The University of Southern California’s (USC) Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work will no longer use the word “field” in its curriculum, as it may have racist “connotations” related to slavery.
The word “may have connotations for descendants of slavery and immigrant workers that are not benign,” according to a letter from the department on Jan. 9.
It was addressed to the staff and students from the Practicum Education Department, which until recently was called the Field Education Department.
Social Work School Alters Language in the Name of Inclusivity
The letter, which was shared on Twitter by pharmaceutical entrepreneur Dr. Houman David Hemmati, stated that the department specifically decided to remove the term “field” from its curriculum and practice and replace it with “practicum,” which means a practical section of a course of study.Hemmati questioned the changes in his tweet by asking, “Is this with merit, or empty virtue signaling?”
The social work department at USC claims they are part of a wider movement of universities across the nation whose goal is compel change in order to “honor and acknowledge inclusion and reject white supremacy, anti-immigrant, and anti-blackness ideologies.”
The move at USC comes after Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services said that it would forbid the use of “field” and “field worker” and replace them with terms such as “local office” and “community staff.”
“This change supports anti-racist social work practice by replacing language that would be considered anti-black or anti-immigrant in favor of inclusive language.”
The social work department declared that the “bedrock” of its values and principles is “to work together to train social work students today who understand and embody social and racial justice.”
“Language can be powerful, and phrases such as ‘going into the field’ or ‘field work’ maybe have connotations for descendants of slavery and immigrant workers that are not benign.”
USC Faces Scorn for the Word Changes
Critics and former USC alumni, however, ridiculed the university’s attempt to enforce inclusive language on social media.Others were more outraged and concerned by the woke-generated changes to the language.
“Because the office is not an academic department, its name change was not subject to a formal review process,” Papadopoulos claimed.
“The university does not maintain a list of ‘banned’ or discouraged words. As an institution of higher education, we will continue to use words—including the word ‘field’—that accurately encompass and describes our work and research while also continuing our efforts to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all,” said the dean.
