Santorum: Calif. Schools Don't Teach US History

Republican candidate slams California universities
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 2, 2012 3:55 PM CDT
Santorum: Calif. Schools Don't Teach US History
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks in Menasha, Wisconsin, Monday, April 2, 2012.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Rick Santorum continued his verbal assault on higher education today by accusing California universities of failing to "even teach an American history course." The GOP candidate slammed UC universities during a speech in Wisconsin, Mediaite reports, saying that "I think it's seven or eight" schools that neglect US history: "Just to tell you how bad it’s gotten in this country, where we’re trying to disconnect the American people from the roots of who we are, so they have an understanding of what America should be."

But a University of California rep emailed ThinkProgress to say that all UC undergraduate programs require US history credits. According to Mediaite, only the San Francisco campus fails to offer US history courses—because it's a medical school. Perhaps Santorum is on a roll after calling President Obama "a snob" for wanting "everybody in America to go to college." He's not alone among Republicans, however: Mitt Romney has taken a whack at higher education by pooh-poohing the notion of student aid. (More Rick Santorum 2012 stories.)

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