A postgraduate course on racism and xenophobia at the Nova School of Law in Lisbon has been suspended following significant backlash over its all-white faculty. The course, which was intended to address critical issues of racism, faced criticism for lacking diversity among its instructors, prompting the university to take immediate action.

The course, titled “Postgraduate in Racism and Xenophobia,” aimed to tackle important societal issues but was met with outrage when it was revealed that all the instructors were white. This led to accusations of insensitivity and a lack of understanding of the very issues the course sought to address.

The course was approved in July with a commitment to diversity among its faculty. However, as the launch date approached, several instructors became unavailable, leading to adjustments in the program. These changes ultimately resulted in a lineup that did not reflect the intended diversity and inclusion principles.

The announcement of the course’s faculty composition sparked outrage on social media, with many individuals, particularly from the Afro-descendant community, expressing their disappointment.