San Diego State University changed the name of one of its courses Wednesday after the school received heavy criticism for implying that President Trump should be impeached or removed from office.
The course was initially named “Trump: Impeachment, Removal or Conviction?”
Now, the course is simply named “Impeachment, Removal or Conviction?” and removes all reference to the president.
The only required reading for the course, however, is The Case for Impeachment by Allan Lichtman, which was written after Trump was elected and examines the circumstances under which Trump could be impeached or removed from office.
According to an online course database, the one-credit course will be taught by John Joseph Cleary next month.
The course description reads: “Focus will be on the two constitutional grounds: impeachment and removal (25th Amendment), and the possible charges of the independent counsel, the powers of the president, a history of the creation of that office and the comparison of divine right and rule of law leadership, presidential impeachments, including Nixon’s de facto impeachment, practically limitless grounds for impeachment, presidential immunity from indictment, and grounds for impeachment, removal, or indictment covering: conflict of interests, foreign emoluments, climate change, racism, religious bias, improper influence, nepotism, and a host of crimes, including conspiracy, false statements, and obstruction of justice.”
“In retrospect, we realize the title of the course, ‘Trump: Impeachment, Removal, or Conviction?’ is inconsistent with the course content described,” SDSU said in a statement. “As a result, the title will be amended to accurately reflect this course offered now and for future offerings of this course …The course presents an overall framework of impeachment, removal, or criminal investigation of a president and rather than focusing on President Trump, reviews all 19 impeachments in U.S. history. The one-unit, weekend class is not a requirement for graduation and is not paid for by state funds.”
The course, with its new name, is being offered as an extended studies course through SDSU’s criminal justice program, which is a part of the school’s College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.
“When you challenge liberal institutions they will break. It was inappropriate and unprofessional for university leadership to carelessly approve the naming of the course,” SDSU College Republicans president Brandon Jones told Red Alert Politics. “I’m sure the content of the course will still be heavily focused on the removal of President Donald Trump considering the required textbook, but this is a step in the right direction,” he continued.
This is not the first political controversy at SDSU this school year. SDSU is also home to a professor who told students that “grading is a quintessentially bourgeois practice,” and another professor who discriminated against white students.
