New Davidson College course, #Abolishthepolice, controversial among police, alumni
Davidson College will offer a new course this fall that, amid a surge of unrest over police shootings of Black people, has critics unhappy with its concept and name: #Abolishthepolice.
The Black studies course will explore “the specific relationship between Blackness and policing in the U.S. from a philosophical perspective,” according to the course description.
“We will enlist Black political and feminist theories and social and political philosophies to critically examine and think through issues of race, criminalization, incarceration, police militarization, predictive policing, surveillance, and domestic security,” it said.
Police in Charlotte, the scene of weeks of protests last year over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, were quick to criticize the course’s title.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Chief Johnny Jennings said the course’s name is “inflammatory, charged and polarizing.” Jennings did not comment on the course itself or its premise.
“No matter the course’s objective, the title certainly is directional on what a student will perceive about it, and that is detrimental to all of the men and women who sacrifice their lives every day to protect others,” Jennings said in a statement to the Observer.
The Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police thanked Jennings for his stance in a July 22nd post on its Facebook page.
“Lodge #9 agrees the course’s name is inflammatory on the surface and may contribute to divisiveness in our community,” the post said. “We also acknowledge that the law enforcement community should remain engaged in civic dialogue to help identify practical solutions towards police reform where needed while keeping our communities safe.”
The FOP said it has offered to work with the college to try to give students a “well-rounded perspective and facilitating constructive conversations around policing.”
In a statement to the Observer, the college cited the values found in its Statement of Purpose, including respect for diversity and an obligation to honor the dignity and worth of all people.
Davidson focuses on studies that are “liberating” and “dedicated to the quest for truth,” the statement added. Any class offering, whatever its title, it said, will “reflect that it covers a subject worth studying.”
“Grounded in these values, Davidson assists students in developing humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service,” the statement said. “We hope our graduates think clearly, make relevant value judgments, discriminate among values, and communicate freely in the realm of ideas.”
Claudia Garcia-Rojas, a visiting assistant professor of Africana studies, will teach the #Abolishthepolice class and, according to the course description, refer to data from experts and scholars who argue that Black people are disproportionately targeted by police compared to other races. Garcia-Rojas could not be reached, and the college declined to make her available for an interview.
‘Telling them what to think’
Controversy over the course became part of a broader debate among the school’s alumni over Davidson’s direction. And last week, President Carol Quillen announced that she will resign after the upcoming school year, after 11 years, but will return as a history professor after a sabbatical.
In May, 11 prominent alumni including former Gov. Jim Martin, U.S. Rep. Gregory Murphy and business leaders, signed a letter accusing the college of straying from its religious roots and wandering “into the realm of political and social activism” for removing the requirement that its president and most trustees be Christian.
“We find it difficult to envision how the religious component of the Statement of Purpose will be adhered to in the future if the President and potentially up to 75% of the Board were to have no personal Christian affiliation,” the letter said.
Murphy, a Republican who represents much of eastern North Carolina, told Fox Business on July 21 that his alma mater is “no longer teaching students how to think, but rather telling them what to think” with the creation of the #Abolishthepolice course.
Murphy, a former Davidson trustee, said students and professors there had told him they felt pressure to not speak their mind because of fear of ramifications, including not being named to important committees and receiving good grades.
“This is not what needs to happen on our colleges,” Murphy said. “It is a one-sided ‘believe what we believe or there will be repercussions.’ We don’t need to have a ‘one size fits all.’ “
Chris Marsicano, an assistant professor of educational studies at Davidson, tweeted out his response last month.
“If you complain about a lack of academic freedom at @DavidsonCollege, but also complain that faculty should not teach a course called #AbolishThePolice, then your complaint isn’t actually about academic freedom,” Marsicano wrote. “It’s about politics. That’s fine, but let’s call a spade a spade.”
In an interview, Marsicano said an educator’s job is to challenge the underlying assumptions of their students, offer them a balanced education and opportunities to learn new and different things.
“At Davidson we try to push out students in multiple different ways: academically, socially, emotionally and intellectually,” he said. “Our job is to make sure students learn how to think critically. Our mission is to create creative and disciplined minds for lives of leadership and service, and you can’t lead or serve the public without understanding multiple, different facets of the public.”
Classes at Davidson are evaluated to make sure they meet academic standards, Marsicano said, but faculty are given academic freedom over the content in their courses.
“In most Davidson courses, faculty are working hard to expose students to new ideas,” he said.
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 11:34 AM.
