Florida Department of Education to scrutinize new AP African American Studies course

A previous revision includes ‘Intersectionality and Activism,’ ‘Black Feminist Literary Thought,’ and the works of critical race theory proponent Kimberlé Crenshaw.

Florida Department of Education to scrutinize new AP African American Studies course
AP Photo/John Raoux
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The Florida Department of Education is examining a revised version of the College Board's AP African American Studies course framework, which had come under fire from Governor Ron DeSantis for promoting far-left woke ideology.

The revised framework does not appear to include components such as “Black Queer Studies” and “The Reparations Movement,” which had been included in the previous version. However, the student project section encourages students to explore more controversial topics, such as reparations debates and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Other studies, as shown by the Florida Department of Education, includes “Intersectionality and Activism,” “Black Feminist Literary Thought,” and the works of critical race theory proponent Kimberlé Crenshaw.

College Board CEO David Coleman praised the revision, saying it is “an unflinching encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture” that doesn't “exclude” any group. In response, Florida Department of Education officials have said they are reviewing the new framework for compliance with state law and to ensure accuracy of its content.

When discussing the framework, Governor DeSantis noted that the previous revision contained radical political positions, such as advocating prison abolition. He said that while people are free to take such positions as they wish, they should not be taught as fact. DeSantis also stated his belief that black history should not be seen as separate from American history, but rather an integral part of it.

“They’re advocating things like abolishing prisons. Now that’s a radical political position,” he told reporters in January, the Daily Wire reported. “You’re free to take that in your own life, I don’t think very many people think that would actually work, but how is that being taught as fact?”

“That’s what our standards for black history are: it’s just cut-and-dry history. You learn all the basics; you learn about the great figures,” he remarked on the subject of black history. “I view it as American history. I don’t view it as separate history.”

The revised AP African American Studies course framework has sparked a debate over what role critical thinking and left-wing ideology should play in the teaching of history. Supporters argue that such courses encourage holistic thinking about American history, while skeptics claim that they often serve as vehicles for left-wing grievance studies.

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