A vote this week could change how tens of thousands of college students learn about history in North Carolina.
The UNC Board of Governors, which oversees all 16 of the state鈥檚 public universities, is likely to approve adding a new to its student success policy.
To graduate, college students will need to take at least one course covering the founding of America as an independent nation, how the government functions and the 鈥渘ation鈥檚 ideals.鈥�
The material can be taught in a standalone class or interwoven into existing courses. It will be broken up into two 鈥渟tudent learning outcomes鈥� or SLOs.
The first SLO will require students to learn about the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and a 鈥渞epresentative selection鈥� of the Federalist Papers. The second will include documents like the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation and Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 Letter from Birmingham Jail.
These historical texts are already covered by most high schools in North Carolina, but UNC System President Peter Hans said some of that instruction isn鈥檛 enough exposure to the founding principles of the nation.
鈥淪tudents from less resourced high schools, with fewer advanced courses or electives, are less likely to get the civic knowledge they need,鈥� . 鈥淔or the sake of fundamental fairness, our public universities should offer a college-level encounter with the tenets of American democracy.鈥�
The policy was developed by a cross-university group of faculty, with representatives from Elizabeth City State, NC Central, UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Wade Maki is the leader of the group and representative for UNC Greensboro. He鈥檚 also head of the UNC System鈥檚 Faculty Assembly.
He said a 鈥渄ecline in civic literacy鈥� among college students wasn鈥檛 the only nor most pressing reason the requirement was created.
Last year, the General Assembly considered a bill called the (REACH). It would have required similar documents as the UNC System鈥檚 proposal, but with a mandate for students to take a full three-hour credit course on American government.
The REACH Act included additional punitive requirements, like mandating students to take a final exam accounting for 20% of their grade, and a section that allows the UNC Board of Governors to fire chancellors if they didn鈥檛 enforce the curriculum properly.
And although the bill , it prompted strong reactions and motivated the creation of this new policy.
Kathleen DuVal, a history professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, said .
鈥淚鈥檝e taught here for 21 years and I haven鈥檛 seen a sort of decline in knowledge about American democracy the way some people say there鈥檚 been,鈥� DuVal told 深夜福利. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 not uncommon for politicians to think that things are in decline and think that things are in crisis, but sometimes they aren鈥檛.鈥�
DuVal was one of about 700 faculty members who signed a against the REACH act, saying that it was government overreach and
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to teach history, and I think we do it in a really responsible way. In a balanced way,鈥� DuVal said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 always a little scary if somebody who isn鈥檛 faculty wants to tell us within a class what we should be talking about.鈥�
The REACH act follows a pattern of policymakers intervening in processes that are historically led by faculty. Another example at UNC-Chapel Hill is the Board of Trustees' creation of the new School of Civic Life and Leadership, which also .
Almost always, curricular changes are brought about at the campus level by university faculty or department deans.
Maki said that while it is unusual for the UNC System to set curriculum requirements, it isn鈥檛 normal for the legislature to either.
鈥淭his is a pretty unique situation. We have seen a lot of legislators directly intervene (in creating curriculum) 鈥� ,鈥� Maki said. 鈥淪o for us, the idea of handling this internally was preferable than having a legislative intervention.鈥�
Maki said the NC General Assembly鈥檚 proposal to have an entire course dedicated to American government would require 鈥渁 radical restructuring of resources鈥� most of the state鈥檚 universities don鈥檛 have and was something the UNC System 鈥渉ad to get out in front of.鈥�
鈥淲e have 16 very different institutions. Some are large, some are small. We have HBCUs and we even have the UNC School of the Arts,鈥� Maki said. 鈥淭hey need curriculum requirements that are flexible to enable each campus to deliver on them. Not everywhere has a history department or a political science department.鈥�
UNC Pembroke鈥檚 Chancellor, Robin Cummings, was vocal in a Board of Governors meeting about how the requirement could impact his small school.
鈥淎s a chancellor of a university with limited resources, the devil is always in the implementation details,鈥� Cummings said. 鈥淭his is something that would be required of thousands of students 鈥� I am worried about the content, the implementation and certainly the cost to make it happen.鈥�
Maki said there will be opportunities for larger institutions to create online courses that other universities in the System can access. He also said the SLO structure will allow professors to include additional historical perspectives.
鈥淟et faculty build on other movements 鈥� indigenous experiences, women, LGBTQ+,鈥� Maki said. 鈥淎 whole host of things.鈥�
DuVal, the history professor, said she is no longer against the proposal now that it has been rewritten by instructors and with looser requirements. However, she said faculty are concerned the UNC System directing curriculum can become a 鈥渟lippery slope鈥�
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 something that faculty and administrators will be watching to make sure that doesn鈥檛 become a sort of precedent,鈥� DuVal said. 鈥淭hat people don鈥檛 point to this (and say) 鈥極h we did it this one time, now we could do it in a way that maybe really does tell us how we can teach something.'鈥�
And throughout all of the curriculum changes and proposals, she said policymakers need to consider students鈥� wellbeing foremost.
鈥淚 hope administrators are really careful about not overloading students with requirements,鈥� DuVal said. 鈥淚 know for many of them, it鈥檚 already hard to get all their requirements in 鈥� some of the majors require a large number of classes already. So I hope that student stress and time to degree are both really central to how this is implemented.鈥�
The full Board of Governors will vote on the policy revision on Thursday. If passed, the requirement would go into effect in 2025.
