Florida Approves Curriculum Changes at State Universities to Comply with Stop WOKE Act
Core Curriculum Changes
When students come back to Florida International University in the fall, they will have 29 fewer courses to choose from in the core curriculum. Those classes will still be offered, but they won’t count as bachelor’s degree requirements.
Elective Courses
All 12 of Florida’s state universities are in the same boat, all have had classes moved from the core to the list of electives by the state’s Board of Governors; mostly sociology, anthropology, and history classes.
Student Reaction
“I think it’s an effort to appease to the current political climate, but I think it’s important for students to take sociology courses,” said FIU sophomore Zulinda Diaz, who said sociology classes help students understand and adapt to the world around them.
Board of Governors Meeting
Meeting on Thursday in Jacksonville, the board approved the curriculum changes to comply with a 2023 state law which was pushed hard by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis’ Comments
“Our institutions are gonna be graduating students with degrees that are gonna be meaningful, we don’t want students to go through at taxpayer expense and graduate with a degree in zombie studies so this is gonna make a difference,” DeSantis said when the law was passed.
Chancellor’s Comments
The chancellor of the state university system, Ray Rodrigues, told the Board of Governors that a Gallup poll showed only 36% of Americans approved of higher education in this country.
Reasons for Low Approval
“The number one reason was political agendas, a belief that higher education has turned into indoctrination,” Rodrigues said.
Faculty Union Leader’s Comments
Her courses are not impacted by the changes, but she says the curriculum restrictions remind her of why she escaped communist Cuba.
Concerns about Indoctrination
“In my experience, indoctrination never happens from the teacher to the students, indoctrination usually happens from the state to the people,” Lopez said.
Curriculum Changes
To comply with the law, the Board reclassified course that have “unproven, speculative, or exploratory” content or any that are “based on theories that systematic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States,” broad categories which are open to interpretation.
Definition of Indoctrination
“We can confidently say that our general education courses that students have to take to graduate will not contain indoctrinating concepts, no other public system can say that,” Rodrigues said.
Conclusion
The changes to the core curriculum at Florida’s state universities have sparked controversy, with some students and faculty members expressing concerns about the impact on academic freedom and the definition of indoctrination.
FAQs
Q: What changes were made to the core curriculum at Florida’s state universities?
A: The Board of Governors reclassified 29 courses, mostly sociology, anthropology, and history classes, from the core curriculum to elective courses.
Q: Why were these changes made?
A: The changes were made to comply with a 2023 state law that aimed to prevent the spread of what Governor DeSantis called “indoctrination” in higher education.
Q: What does the law define as indoctrination?
A: The law defines indoctrination as the promotion of “unproven, speculative, or exploratory” content or theories that systematic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States.
Q: How will these changes affect students?
A: Students will still have access to the reclassified courses, but they will no longer be required to take them to graduate.
