A bill that passed in an Iowa House subcommittee Tuesday would establish uniform general education requirements across the state’s public universities.
If signed into law, students would be required to take classes in areas like math and science and would have to study what the bill calls “Western heritage” and “American heritage.”
Additionally, general education courses would be banned from having material teaching “identity politics” or claiming systemic racism, sexism, oppression or privilege are inherent to national or state institutions.
Keenan Crow, with the LGBTQ advocacy group One Iowa, testified against the bill.
“While I can appreciate all the language in here about not distorting historical events, which I agree with, what I don't agree with is sheltering students from theories about systemic issues in our state or our country. I know these theories will make folks uncomfortable, but this is ideological censorship in what should be an institution of higher learning”
Other bills proposed in the Iowa House would require students pursuing a bachelor’s degree at a public college or university to take a course on American history, and would create a “school of intellectual freedom” at the University of Iowa.