Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What began as a controversy last September over a lesson on gender identity in a children’s-literature class at Texas A&M University has morphed into something altogether more substantial. In recent months, Texas A&M has set about purging from its catalog any courses that “advocate race or gender ideology.” Courses on religion and culture, and even readings from Plato, have all been singled out for scrutiny or elimination. But how does a university respond behind the scenes when censorship becomes policy?
Related Reading
Inside Texas A&M's Scramble to Censor Its Curriculum (chronicle.com/article/inside-texas-a-ms-scramble-to-censor-its-curriculum) (The Chronicle)
Censoring Courses Isn’t the Law in Texas. Public Universities Are Doing It Anyway. (chronicle.com/article/censoring-courses-isnt-the-law-in-texas-public-universities-are-doing-it-anyway) (The Chronicle)
Texas A&M Bans Plato Excerpt From a Philosophy Course (chronicle.com/article/texas-a-m-bans-plato-excerpt-from-a-philosophy-course) (The Chronicle)
Inside the Ousting of Texas A&M’s President (chronicle.com/article/inside-the-ousting-of-texas-a-ms-president) (The Texas Tribune)
Guest
Jasper Smith (chronicle.com/author/jasper-smith) , staff reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education
What began as a controversy last September over a lesson on gender identity in a children’s-literature class at Texas A&M University has morphed into something altogether more substantial. In recent months, Texas A&M has set about purging from its catalog any courses that “advocate race or gender ideology.” Courses on religion and culture, and even readings from Plato, have all been singled out for scrutiny or elimination. But how does a university respond behind the scenes when censorship becomes policy?
Related Reading
Inside Texas A&M's Scramble to Censor Its Curriculum (chronicle.com/article/inside-texas-a-ms-scramble-to-censor-its-curriculum) (The Chronicle)
Censoring Courses Isn’t the Law in Texas. Public Universities Are Doing It Anyway. (chronicle.com/article/censoring-courses-isnt-the-law-in-texas-public-universities-are-doing-it-anyway) (The Chronicle)
Texas A&M Bans Plato Excerpt From a Philosophy Course (chronicle.com/article/texas-a-m-bans-plato-excerpt-from-a-philosophy-course) (The Chronicle)
Inside the Ousting of Texas A&M’s President (chronicle.com/article/inside-the-ousting-of-texas-a-ms-president) (The Texas Tribune)
Guest
Jasper Smith (chronicle.com/author/jasper-smith) , staff reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education
