Florida International pulls 22 DEI-based courses from core curriculum to comply with state law
Florida International University (FIU) recently changed its general education requirements by removing nearly two dozen courses from the core curriculum.
The changes were reportedly driven by a 2023 anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) state law, S.B. 266.
Florida International University (FIU) recently changed its general education requirements by removing nearly two dozen courses from the core curriculum, including “Anthropology of Race & Ethnicity” and “Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies.”
The changes were reportedly driven by a 2023 state law, S.B. 266, which states that “general education core courses may not distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics … or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”
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“At FIU we value and respect faculty governance,” FIU administrator Jennifer Doherty-Restrepo told Inside Higher Ed. “The Office of the Provost and Faculty Senate convened subject-matter faculty workgroups in Fall 2023 to review general education courses to ensure alignment with the standards outlined in the applicable state statutes.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed S.B. 266 in May 2023, defending the state’s quality of higher education and vowing to protect it going forward.
“Florida has ranked number one in higher education for seven years in a row, and by signing this legislation we are ensuring that Florida’s institutions encourage diversity of thought, civil discourse, and the pursuit of truth for generations to come,” DeSantis said. “Florida is taking a stand for empowering students, parents, and educators to focus on creating opportunities for our younger generations.”
Several FIU faculty have criticized the school’s efforts to comply with S.B. 266. Katie Rainwater, who teaches in FIU’s Global and Sociocultural Studies Department, expressed disappointment in the decision to exclude LGBT courses from the core curriculum, telling Inside Higher Ed that such classes help LGBT-identifying students to “experience more freedom.”
“Learning about race, gender, LGBTQ+ issues, issues of low-wage workers is relevant and important to our students,” Rainwater told the outlet. “We’re a majority-minority university. Most of our students come from working-class families. I think this kind of content helps them make sense of the social world, to understand systems of oppression and to learn about social movements that have created potential for people from these groups to experience more freedom. I think it’s a big loss.”
Campus Reform has reached out to FIU for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.