An Indiana University course required students to identify their “privileged” and “dominant” identities — such as being white or male — so they could “address issues of oppression.” The required exercise was part of a course that meets the school’s “social and historical studies” requirements for graduation.

Students were instructed to write an “in-depth reflection of two parts of (their) identity: a subordinate identity and a dominant identity,” according to documents obtained by the organization Washington Free Beacon. The final assignment for the eight-week course, which accounts for 26 percent of the final grade, assumes that each student has at least one identity group that gives them power over their peers and another that leads to oppression.

Students were given a chart that showed examples of “dominant” identities – such as being white – and “subordinate” identities – such as being black – and separated them by “manifestations of social oppression” such as classism, racism and heterosexism. In fact, the graph shows that straight, white, Christian men dominate all others. Or to put it another way: According to the table, everyone else is subordinate to straight, white, Christian men.

However, some students may find it difficult to find subordinate identities because the dominant characteristics are actually prevalent in America. A student told this Free beacon about having to “make something up” to complete the exercise.

“I’m being punished because of my identity as a person with an assignment, and that’s just crazy,” the student said. “I had to figure something out, and I don’t enjoy it.”

“It is very gratifying that I am forced to suppress my own identity in a class where we are supposed to talk about identity and not identity suppression,” the student continued. “I have to suppress myself because I’m assumed to be a privileged, terrible person who didn’t grow up without food. That’s crazy to me.”

After identifying the subordinate and dominant groups to which they belong, students were asked to reflect on their privilege, list the groups over which they dominated, and look for ways to reframe their relationships with subordinate groups.

“You will gain insight into your identity experiences in the United States, including the advantages and disadvantages you have experienced associated with these identities,” the guide says. “Self-awareness of identity and experiences of privilege and oppression serve as a foundation for understanding the complexities of identity and how to address issues of oppression.”

The course “Understanding Diversity in a Pluralistic Society” meets Indiana University’s Social and Historical Studies requirement. Other suitable courses include “Ancient and Medieval Art” and “Introduction to Archaeology.”

However, the course does not satisfy the Diversity in the United States requirement for students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. Courses that meet this requirement include Black Women in the Diaspora, American Ethnic Diversity, and Sexual Diversity.

According to the student, Colleen Rose, the course instructor, provided no guidance on how students should complete the assignment if they did not identify with “subordinate” groups. However, she optionally included a written note on a submission form that allowed students to raise concerns about the assignment. Rose, who “has nearly 20 years of leadership experience in higher education at Indiana University,” is also the director of student engagement at the university’s Center for Rural Engagement, where she “leads student-based initiatives,” according to her online bio.

However, Rose encouraged her students not to write about “traumatizing” aspects of their identities.

“If you find it sensitive to think about a particular aspect of your identity, choose something else,” the instructions say. “Sometimes students have trauma or other reasons that make thinking about that identity difficult. This reflection should be constructive and not retraumatizing.”

Indiana is one of six states that passed anti-DEI laws this year. In March, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed a bill banning colleges from requiring diversity statements in hiring and admissions. It also mandates a formal grievance process for reporting faculty who do not promote intellectual diversity and open inquiry, and requires tenured faculty and those up for promotion to undergo reviews every five years to ensure compliance .

Meanwhile, the Equal Protection Project, an anti-discrimination group, filed a federal civil rights complaint against Indiana University in July, accusing the school of offering 19 race-based scholarships in possible violation of federal law. William Jacobson, the group’s president, told Bloomington Herald Times that the “pervasive discriminatory scholarship activity” reflects “a systematic disregard not only for the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act, but also for Indiana University’s own rules.”

Indiana University and Rose did not respond to requests for comment.