By Tate Miller – The College Fix
The University of Pennsylvania is offering a writing course this semester called “Abolish the Family,” touting a common feminist slogan and philosophy.
“In this seminar, we will look at the history of family abolition and its threads through various other movements, examine variations in cultural models of family, and imagine new models of collective care together,” the course description states.
The class description also states that “when we examine the narrative of the ideal family, it is often portrayed as a site of unconditional love and care. However, families can also be sites of pain, trauma, and uneven distributions of labor.”
“In fact, many people turn away from biological families and toward ‘chosen’ families when in need of care, love, and understanding,” it reads.
“Abolish the Family” is listed as one of the Critical Writing Seminars at Penn’s Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing. The course is taught by Professor Melanie Kapadia.
Students “will look at the history of family abolition and its threads through various other movements, examine variations in cultural models of family, and imagine new models of collective care together,” the course description states.
Kapadia did not respond to repeated requests from The College Fix seeking comment.
The Fix also reached out twice by email and once by phone to Penn’s director of media relations Ron Ozio and twice by email to Interim Marks Family Senior Director and Director of the Critical Writing Program Matthew Osborn. Neither responded.
While Penn’s course may look at the family in a negative light, Gary Schneeberger at Focus on the Family told The College Fix that the family “is the building block of a civilized and compassionate society.”
Family reveals “God’s character like nothing else in creation,” said Schneeberger, an assistant to the president for media relations at the Christian, pro-family organization.
“The love between a husband and wife provides a glimpse of Christ’s passionate devotion to us as His bride. In the same way, the ups and downs of parenthood offer a compelling picture of God’s tenderness and patience toward us as His children,” Schneeberger said via email.
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“And family does more than reflect God’s character. It provides a safe place where children can experience God’s love (through their parents) and learn how to love other people,” he said.
While not commenting directly on the Penn class, Schneeberger said: “Our children need to know that God has a special purpose for placing them within a family.”
The phrase “abolish the family” is commonly associated with feminist discourse. Notably, the course description for Penn’s “Abolish the Family” course mirrors that of the book “Abolish the Family: A Manifesto for Care and Liberation” by prominent feminist theorist Sophie Lewis, a “leading feminist critic.”
“For those who are lucky, families can be filled with love and care, but for many they are sites of pain: from abandonment and neglect, to abuse and violence,” the book description states.
While it is unclear whether Penn’s course is directly based on Lewis’ book, the university has ties with Lewis, who serves as a visiting scholar at Penn’s Center for Research in Feminist, Queer, and Transgender Studies.
Lewis, who goes by they/them pronouns, has also authored a book titled “Full Surrogacy Now: Feminism Against Family.”
“Sophie’s scholarship operates in the spheres of trans feminist cultural criticism and queer social reproduction theory, and [her] interests include utopian critiques of the family, Marxist feminisms, Black radicalism and antiwork theory,” Penn states.
The traditional family has become a controversial topic on college campuses at large. The University of Massachusetts Boston hosted a talk by Sophie Lewis in 2022 called “Abolish the Family,” The College Fix reported.
In 2015, UC Santa Barbara students disrupted an on-campus talk in support of the nuclear family. The school hosted Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse of the Ruth Institute, where the mission is “to defend the family and build a civilization of love.”
More than 20 protesters disrupted the event by chanting and holding vulgar signs. Morse attempted to engage with the demonstrators, but they continued to disrupt the event before eventually leaving.