Rice University in Houston now offers a course titled "Afrochemistry: Study of Black-Life Matter", which will be introduced in the Texas university's spring term.
Investment banker-turned-author John LeFevre shared online screenshots of the university website, slamming them for combining diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with chemistry.
"Afrochemistry course is for undergraduate students and does not include a final exam," reads the screenshot. The description states the course will help students better understand "Black life in the US”. Also, the course will address the "inequities in chemistry and chemical education."
The university appears to have termed the course "the study of black-life matter", a wordplay by merging the science jargon and the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
Describing the class, the university writes, "Students will apply chemical tools and analysis to understand Black life in the US and students will implement African American sensibilities to analyze chemistry. Diverse historical and contemporary scientists, intellectuals, and chemical discoveries will inform personal reflections and proposals for addressing inequities in chemistry and chemical education."
The course doesn't require any additional fees, is entry-level and is open to any student, not necessarily those willing to work in the field of chemistry.
The description adds, "This course will be accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds including STEM and non-STEM disciplines. No prior knowledge of chemistry or African American studies is required for engagement in this course."
Another screenshot reveals that Brooke Johnson, a Rice graduate with a PhD in chemistry from Princeton, will teach the class.
Training lens on the course, John LeFevre called it "wild". Along with the screenshots, he wrote, “This wild... DEI is coming for the hard sciences at Rice University, with a class called ‘Afrochemistry.' The class ‘will implement African American sensibilities to analyze chemistry... and inequities in chemistry and chemical education.' Of course, ‘there is no final exam.'”
As per a report in Fox News, Rice University is ranked among America's top 20 universities by US News & World Report. The institution is formally known as William Marsh Rice University.
