Dear Colleagues,
FTI, given its relevance to debates over Western Civ & the new world histories, along with related questions of academic freedom, I have copied below all the relevant sections from Florida House Bill 999 which pertain to those matters. The further relation of this Bill to 'The 1776 Report' and questions of 'patriotic' (cf. 'American nationalist') approaches to history in tension with The 1619 Project, Critical Race Theory and racism are also in view. - R. Charles Weller (Washington State & Kazakh Nat'l universities, rc.weller@wsu.edu)
Florida House Bill 999
(Feb 2023, filed by Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola,
in accordance with recommendations made by Gov. Ron DeSantis)
“An act relating to public postsecondary educational institutions; …authorizing state universities to initiate post-tenure reviews at any time for cause; … providing requirements for hiring state university faculty; authorizing state university boards of trustees to review the tenure status of faculty members; requiring such boards to confirm the selection and reappointment of specified personnel; providing requirements for certain employment contracts and responsibilities; requiring state university presidents to annually present specified information to such boards; …providing that certain entities may not expend funds for certain purposes relating to activities that violate a specified law; …
Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education…[aims to]…assist in the curation and implementation of Portraits in Patriotism…
General education core courses may not suppress or distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics, such as Critical Race Theory, or defines American history as contrary to the creation of a new nation based on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence. …Communication courses must…[provide]…engagement with the Western literary tradition. …
The Legislature finds it necessary that every undergraduate student of a public postsecondary educational institution in the state graduates as an informed citizen through participation in rigorous general education courses that promote the values necessary to preserve the constitutional republic through traditional, historically accurate, and high-quality coursework. Courses with a curriculum based on unproven, theoretical, or exploratory content are best suited to fulfill elective or specific program prerequisite credit requirements, rather than general education credit requirements. …
General education courses must: …Whenever applicable, promote the philosophical underpinnings of Western civilization and include studies of this nation's historical documents, including the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments thereto, and the Federalist Papers.”
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