'Only in America': Spring Course Offering at the University of Maryland Prompts Widespread Criticism

Leah Barkoukis | December 02, 2024 9:30 AM

The University of Maryland is being panned for a Spring course offering studying the connections between “fatness” and “blackness.”

The course in question—“Intro to Fat Studies: Fatness, Blackness and Their Intersections”— “examines fatness as an area of human difference subject to privilege and discrimination that intersects with other systems of oppression based on gender, race, class, sexual orientation, and ability,” a description reads.

“Though we will look at fatness as intersectional, this course will particularly highlight the relationship between fatness and Blackness,” the description continues. “We approach this area of study through an interdisciplinary humanities and social-science lens which emphasizes fatness as a social justice issue. The course closes with an examination of fat liberation as liberation for all bodies with a particular emphasis on performing arts and activism as a vehicle for liberation and challenging fatmisia.”

The University of Maryland is offering a spring semester course (3 credits) on ‘fat studies’ to discuss fat liberation & oppression of fat people. An Instagram post by the WGSS indicates that the course is now fully enrolled & no longer available. https://t.co/e1JAc7uMsH pic.twitter.com/VJJUZMfkIa
— DMV News Live (@DCNewsLive) November 25, 2024

According to TPUSA, the course meets the university's Distributive Studies or Diversity course requirement, which students need in order to graduate.

The University of Maryland will offer a course on being fat:

"Intro to Fat Studies: Fatness, Blackness and Their Intersections."

...just in time for the holiday season when everyone is studying how fat they get...

College has become a complete joke in America. pic.twitter.com/pPHjKpcYA8
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) November 30, 2024