Iowa Board of Regents to review courses for DEI, critical race theory
press-citizen.com
Iowa's public universities are now subject to a curriculum audit for DEI and critical race theory content — a textbook case of how institutional power shapes the boundaries of permissible knowledge.
Knowledge-Power TheoryInstitutional TheoryMoral PanicAcademic Freedom
Theory Briefing
- The Iowa Board of Regents passed a policy to flag courses with 'substantial' DEI or critical race theory content at public universities.
- The move illustrates Foucault's theory of knowledge-power: governing bodies deciding which ideas are legitimate shapes what students can learn.
- Critics see the audit as ideological gatekeeping, while supporters frame it as curriculum accountability — a clash over who controls epistemic authority.