Goldsmiths, University of London has denied claims that its postgraduate MA Queer History course is facing closure.
The university is believed to be making more than 90 arts and humanities staff redundant, according to The Stage.
This includes Justin Bengry, who is the Director of Centre for Queer History at Goldsmiths.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), he described the changes as “devastating” and said it would result in the “closure” of the course.
“With no specialist staff, this means the closure of the MA Queer History, the world’s only MA degree of its kind,” he said. “This is an afront to my students, colleagues, and community. It is vandalism.”
Goldsmiths itself describes the Queer History course as a “pioneering programme” that delves into “one of the most exciting areas of historical enquiry, giving a voice to those who throughout much of history have been denied one.”
In a statement shared with Gay Star News, a spokesperson for the university said: “We remain fully committed to delivering courses following the recent programme review, including MA Black British Literature and MA Queer History.
“Universities across the UK are having to make difficult decisions to navigate unprecedented financial challenges. This is a painful time for us all as we take steps to make our finances sustainable. We consulted staff and unions over our plans but unfortunately this did not result in viable ways forward which would have avoided or reduced the number of redundancies.
“Our plans will ensure that Goldsmiths continues to be a beacon for innovative research and teaching as well as an entry point for students, many of whom are the first in their family to go to university.”
Specialist LGBTQ+ courses at a university level in the UK continue to be incredibly rare, with the launch of Queer History at Goldsmiths in 2017 being hailed as a world-first.
Queer studies are typically incorporated into wider gender and culture qualifications, while in the US it will often serve as a minor or as classes that are part of a wider course about something else.
The financial situation for universities more generally also continues to be bleak.
Earlier this year, a report from the Office for Students, a higher education regulator, estimated that 40% of England’s universities would be running budget deficits in 2024 – with mergers also on the cards for many.
