Editor’s note: All faculty are speaking for themselves and not on behalf of the University of Texas at Austin. Some professors asked to remain anonymous in fear of retaliation.
For years, students have used a case study to learn about the complications that accompany identity through a transgender and queer perspective.
While adapting to new laws like Texas Senate Bill 37, the professor decided to stop teaching the case study because these identities had become politicized. Now, they have decided to stop teaching the class entirely, the professor said.
“I’m afraid,” the professor said. “The University has not said, ‘You can teach this, or you cannot teach this,’ but people can get fired. … Those kinds of things make people not want to teach certain topics.”
This professor is not alone. Out of 434 faculty who answered a Daily Texan survey question, about 40% agreed or somewhat agreed that they changed their syllabi or teaching approach to avoid potentially violating the new law.
The Texan sent a survey to all faculty members listed on their school’s websites to gauge their thoughts on SB 37 and received 551 responses — 16% of all UT faculty in units that offer undergraduate programs. The survey and its resulting data exclude the Dell Medical School, School of Law and College of Pharmacy because they only offer graduate degree programs, and the survey primarily focused on undergraduate schools.
SB 37, which went into effect on Sept. 1, gives universities more oversight over curriculum and requires them to reexamine their core curriculum. UT began auditing all its courses over a month ago and created a task force on Oct. 16 to review its core curriculum.
A College of Fine Arts professor said they also want to restructure their syllabi because their courses cover race and gender themes, and they fear possible retaliation. The professor said they are unsure about reframing their syllabi because the University has provided little guidance on SB 37.
Undergraduate professors are required to submit syllabi to the University under state law. The fine arts professor said they plan to submit vague language in their syllabi to not raise red flags. The fine arts professor and their colleagues are also changing how they approach teaching certain topics after a Texas A&M professor was fired after going viral in a video teaching about gender.
Although the majority of faculty respondents have not changed their syllabi, this professor is one of 354 faculty — or about 81% of respondents — who said they have felt an increased atmosphere of caution in teaching since SB 37.
“Many of my colleagues are going back to some obscure period (in history) to talk about issues that are actually happening now,” the fine arts professor said. “It’s safer to talk about it in the past.”
The University declined to comment. However, it released a “Statement on Academic Integrity” on Nov. 3 affirming its obligation to create a classroom environment where students of all viewpoints, even those that contradict the instructor, are able to be heard. It also mentioned that instructors should not discuss topics in the classroom not related to the course, and they should present a range of scholarly views on “unsettled matters.”
Dirk Mateer, a School of Civic Leadership professor who has not changed his teaching practices, said the University should ensure all professors meet its standards. Academic freedom means teaching well, not telling students one’s political beliefs, Mateer said.
“There are multiple different viewpoints on different historical events,” Mateer said. “There are disciplines where walking this fine line is hard, and there’s disciplines where it’s not hard. Teaching a math class, for instance, is not hard.”
About 33% of faculty who said they felt an increased atmosphere of caution in teaching are from the College of Liberal Arts, accounting for the largest portion of respondents to that question. In late October, a liberal arts official said that it would look into structural changes to the school, which could include consolidating some small liberal arts departments.
Anthropology professor Craig Campbell has taught at UT for 15 years, covering topics such as colonialism, genocide and ongoing global conflicts. Although he has not changed his syllabi or teaching approach, he said he is conscious of the sense of fear in his department and is concerned for his colleagues without tenure.
“I’m doing the job I was hired to do, there’s no reason to change that,” Campbell said. “I think (provisions of SB 37) are a fear tactic. Who knows, maybe it will come to bite me, but if it does, it’s worth it.”
Data Designer Mabel Cotter contributed to the reporting of this story, as well as the analysis and creation of charts.
