In order to comply with a state law that prohibits critical race theory programs, Florida State University is removing hundreds of programs from its basic training catalog.
The Board of Governors on Thursday voted to approve FSU’s changes, meaning that this coming 2025-26 school year, students may have a list of about 125 basic training courses to choose from, down from over 500 in years past.
Students and academics who argue that these changes violate intellectual freedom and reflect government interference and overreach have voiced concerns and criticisms about the growth.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the 432 classes that were dropped from the public education system included Feminism and Globalization, the Evolution of Human Gender, and LGBTQ History.
A 2023 regulation that sought to reform higher learning in Florida is responsible for the weeding. The law specifies in piece that general education courses “must be grounded in the basic truth that all people are identical before the rules and have inherent rights.”
General ed training likewise may not be “based on principles that structural racism, sexism, tyranny, and pleasure are inherent in the corporations of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic disparities”.
The board of trustees of each state university and the Florida Board of Governors must hold an annual conference to “review and endorse the courses offered by the institution that meet the requirements of standard education,” according to the Florida Board of Governors.
At FSU, the board of Trustees conducted a detailed evaluation and eliminated 75 percent of all existing general education courses that failed to adhere to the most recent state standards.
Florida State University is no completely eliminating these programs from ever being offered, according to Amy Farnum Patronis, a spokeswoman for FSU, in an email meeting. Rather, they “may also become available as courses, within degrees, or for upper-division coursework”, she said.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that some algebra and chemistry courses were even removed because they were deemed more appropriate for upperclassmen after graduating from their majors.
One of the state’s nearly a hundred public universities is Florida State University, which is working to abide by the law.
A University of North Florida director told First Coast News:” Prior to the assessment, UNF offered 112 courses that happy public education. Starting in 2025, UNF will offer 45 courses that meet general education requirements. While 67 courses lost their general education attribute, many of these courses are in the university’s catalog and will continue to be offered. Due to these changes, no faculty positions have been lost.
Alarming voices are being voicing about the changes.
In a Jan. 24 news release criticizing the changes, the United Faculty of Florida questioned why, despite the years of faculty expertise, administrative review, and student feedback that went into creating and managing Florida’s university curriculum, the” Board of Governors alone gets to determine what is considered appropriate content.”
The law also faces legal challenges, including a complaint filed in mid-January by the ACLA, representing several scholars.
The Tallahassee Democrat quoted Sharon Austin, a seasoned political science professor at the University of Florida and the lead plaintiff in the case, as saying,” This lawsuit is about preserving the right to learn and teach without political interference.”
At Austin’s campus, the state’s flagship school, it’s “expected to strip the general education designation from 700 courses — the bulk of nearly 1, 200 that were reviewed”, Politico reported.
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