Summary
New College of Florida has reinstated a controversial course on “wokeness,” led by British media personality Andrew Doyle, amid criticism over its one-sided portrayal of “wokeness” as a cult.
The course’s reading list includes Doyle’s own books and works by rightwing figures like Christopher Rufo, who has claimed that antiracist government policies would bring about “an end to the constitutional order.”
The college, under Governor Ron DeSantis’s influence, is undergoing a conservative transformation that has sparked backlash from students and staff, who report discomfort with the new administration’s ideological agenda.
The course’s reinstatement reflects the college’s shift toward rightwing educational reforms.
When my brother went to New College, it was an extremely progressive school with non-standard ideas. He is neurodivergent, so being able to structure his college education was really helpful to him and his degree got him into a standard graduate school program at a Big 10 university. He now has an MFA.
All of that has been crapped away by DeSantis for the sake of his ideology.
The really unfortunate thing is that this transformation will “taint” degrees from there
Absolutely. It will be associated with places like Liberty University and Bob Jones University.
A dear friend of mine went there as well. He was the first trans person I knew, almost 20 years ago now, and I know he loved New College and the support he got through his transition there.
As hard as it is to see this for me, I expect it’s heartbreaking for him, and that makes me sad.