ABOUT
SWG was created to envision the next wave of theories and practices to improve sexual and reproductive health and well-being across the lifespan. It plays a vital role in the creation of innovative curriculum, research, and professional training programs on campus and with external partnerships. For more information: swgproject@tc.columbia.edu
Who WE ARE
The Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project (SWG) was co-founded in Fall 2012 by three professors in the Counseling and Clinical Psychology Department, Drs. Aurelie Athan, Melanie Brewster, and Riddhi Sandil with funding from a Teachers College Provost Investment Grant. The SWG founders each lead active research teams of masters- and doctoral-level students studying LGBTQ+ and women’s psychological development. SWG's mission is to spur evolution in our upheld theories of sexuality, gender, and reproductive identity and to update how these subjects are taught and applied throughout Teachers College, Columbia University, and beyond. Our logo symbolizes setting blaze to outdated notions, obtaining new life from the old, and most of all inspiring our passion for excellence!
MISSION
The mission of SWG is threefold:
to innovate curriculum content for K-12, higher education, and healthcare
to conduct research on the risk and resilience of marginalized identities
to train providers to be more self-aware of their own identities and biases
We hope to attract like-minded scholars, students, and funding opportunities to help build out the above goals and to place Teachers College, Columbia University at the forefront of training the next generation of educators and practitioners.
Certificate and Concentration
SWG offers a NY State Approved masters- and doctoral-level certification programs. Moreover, we actively collaborate with TC departments to integrate sexuality and gender lenses into course offerings, and network with organizations outside of TC to establish new fieldwork and internship placements (e.g., Sakhi, Seleni, The Motherhood Center). We also have an established MA concentration in Clinical Psychology and have developed the first graduate-level course on Transgender Experiences in NY state, as well as TC’s first permanent course on LGBTQ Issues, Maternal Psychology, and Perinatal Mental Health.
EVENTS & NETWORKING
SWG's has organized numerous didactic lectures, events, and colloquia open to students, faculty, and the broader New York City community. We have planned and hosted large, well-attended (200+ people) events including a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague and panel discussion with the director, David France, and world-renown HIV scholar, Dr. Perry Halkitis; this event highlighted community enthusiasm for LGBTQ issues. We also hosted Domestic Violence, Gender, and Culture: Shining a Light, which featured specialists in the field of violence against women including Sujata Warrier, Director of the NYC Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; Jennifer DeCarli, Executive Director Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; and mental health practitioners from the city.