OPINION: 'Land Acknowledgements' Don't Belong In UT-Tyler Syllabi

(Source: "Native American Rituals" by Pictoscribe - News Fatigue Syndrome via Flickr)

When I was perusing the UT-Tyler website one day, I discovered the syllabi of Dr. Tiffany Larson (she/her/hers/Dr.). Her courses in The College of Education & Psychology, Children’s Literature in the Classroom (READ 3323) and Curriculum and Instruction for School Improvement (ELDR 5349), both possessed what is known as a “land acknowledgement” in the syllabi. 

It read:

“I want to acknowledge that we gather as Patriots in the UT Tyler community on the traditional land of the Caddo and Wichita Peoples— in the present and the past. It is important to recognize the history, culture, and heritage inherent in the land itself. Beyond simple acknowledgment, I want to give honor to those who have stewarded the land throughout the generations, even at great loss to their own communities. It is my hope that this is the first step in recognizing the current and systemic evils of colonialism in both practice and thought.”

Land acknowledgements are most often political statements by Leftist professors who use their platform of classroom instruction to push anti-Western and Anti-American views of history on their students. It is an inappropriate injection of political activism into the classroom environment. UT-Tyler should keep the classroom free of distracting political and social activism by prohibiting faculty’s use of land acknowledgements in their syllabi.  

UW Professor

A professor at The University of Washington illustrated this point brilliantly. Computer science professor Stuart Reges decided to put in his syllabus his belief the indigenous tribes have no claim to the University’s land.

It read like this: “I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington,” according to Inside Higher Ed.  

UW spokesperson Victor Balta told Inside Higher Ed, “the syllabus for an intro to computer programming course is not the appropriate place or manner for a debate about land acknowledgements.”

From the article: 

That point is one Reges—who openly states his distaste for land acknowledgments—agrees with.

“The director of our school and the president of our university have both said that this is not an appropriate thing to include on a syllabus. It has nothing to do with the course,” Reges said. “And my response is ‘exactly.’ So why is it listed as a diversity best practice and on our list of suggested things that faculty should do to further diversity, equity and inclusion?”

Reges’s situation (which is now a lawsuit against the university for suppression of his First Amendment speech) brilliantly points out that when land acknowledgement is not a Progressive viewpoint, only then it is suddenly disruptive, inappropriate and an obstacle to the classroom. 

This proves, as Reges asserts, that land acknowledgements in this setting are really about nodding to Progressive politics.

“It sends the message that progressive politics are the dominant politics in this course,” Reges told Inside Higher Ed. “I dislike that. I wish that we didn’t have politics in courses at all, but if we’re going to have politics, I don’t think that we should be favoring progressive political points of view.”

The point is, land acknowledgements are disruptive to the classroom. It just takes an anti-Progressive view to illustrate how disruptive they can be. 

For this reason, UT-Tyler (and UT-System) should prohibit land acknowledgments from faculty syllabi to keep the classroom free from distracting social and political activism by faculty. 

UT-Tyler

It will have a hard road to do this because UT-System flagship institution UT-Austin has its own land acknowledgment, but there does not seem to be anything at the System level, (although the UT-Tyler JEDI Counsel has discussed it, according to their minutes). 

The faculty or university president may be the one who has the power to enact this change, aside from student government, but either way, the point is clear: land acknowledgments are political and social speech. They have no place in the classroom instruction.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Tiffany Larson left UT Tyler to take another position at the end of last summer, and she is no longer with the university, per a university spokesperson. 

Twitter: @jhescock12

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Feature Image: "Native American Rituals" by Pictoscribe - News Fatigue Syndrome via Flickr