USC Removes the Word ‘Field’ in Class Because of Implied Connotations to Racism and Slavery

A student walks at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, Calif., on Mar. 11, 2020 Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

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.