Community College Ends ‘Pause’ for Course on Race | Inside Higher Ed

Oklahoma City Community College has ended a “pause” on a summer course on race and ethnicity but has added courses so that no one has to take it to fulfill a requirement. The pause was to check if offering the course — which has been offered several times before — would violate a new state law banning the requiring of courses on critical race theory.

A statement from the college said, “Oklahoma City Community College’s instruction standards promote thinking critically, examining multiple viewpoints and experiences, and preparing students for a diverse world. This includes sober reflection and instruction about the legacy of racism in the United States. We aim to lower the temperature of extreme positions, to expose our students to a wide range of views about the complexities of race and ethnicity, and to challenge our students to think, practice civil discourse and debate, and embrace every opportunity to learn about experiences others have had that are different than their own.”