HOUSTON — The University of Houston System Board of Regents unanimously approved the removal of 133 courses from the University of Houston’s core curriculum Thursday, prompting criticism from some faculty members and students.
The courses removed from the core include Introduction to LGBT Studies, Women and Gender in Arabic Literature and Intro to Global Climate Change. However, several courses focused on race, gender and history remain, including Chicano history, U.S. Women’s History and African American history.
Vice Chancellor of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Dona H. Cornell told the board that courses removed from the core curriculum will remain in the university catalog and can still count toward elective requirements.
“It is important to note, as you have heard, that these courses no longer in the core continue to remain in the catalog,” Cornell said. She added that departments can work with the provost’s office to seek their return to the core curriculum.
UH requires students to complete 42 hours of core courses for graduation. Core courses can also transfer to other institutions.
The changes come as Texas public universities work to comply with Senate Bill 37, which limits faculty influence over academic decisions and requires institutions to certify compliance.
Student Vice President Ian Kariuki told regents that removing some courses could affect UH’s reputation for diversity and reduce student participation in those subjects.
Maria Gonzalez, an associate English professor who said she served on the committee that reviewed the core curriculum, also criticized the changes, saying university leadership had yielded to political pressure.
The UH Faculty Council’s curriculum committee developed the new list after the university dissolved its faculty senate last year to comply with SB 37.
Regents also approved changes to the core curricula at the University of Houston-Downtown and the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
