Texas A&M tells professor to cut Plato, ‘race and gender ideology’ from syllabus
A professor at Texas A&M University was told by the school’s philosophy department that he must drop class readings from his syllabus because they violate the school’s new policy on “race ideology and gender ideology” in course content.
Philosophy professor Martin Peterson submitted the syllabus for his Contemporary Moral Issues class for the spring 2026 semester to department leadership for review during the school’s winter break. The syllabus included readings from Plato’s Aristophanes’ Myth of the Split Humans, Diotima’s Ladder of Love and a textbook titled Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, which were all flagged by the university.
“The College leadership team and I have discussed your syllabus and the Provost office’s requirements with the new system rule,” wrote Kristi Sweet, head of the university’s department of philosophy. “You may mitigate your course content to remove the modules on race ideology and gender ideology, and the Plato readings that may include these.”
In December, Texas A&M’s Office of the Provost issued a guidance prohibiting faculty from “requiring or encouraging students to hold certain beliefs, particularly regarding gender or race ideology or sexual orientation, or to feel shame for belonging to certain racial or ethnic groups.”
After the guidance was issued, faculty were required to submit their course materials for review before being allowed to teach the course.
In Peterson’s email to have his course syllabus reviewed, he wrote he did not change much from what he has taught during the course in previous semesters.
“I have made some minor adjustments to the module on Race and Gender Ideology,” Peterson wrote. “These topics are commonly covered in this type of course nationwide. Please note that my course does not “advocate” any ideology; I teach students how to structure and evaluate arguments commonly raised in discussions of contemporary moral issues.”
In a statement to the Star-Telegram, a spokesperson for Texas A&M said the school will teach numerous dialogues by Plato in other courses, but Peterson’s courses had additional modules on “race and gender ideology” added.
“The Department Head advised the professor that he may teach the course if the modules that do not align with the new policy are removed,” the spokesperson said. “If the professor chooses not to comply, the section will be reassigned to another professor to ensure our students can move forward with the course they registered for without interruption.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, an organization that frequently advocates for free speech on college campuses, has vehemently denounced the school’s decision to alter Peterson’s syllabus, claiming the university’s decision violates the First Amendment.
“Texas A&M now believes Plato doesn’t belong in an introductory philosophy course,” wrote FIRE Director of Campus Rights Advocacy Lindsie Park in a statement. “This is what happens when the board of regents gives university bureaucrats veto power over academic content. The board didn’t just invite censorship, they unleashed it with immediate and predictable consequences. You don’t protect students by banning 2,400-year-old philosophy.”
The news comes as Texas A&M also moves forward with plans to open a satellite campus in downtown Fort Worth, which is expected to be open to students this summer, according to the campus master plan.
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 1:16 PM.
