Florida Department of Education rejects AP African American Studies course

As a current AP teacher I think that I can answer some of your questions. It would be very difficult to incorporate this into existing AP US History curriculum as that course is VERY FULL as it is.

I am not aware of any AP course being rejected by the state before and I've been teaching for 40 years. I believe the dept of ed. was asked about this and they refuse to answer questions about the rejection. The only statement that I'm aware of is that it "doesn't have educational value"

 

No, I consider that racism.

 

Then you are a big part of the problem.

 

Maybe I am by being white, but that means you are too

 

So what is the point of identifying people by race if you aren't seeking to treat people differently because of their identified race?

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

What's the point in identifying people by nationality or religion if you arent trying to treat people differently because of their nationality or religion? Would wars and violence end if we just stopped having nations or religions? Would discrimination based on skin color end if we stopped using racial classification? Wouldn't you say there are useful things about classifying groups of people? Would we make people with disabilities feel better by not having handicapped parking, the Special Olympics or wheelchair accessibility?

 

The subject is history. So let me ask again:: Do you think the black experience, the black history in the US is any different than the rest of the country's?

 

Well, you ignored the 'in general' but you know that. So, two questions:
- AP has a general American history course. What is actually wrong with having an African American history course for those who choose to learn more about it? Why shouldn't those students be allowed that course for further study?
- The University of Florida has multiple history courses focusing on different groups: African Americans, women, Native Americans, etc ... Should all those be dropped?

 

We're on the same page here. The only time I identify my religion is if it is relevant in a given context. On here, sometimes I express my Christian faith because it is a gateway into allowing people an understanding of what some of my core beliefs are. While there is only one core component of what makes one a Christian, there are many flavors of how this manifests, and one person that's identified as a Christian may not be necessarily the same as another who identifies as a Christian. But yes, to your point, these things are only identified/revealed because there is an interest in highlighting a difference that invites being treated differently. If there is no value in treating someone differently, then there's no need to highlight it (for applying to most jobs where religion isn't relevant, for example). Somewhat similar for nationality. These things are tangible differences which have some universally (or at least quasi-universally) agreeable attributes to them.

No, just as wars and violence won't end if we identify each other by race. How did we get onto wars and violence (let alone from religion or nationalism)?

It would be harder to discriminate based on skin color if we removed racial identifiers. I get why people rally around and promote their own race. I just think that when people do this, they are not looking at the big picture other than a perceived long-standing battle of "us against them." It's not the way forward in my view. I get others feel differently, and I respect that.

Yes, it is definitely useful to classify people. But "disabled" folks aren't all the same, nor are they treated all the same. More importantly, a disability (or at least one that is universally recognized and accepted) is pretty clearly definable. A specific challenge as compared to those lacking said disability is fairly easy to articulate and accommodate (at least conceptually). And we also respect the fact that someone may wish to not identify by their perceived disability. Nationalism and religion are fairly easy to identify as well. Race? Not so much, and we don't take the time to respect whether or not people wish to be identified by their race or not the way we do with other types of classifications. We see a lot of presumed stereotypes when it comes to race. A lot of "this person looks like (color), so they must (stereotype)." That's what we get from our racial classification system. I just think there's a better way.

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

That’s fine. But in the real world, nobody thinks about this stuff. Most people and I do mean most, treat people the way those people have taught them in their short life history.
When I see young black kids dressed in hoodie, pants hanging down low, I have learned to avoid at all costs.
When I see Hispanic young boys dressed in bandannas, tats and wifebeaters, I am extremely cautious. Here’s the best one though….
When I encounter young white boys sporting tats, Tupac t-shirts, and purple hair, guess what… I get myself out of the area as quickly as I possibly can.
Everyone with half a brain treats people of different races in a way that they have learned.

 

Thank you for this. You have probably one of the best views on this topic.

Looking at the list of AP courses (link below), I do find a specific course on African American history to be somewhat out of place on the list of existing AP courses. That being said, if a HS student is passionate about this topic, I could see the course being valuable in a dual-enrollment situation. An AP course in non-European biased world history might be more meaningful.

HS continue to be sorely lacking courses in the arts and language that would serve HS students with more value. The inclusion of AP capstone has been a real boost for HS kids IMHO.

AP Courses and Exams – AP Students | College Board

 

I took African American history at UF. That’s where it’s supposed to be.

 

Why not in high school?

 

So you consider affirmative action racism?

 

AP classes are freshman level courses, so technically "in college"

 

Why not offer Asian American history?

 

AP classes are college level courses. The students are getting actual credit towards college classes and the setting of the classroom is college level.

Many states do. Even Texas is reviewing Asian American history AP courses to be added.

 

Because you’re confused and you’ve made up your mind about me.
Also took women’s studies.
Also volunteered at the Alachia County Crisis Center and learned quite a bit about suicide prevention.