The University of Texas at Austin merges gender and ethnic studies programs

The new department will include African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, as well as American Studies, Inside Higher Ed reported.

At a university meeting, interim dean David Sosa stated that no immediate decisions had been made regarding layoffs. According to faculty, potential job cuts were not discussed. The Asian and Near Eastern Studies departments were neither invited to the meeting nor mentioned in the university leadership’s consolidation letter.

University president Jim Davis acknowledged in a campus-wide letter that the changes may cause concern. He stated that it is not necessary for certain subjects to operate as separate small departments and that these areas could be studied and taught within a broader interdisciplinary context.

At the same time, the French and Italian Languages, Germanic Languages, and Slavic and Eurasian Studies departments will be merged to create the Department of European and Eurasian Studies.

The Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors criticized the decision, calling it a serious threat to academic freedom and saying that the changes were implemented hastily, with minimal faculty input and without consulting staff or students.

Earlier this month, Texas A&M University abruptly closed its Women and Gender Studies program to align with policies limiting discussions on race and gender. Observers see these actions as part of a broader trend of political pressure in the U.S. aimed at restricting academic research on race, gender, and sexuality.