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The Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture and Society at the Graduate School of Social Sciences , University of Amsterdam, is an intensive four-week summer course, which focuses on the study of sexuality across cultures and is taught by an international faculty team.

Objectives

The Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture and Society will provide students with a unique opportunity to explore the social and cultural dimensions of human sexuality, and to gain knowledge of cutting-edge research on sexuality as conceptualized and practised globally, pertaining to both theory and methodology.

Each year, the SI is comprised of a, multidisciplinary international faculty and student body from a range of social and cultural backgrounds, offering a rewarding and challenging learning experience.  Students engage with faculty and guest lecturers via a specialized program of course modules (twice daily), weekly get-togethers, and informal conversations during daily group lunches.  Students benefit from an exceptional networking opportunity through the sharing of experiences, works in progress, research plans and diverse perspectives.

As the host city for the SI, Amsterdam is an ideal location.  The open atmosphere and small scale of the city offers a refreshing setting for engagement and discussion of sexuality, culture and society.

Module topics in 2012 included: Men, Manhood, Masculinities; Sex and the City; Sexuality, Society and Culture; Sexuality in Art and Media, Seminar in Proposal Development; Sex Trafficking; Religion and Sexuality;  and Professional Identities in the Sexuality Field.

Alumni Quotes

• “The knowledge I walked away with was life-changing and priceless. Not only did I learn new information to take into my practice as a therapist, but I made international professional connections and friends.”

• “In my country, we need more young people with fresh knowledge about how to deal with different groups of people. The course provides an in-depth insight into issues about sexuality, which should be an open and liberal discussion in my community.” 

Background

The Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture and Society was founded in 1995.

The idea for the Summer Institute was sparked by a collaboration between Dutch and American scholars, during the conference Culture, Sexual Behavior, and AIDS in 1992 (see: ten Brummelhuis and Herdt, Culture and Sexual Risk, New York: Gordon & Breach 1995).

In 1995, the programme was offered for the first time through a cooperative effort between Han ten Brummelhuis of the Universiteit van Amsterdam, Bill Leap of the American University in Washington and Gilbert Herdt from the University of Chicago. In 1997, the Summer Institute became part of the International School for Humanities and Social Sciences, Universiteit van Amsterdam.