Texas Christian University Updated Graduate Course Syllabi
The Fort Worth university has integrated settler colonialism and land acknowledgment topics into two fall 2026 courses.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Texas Christian University has incorporated settler colonialism and decolonial theory into two graduate-level seminars. These updates include specific land acknowledgments and curriculum materials focused on historical displacement.
Why it matters
The university updated its materials to acknowledge institutional history, explicitly noting that the school benefits from the forceful removal of Indigenous people. These curriculum adjustments reflect a broader institutional initiative regarding land acknowledgment.
The 3-credit Evil and Education seminar and the Curriculum History course now feature materials on Indigenous removal, including a 1935 essay by W.E.B. Du Bois.
The players
Texas Christian University
A private university in Fort Worth that maintains an Intercultural Center for student resources and advocacy.
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes
Indigenous people recognized in the land acknowledgment statements adopted by the university.
The details
The curriculum changes utilize assigned texts such as The White Architects of Black Education and Eugenics and Education in America to analyze institutional history. The university guidance encourages the inclusion of these land acknowledgments in official syllabi and employee orientations to promote better relations with the land and Indigenous communities, such as the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.
Timeline
2021: TCU adopted an official land acknowledgment statement.
Fall 2026: The university offered the graduate courses containing the updated syllabi.
The Home Front
As a private institution, Texas Christian University remains exempt from the regulatory requirements placed on public universities by Texas state law SB 17. This distinction allows the university to maintain its specific approach to curricula and intercultural advocacy programs.
Families with students at the university should review current student handbooks to understand updated course objectives and institutional resources. Parents can reach out to faculty advisors to discuss how these curriculum changes specifically apply to their student's degree path.
The takeaway
The university has formally integrated decolonial theory into specific graduate programs to address historical displacement. Students or families interested in these shifts can review the university's public land acknowledgment statements on the official school website.
Further reading
For more information on curriculum trends and academic programming, visit Secondary Education.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dallas Express.
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