20 practical, difficulty-rated ways LGBTQ+ Studies students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges can use AI — 10 easy, 6 medium, 4 hard. They start at “Define cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and intersectionality” and run up to “Model intersectional survey outcomes”, drawing on 15 tutorials between them. Every card carries a starter prompt already written for LGBTQ+ Studies, so you can copy it and go.
Before you use these on graded work: check your professor’s policy on AI.
It differs by course, and these examples are study aids — not permission.
All LGBTQ+ Studies AI use cases
Easy
Define cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and intersectionality
Plain definitions with how each shows up in everyday institutions. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT's Study Mode (type /study), an interactive tutor that guides you with questions step by step instead of just handing over the answer, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayHow to switch ChatGPT into tutor mode so it drills you on terms and ideas rather than doing the thinking for you — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Define cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and intersectionality — Plain definitions with how each shows up in everyday institutions.
Define each term in one clear sentence, then give a concrete example of each in context. Once I've read them, quiz me on them one at a time and tell me what I got wrong and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Condense a Judith Butler essay before seminar. The linked tutorial covers MacMost's copy-paste method — pull an article into reader view, paste it into ChatGPT after 'summarize this:', then ask for a set word count or a 10-bullet version; also how to grab a YouTube transcript to summarise a video, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayHow to compress a long reading or video into a summary of the exact length you need, and why pasting the source keeps it accurate — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Summarize a foundational reading — Condense a Judith Butler essay before seminar.
Give me (1) a three-sentence summary, (2) five bullet-point key claims, and (3) anything the author asserts without supporting evidence. Text below:
[PASTE THE TEXT HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Brainstorm paper topics on queer representation in media
Generate angles on queer representation in media. The linked tutorial covers three brainstorming methods in ChatGPT — a reusable custom-instructions 'brainstorm paradigm', an AI-diagram tree that fans one topic into dozens of branches, and a SWOT prompt to pressure-test an idea, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayThree prompt patterns you can reuse to go from a blank page to a categorised list of options, plus a way to stress-test the one you pick — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Brainstorm paper topics on queer representation in media — Generate angles on queer representation in media.
Give me 10 options grouped into 3 themes, then mark the 3 most original and explain what makes them stronger.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Unpack performativity in accessible language. The linked tutorial covers a 10-step ChatGPT prompt system — standard definition, an explain-it-to-a-10-year-old version, real-life analogies, a simple diagram, then a comparison table — that you aim at any concept you're stuck on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA repeatable prompt sequence that turns a confusing idea into a definition, an analogy and a diagram you can check against your course notes — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Explain a theoretical concept — Unpack performativity in accessible language.
Start with a one-sentence definition, then explain it as if I'm 10, then give a real-world analogy. Finish by flagging anything scholars genuinely disagree about — and tell me what you're unsure of.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Draft discussion questions on a queer history monograph
Produce prompts on a queer history monograph. The linked tutorial covers three brainstorming methods in ChatGPT — a reusable custom-instructions 'brainstorm paradigm', an AI-diagram tree that fans one topic into dozens of branches, and a SWOT prompt to pressure-test an idea, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayThree prompt patterns you can reuse to go from a blank page to a categorised list of options, plus a way to stress-test the one you pick — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Draft discussion questions on a queer history monograph — Produce prompts on a queer history monograph.
Give me 10 options grouped into 3 themes, then mark the 3 most original and explain what makes them stronger.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Draft a note to an organization about pronoun practices. The linked tutorial covers drafting an email in ChatGPT and improving it through conversation — the first draft is deliberately generic, then detail is added turn by turn — plus what not to paste in for privacy, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayWhy the first draft always reads like AI, how to iterate it into your own voice, and to keep real names out of the prompt — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Write an inclusive-language email — Draft a note to an organization about pronoun practices.
Keep it under 150 words: polite, specific, with one clear ask. Give me two versions — one formal, one warmer. Don't include real names, ID numbers, or anything private.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Note differences between Stonewall-era and marriage-equality organizing. The linked tutorial covers a compare-and-contrast prompt in ChatGPT (demonstrated on Buddhism vs Hinduism) that asks for similarities and differences, then expands any point you want more depth on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA prompt for structured comparisons, and how to push ChatGPT to elaborate on the specific dimension you care about — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Compare two activist movements — Note differences between Stonewall-era and marriage-equality organizing.
