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A Texas A&M professor offers a textbook under a reading list for their course that rips former President Trump.
The "Basics of Democracy" textbook is assigned in a political science class facilitated by associate professor Sara Fulton at Texas A&M. A spokesperson for the Texas A&M University Bush School of Government & Public Service confirmed that the textbook has been used in Fulton's class for 17 years and told Fox News Digital that the book is periodically updated.
However, the latest version of the textbook includes adverse sentiments of former President Trump. The textbook begins by explicating how the Trump administration undermined democracy, from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and response to the 2020 election.
The textbook states at the top of page three that "Politicians have been known for exaggerating their own accomplishments and diminishing those of their opponents, but in general the fear of pushback by the public has kept politicians from blatantly lying. This political norm, however, seemed to have faded under the Trump administration."
The latest version of the textbook "Basics of Democracy" includes adverse sentiments of former President Trump. ( SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images))
Another part of the reading on page three says, "On January 21, 2020, the first known case of coronavirus in the U.S. was reported and the next day President Trump claimed, ‘we have it totally under control’ (Keith 2020). For the next year, the President would continue to deny scientific evidence on the rate of the spread of the virus and the need for wearing protective masks as a preventative measure, all the while holding out the possibility of a vaccine as a panacea."
However, in the aftermath of the pandemic, there is an ongoing debate about if whether the lockdowns, mask-mandates and other policies were effective. At the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci advised Americans they didn't need to mask up but later on encouraged and supported mask mandates around the country. Trump also supported the use of masks but left it up to state and local officials whether to enforce a mask mandate. Studies have shown the use of cloth masks were ineffective against preventing transmission of COVID but a N95 or surgical mask did provide some protection.
The "Basics of Democracy" continues by bringing up former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway's "alternative facts" remark.
"What were once just plain and simple falsehoods can now be "alternative facts" (as White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway famously described some of President Trump's statements), and "thruthiness"--believing something to be true because it feels true, even if it is demonstrably not--is an actual thing (Bradner 2017)," the book states. "If anyone says something that contradicts our comforting self-created "realities," especially if it comes from some know-it-all report or academic, you don't have to worry about taking it seriously. Just call it fake news."
The book goes on to cite former conservative turned vehement anti-Trump professor Tom Nichols.
"Tom Nichols, a political scientist who wrote a book about ‘the death of expertise,’ describes contemporary America where ‘policy debates sound increasingly like fights between groups of ill-informed people who all manage to be wrong,’ where debate does not distinguish between "you're wrong" and "you're stupid," and where "to refuse to acknowledge all views as worth of consideration, no matter how fantastic or insane they are, is to be close-minded."
Lastly, the introduction on page five concludes by welcoming the reader to the "reality-based community."
The "Basics of Democracy" textbook is assigned in a political science class facilitated by associate professor Sara Fulton at Texas A&M. A spokesperson for the university’s political science department told Fox News Digital that the book has been used for 17 years, and it is periodically updated.
When Fox News Digital reached out to the university and the professor to confirm that this book was actually distributed, the spokesperson responded that the book is not part of any discussion, graded assignment, or test in Fulton's class.
"The text in question was part of a textbook assigned in a political science class, which has been in use for 17 years with periodic updates by the author. It was not part of any discussion, graded assignment, or quiz/test in Ms. Fulton’s class," the spokesperson said. "Texas A&M is committed to providing a respectful learning environment for all students, regardless of their political views. It’s vital for universities to support academic freedom and the right of faculty members to express their views in the classroom as long as they are within the bounds of professional conduct and ethics."
The "Basics of Democracy" textbook is assigned in a political science class facilitated by associate professor Sara Fulton at Texas A&M. A spokesperson for the university’s political science department told Fox News Digital that the book has been used for 17 years and it is periodically updated.
They added, "If there are students who disagree with course content, they should engage in constructive discussions with their professor."
The spokesperson added that students were not required to purchase the book.
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According to the university's website, Fulton received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and her interests include campaigns and elections, with an emphasis on American women in politics.
Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly and Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.
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