“Social justice” and “English supremacy” will be some of the new focuses of Boston University’s Writing Program, according to recently announced changes.
Students now must learn how writing intersects with race, class and the environment due to the new “social justice emphasis” of the program. All students must take a first-year writing requirement through the program.
The new classes include “Linguistic Justice…Who Cares?: Domestic Labor and the Commodification of Care,” “Asians Are People of Color: Exploring the Controversy and Identity Politics,” “Deconstructing Narratives: Stories of Race and Racism in American Cultural Memory” and “Writing Environmental Justice,” according to a university announcement.
Writing Program Director Sarah Hardy stated that the five new hires are meant to address “the inadequacy of ‘business as usual,’” defined as the “predominance of white faculty in academia.” It was, according to Hardy, the killing of George Floyd in 2020 that caused the focus on the lack of non-white faculty.