UE AAUP Statement On Efforts To Restrict Education On Race, Gender, And Sexuality
Evansville— 2/28/22 —The University of Evansville’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors has today released the following statement on “Efforts to Restrict Education on Race, Gender, and Sexuality.”
In recent months, legislative bills aiming to restrict education on race, gender, and sexuality in schools, colleges, and universities have been introduced in states across the country. A common priority of these bills has been the suppression of discussions of racism in classes on American history. The rationale behind these efforts is generally that education on race, gender, and sexuality must be controlled and constrained by politicians because many American schools, colleges, and universities teach those subjects in a manner that is harmful and divisive.
We, the University of Evansville chapter of the American Association of University Professors, oppose such bills. Rather than being a site for restriction and exclusion, we believe that the classroom should be an open and inclusive space in which students are taught how to engage with challenging subjects in a safe and responsible manner. This kind of teaching can only occur when such subjects are explored in their full breadth and complexity. In the cases of race, gender, and sexuality, explorations of this nature often involve the study of historically marginalized groups, such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities, women, and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer +) communities. Just as the teaching of the histories of these groups should be honest and accurate, the teaching of the cultures of these groups should be informed and respectful. It is when these minimum standards are not met that education on race, gender, and sexuality becomes harmful and divisive.
We also believe that legislative bills that seek to define how education on race, gender, and sexuality is offered at universities are an affront to widely endorsed principles of academic freedom. At the University of Evansville, as at many universities, the faculty has primary responsibility over such areas as curriculum, subject matter, and methods of instruction. When professors design courses, they shape the course content to draw upon their areas of expertise and they use their teaching experience to choose the best teaching methods for that content. This means that, when complex subjects like race, gender, and sexuality are investigated in the classroom, those investigations are led by professors trained in those subjects who know how to select suitable class materials, to facilitate nuanced discussions, to conduct engaging in-class activities, and to set relevant assignments. For politicians with no teaching experience and no scholarly background in the subjects of race, gender, and sexuality to be making decisions regarding how those subjects are taught is not in the best interest of students.
The official core values of the University of Evansville include integrity, intellectual curiosity, inclusive community, and education for the whole person. In offering this statement, we reaffirm those values, and we express our opposition to any and all efforts to infringe upon them.
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