of success.  Students may create a strategic plan for a club or non-profit or design an artistic product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Design Seminar:  In this seminar, students design a technological solution to a real-world problem.  Through the engineering design process/scientific method, students gather and analyze data to determine the effectiveness of their model or the accuracy of their hypothesis.  Students may prototype and produce a public product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Research Seminar:  In this seminar, students answer a theoretical or ethical question.  Utilizing the social science/humanities tools for source evaluation, students collect, critique, and evaluate artifacts or primary source documents to explore their thesis.  Students may create a written or multimedia product in this seminar. 

Upon completion of their inquiry-driven project, students will have gained academic maturity and expanded their ability to engage in a diverse and changing world. They will be able to draw and defend conclusions from theoretical underpinnings, contextual background, and mathematical analysis or source evaluation. Finally, they will have created and tested something useful of their own design or will be able to defend a position based on their own research.
COURSE APPROVAL
This course is approved by the NCAA. 

One Schoolhouse is fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through December 1, 2025; we are an approved online publisher for the University of California. 
Krystle Merchant
she/her/hers
Social Sciences Teacher 
BA Duke University
MA McGill University