In an attempt to increase diversity within its physics department, Stanford University has created a modified physics course for “underrepresented” physics majors. Its purpose, according to the university, is to help retain nontraditional or “minority” students interested in physics. However well-intentioned this may be, implying that racial minorities need different coursework is, frankly, racist and regressive.
The initiative was created in response to a 2016 survey that revealed Stanford’s physics department to be one of the “least diverse” departments within the institution. As a result, the physics department felt that a greater focus on “education equity” in the department’s course work could remedy the diversity gap.
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