Give me a table of the key similarities and differences, then one short paragraph on which difference matters most and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
List key events in the gay liberation movement. The linked tutorial covers a timeline prompt for ChatGPT — paste your notes and ask for a clean chronology with date, event and why-it-matters columns, explicitly telling it not to invent facts and to flag anything uncertain, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA prompt that turns messy notes into a sorted timeline, with a built-in guard against invented dates — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Outline a timeline of the gay liberation movement — List key events in the gay liberation movement.
Turn this into a clean chronological timeline with columns for date, event, and why it matters (one sentence each). Do not invent dates — flag anything uncertain.
[PASTE YOUR NOTES HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Break down a dense queer theory reading in plain terms. The linked tutorial covers a 10-step ChatGPT prompt system — standard definition, an explain-it-to-a-10-year-old version, real-life analogies, a simple diagram, then a comparison table — that you aim at any concept you're stuck on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA repeatable prompt sequence that turns a confusing idea into a definition, an analogy and a diagram you can check against your course notes — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Explain a difficult passage — Break down a dense queer theory reading in plain terms.
Start with a one-sentence definition, then explain it as if I'm 10, then give a real-world analogy. Finish by flagging anything scholars genuinely disagree about — and tell me what you're unsure of.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Suggest foundational texts across queer and trans studies. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT's Deep Research mode — it asks clarifying questions first, then spends minutes reading many sources and returns a long report with every claim linked to a citation, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayHow to commission a sourced research report, and where to open the activity log to see which sources it actually used — enough to use on LGBTQ+ Studies work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Generate a reading list — Suggest foundational texts across queer and trans studies.
List credible sources with a one-line note on what each contributes. Prioritise peer-reviewed work, include links, and tell me explicitly if you are not certain a source exists.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Combine sociology, history, and theory into one argument. The linked tutorial covers ResearchRabbit — seed it with one paper, then explore the citation network visually to surface related work and spot gaps, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA way to map a literature landscape from a single starting paper instead of searching keyword by keyword — worth checking against your LGBTQ+ Studies course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Synthesize sources across disciplines — Combine sociology, history, and theory into one argument.
Group the sources below into themes, show where they agree and disagree, and name the gap that's left. Do not invent sources.
[PASTE SOURCES OR ABSTRACTS HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Interpret patterns in LGBTQ+ health or demographic datasets. The linked tutorial covers dragging a dataset straight into ChatGPT and prompting it to describe the data, produce descriptive statistics per column, and chart the columns you care about, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayHow to interrogate a spreadsheet conversationally, and why the 'analyzing' step means it ran real code rather than guessing — worth checking against your LGBTQ+ Studies course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Analyze survey data on identity — Interpret patterns in LGBTQ+ health or demographic datasets.
I'm uploading my dataset. First describe what's in it and flag any data-quality problems, then answer my question, and show the code you ran so I can check it myself.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Weigh social constructionism against essentialist perspectives. The linked tutorial covers a compare-and-contrast prompt in ChatGPT (demonstrated on Buddhism vs Hinduism) that asks for similarities and differences, then expands any point you want more depth on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA prompt for structured comparisons, and how to push ChatGPT to elaborate on the specific dimension you care about — worth checking against your LGBTQ+ Studies course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Compare theoretical frameworks — Weigh social constructionism against essentialist perspectives.
Give me a table of the key similarities and differences, then one short paragraph on which difference matters most and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Design ethical interview questions and consent process. The linked tutorial covers designing a study end-to-end in ChatGPT — research questions, hypotheses, survey items, sample size and sampling method, R code for the analysis, then implications and titles, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA full research-design workflow, including how to answer a reviewer who says your sample is too small — worth checking against your LGBTQ+ Studies course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Plan a community oral history project — Design ethical interview questions and consent process.
Propose a research question, hypotheses, method, sample and sampling strategy, and the analysis plan. Then critique the weaknesses of your own design.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Organize a framework for analyzing queer characters across shows. The linked tutorial covers building a custom study plan with ChatGPT using the Ultralearning why/what/how framework — benchmarking how others learn it, then a week-by-week plan with deliverables and grading rubrics, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA prompt sequence that produces a personalised study schedule with checkable milestones, plus a pass where ChatGPT critiques the plan as an expert — worth checking against your LGBTQ+ Studies course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Build a media representation study guide — Organize a framework for analyzing queer characters across shows.
