The University of Virginia is facing criticism from alumni over a graduate course titled Ecofeminist Poetry & Poetics, in which students are instructed to “listen” to plants and animals, including birds, goats, willow oaks, and lichen, to explore themes of oppression and settler colonialism. The course has drawn scrutiny from the Jefferson Council, an alumni group dedicated to preserving UVA’s founding principles of academic rigor and freedom, for what it describes as a politically agenda-driven approach.

According to the course description on the English department website, the curriculum blends ecofeminist theory, ecopoetics, and Black and Indigenous environmental thought with contemporary ecofeminist poetry. Students are encouraged to “rethink and re-feel” their relationships with the natural world in an effort to understand systemic oppression across species, referencing the work of feminist and LGBT activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs.

Associate professor Brian Teare, who identifies as queer and specializes in environmental humanities and queer theory, teaches the course. He has offered similar versions of the class for several years.

John Gardner, president of the Jefferson Council, criticized the class as “inane and clearly agenda-based,” questioning the academic value of teaching students to interpret oppression through interactions with non-human species. Gardner argued that courses like this represent a broader trend in higher education, where faculty increasingly advance politically oriented curricula rather than pursuing objective study.

The alumni group also highlighted other courses at UVA that it considers radical, including “Women and Gender in the Deaf World,” “Gender, Body Image, and Social Activism,” and “Queer Judaism,” which examines Judaism through a queer lens. Gardner said such courses often focus narrowly on identity groups and are intended to promote a predetermined political agenda rather than academic inquiry.

The controversy arises amid public scrutiny of taxpayer-funded education, with UVA receiving more than $338 million from the state in 2025. Gardner emphasized that the university, founded by Thomas Jefferson to cultivate an educated citizenry, should prioritize truth and rigorous scholarship over ideological experiments.

Requests for comment from Professor Teare and university officials were not returned as of this report.

The Jefferson Council’s criticism underscores ongoing debates over the role of politically oriented curricula in public universities and the balance between innovative scholarship and adherence to traditional academic standards.