As conservative students attempt to educate themselves on liberal college campuses across the country, they've experienced various degrees of speech suppression. But at least one university in Pennsylvania is trying to change that.
Lock Haven University sociology professor Kimberly Johnson decided to create the “Culture and Society in the Age of Trump” curriculum after she recognized political and sociology fields in colleges were “hijacked by the far left,” according to Campus Reform.
Johnson’s intent is to avoid the typical biases we see in college classes and provide students of all political backgrounds the opportunity to discuss the effects of Trump’s presidency on the nation.
“Conservative students have told me that they wish they had a class where they could openly express themselves, particularly concerning Trump and his politics,” she said. “For me, it doesn’t matter what a student’s views are on our current president; I hope to provide an environment where we can genuinely examine what is going on in society during such turbulent times.”
As Campus Reform reports, the course description states:
Students will learn about race, class, and gender and how these important societal components were directly applicable to the presidential election and the reaction that followed. This course also examines the sociological background to some of the key elements that shaped global society and culture, such as populist movements.
Johnson says the response has been positive among students and even the left leaning administration supports the class, stating the importance of “open-mindedness and critical thinking.”
“I would love to see [college classes] return to its classical days where both theory and research were objective areas of serious study. If students enroll in our sociology program at LHU, they can get a taste of that.”
The course will be taught in the 2019 Fall semester.