I have [X hours per week] and my exam is on [DATE]. Build a week-by-week plan with specific deliverables, and for each week give me a way to check I've actually learned it.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Shape a thesis question on trans policy with a source plan. The linked tutorial covers AI Academy's approach to long-form writing: never ask for the whole essay at once — break it into smaller prompts across two tabs and a document so you keep control of the argument, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA workflow that automates the writing but not the thinking, so the argument stays yours and the draft stays checkable — worth checking against your LGBTQ+ Studies course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Draft a research prospectus — Shape a thesis question on trans policy with a source plan.
Help me write this, don't write it for me. First ask me 3 questions about my argument, then propose a thesis and a section plan. Do not draft full paragraphs until I approve the plan.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Write code tracking shifts in queer terminology over time. The linked tutorial covers pasting a broken snippet into ChatGPT with the prompt 'scan the following code for potential problems' — it finds the bug (a divide-by-zero), explains why it happens and returns a fixed version, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA debugging prompt formula, plus the habit of re-running the fixed code to confirm the error is actually gone — bring the result to a LGBTQ+ Studies professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Analyze a text corpus computationally — Write code tracking shifts in queer terminology over time.
Tell me what's wrong, explain why it happens, then give the corrected version. Walk through the fixed code line by line with a concrete input.
[PASTE YOUR CODE AND THE ERROR HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Structure methodology on discrimination with validity and ethics checks. The linked tutorial covers designing a study end-to-end in ChatGPT — research questions, hypotheses, survey items, sample size and sampling method, R code for the analysis, then implications and titles, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayA full research-design workflow, including how to answer a reviewer who says your sample is too small — bring the result to a LGBTQ+ Studies professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Design an original research study — Structure methodology on discrimination with validity and ethics checks.
Propose a research question, hypotheses, method, sample and sampling strategy, and the analysis plan. Then critique the weaknesses of your own design.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Configure a tool querying your notes on queer historical sources. The linked tutorial covers building a Custom GPT from scratch in ChatGPT and feeding it your own past writing so its output sounds like you rather than generic AI, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayHow to set up a reusable assistant with your instructions baked in, so you stop re-explaining context every session — bring the result to a LGBTQ+ Studies professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Build a custom archive-research GPT — Configure a tool querying your notes on queer historical sources.
Draft the name, description, instructions and 4 conversation starters for this Custom GPT. The instructions should tell it to ask clarifying questions and to admit when it doesn't know.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
Run and verify statistical analysis of overlapping identity variables. The linked tutorial covers dragging a dataset straight into ChatGPT and prompting it to describe the data, produce descriptive statistics per column, and chart the columns you care about, and the starter prompt below already frames it for LGBTQ+ Studies.
What you'll take awayHow to interrogate a spreadsheet conversationally, and why the 'analyzing' step means it ran real code rather than guessing — bring the result to a LGBTQ+ Studies professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm a LGBTQ+ Studies student at HWS. My task: Model intersectional survey outcomes — Run and verify statistical analysis of overlapping identity variables.
I'm uploading my dataset. First describe what's in it and flag any data-quality problems, then answer my question, and show the code you ran so I can check it myself.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate LGBTQ+ Studies course.
This page lists 20 practical AI use cases written specifically for LGBTQ+ Studies students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges — 10 easy, 6 medium, 4 hard by difficulty. They range from everyday coursework help such as define cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and intersectionality and summarize a foundational reading through to project-scale work like model intersectional survey outcomes. Each one comes with a starter prompt you can paste straight into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
Which AI use cases should a LGBTQ+ Studies major try first?
Start with the 10 rated Easy — they need no setup and work on the first try. For LGBTQ+ Studies that means define cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and intersectionality, summarize a foundational reading and brainstorm paper topics on queer representation in media. Once those feel routine, move up to the Medium tier, which includes synthesize sources across disciplines and analyze survey data on identity.
What do I need to start using AI as a LGBTQ+ Studies student?
A free account with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini is the whole list — no coding, no paid subscription, and nothing to install. The 20 LGBTQ+ Studies use cases here draw on 15 tutorial videos between them, and each card ships with a starter prompt already framed for LGBTQ+ Studies coursework, so the first thing you do is paste, not write.
Is it OK to use AI for LGBTQ+ Studies coursework at HWS?
Your LGBTQ+ Studies professor decides, and the answer changes from course to course and even between assignments — so read the syllabus before any of this touches graded work. Everything on this page is a study aid: a use case like "Model intersectional survey outcomes" exists to get you through LGBTQ+ Studies material faster, not to produce something you submit as your own. If the syllabus is silent, ask before you use it.