Hate Studies Dominate Texas Colleges` History Curriculum
01/11/2013
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Here's an abbreviation that's new to me:  "RCG," short for "Race, Class, and Gender."  Those are the themes that dominate the teaching of History at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and Texas A&M University.

So says a report from the National Association of Scholars.  The report's title is: "RECASTING HISTORY:  Are Race, Class, and Gender Dominating American History?"

Yes they are, says the report.

We classified course readings by how much they focused on race, class, and gender. Course sections with half or more of their content having an RCG focus were classi?ed as high; those with 25 to 49 percent having an RCG focus were classified as moderate; and those with less than 25 percent having an RCG focus were classi?ed as limited. We classi?ed faculty members assigning primarily high RCG readings as "high assigners" of RCG materials.

Major Findings:

High emphasis on race, class, and gender in reading assignments. 

78 percent of UT faculty members were high assigners of RCG readings;

50 percent of A&M faculty members were high assigners of RCG readings. 

High level of race, class, and gender research interests among faculty members teaching these courses

78 percent of UT faculty members had special research interests in RCG;

64 percent of A&M faculty members had special research interests in RCG. 

More recent Ph.D.s are more likely to focus research on race, class, and gender

83 percent of UT faculty members teaching these courses who received their Ph.D.s in the 90s or later had RCG research interests, while only 67 percent of UT faculty members who received their Ph.D.s in the 70s or 80s had RCG research interests.

90 percent of A&M faculty members teaching these courses who received their Ph.D.s in the 90s or later had RCG research interests, while only 36 percent of A&M faculty members who received their Ph.D.s in the 70s or 80s had RCG research interests.

 

The full study is here.

(Perhaps I should explain that around the academy, "gender" means "sex." The late George Carlin illustrated the correct usage thus: "What are those two dogs doing, Dad?"  "They're having gender, son.")

 

 

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