CAPA Global, a major study abroad program, is employing lecturers to teach a mandatory lesson on “unconscious bias,” full of critical race theory, to more than 80 students studying in foreign countries.
The CAPA Global Education Network, which claims to be “committed to academic excellence, integrity, and innovation in learning abroad,” is having lecturers teach students how people automatically commit “microaggressions” against minorities. The lesson is a part of a mandatory workshop titled “Making Space for All: CAPA’s Diversity and Inclusion Workshop.”
“This session will be a safe space for students to ask questions and explore unconscious bias when it comes to race, ethnicity, identity, and sexual orientation,” CAPA said in an email to students shared with The Federalist. “We will also look at microaggressions, challenge stereotypes, and have an open dialogue about previous experiences and experiences abroad.”
As a part of the workshop, Darin Smith-Gaddis, one of the speakers and CAPA’s Institutional Relations Manager for Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, reportedly claimed that if a person says he doesn’t see color, that is considered a microaggression.
Another presentation speaker explained LGBT terminology and encouraged students to explore their sexuality, reportedly saying that “going abroad is a time for students to explore who they are.”
One speaker explains LGBTQ terminology and says “going abroad is a time for students to explore who they are” in terms of sexuality pic.twitter.com/NjhDWmrwvH
— Gabe Kaminsky (@Gabe__Kaminsky) September 27, 2021
The webinar is one of the so-called tools available to students, according to CAPA — but it is required as a part of the study abroad program.
“This Workshop is mandatory for all CAPA students,” the email to students said, emphasis theirs.
CAPA says diversity is a core value of its program, and this workshop that teaches critical race theory is one of its offerings to cultivate what it calls an “inclusive” environment. The program also has a “diversity committee.” Promoting international education is a commitment to diversity in a form of social justice, the program’s website claims.
Students can also apply for CAPA’s Diversity Advocates Scholarship Program, which supports undergraduate students who purportedly desire to continue their focus on social justice, inclusion, and diversity while studying abroad. Advocates receive a grant to pursue so-called diversity projects while they study.
Additionally, an hour-long webinar titled “CAPA: Alumni Panel: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion While Studying Abroad” is another resource available to students.
The program’s website says it is committed to students exploring their different identities, with the webinar claiming to be a “safe space for students to ask questions and explore unconscious bias.”
