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Frank USA TODAY ![\\"\\"](\\"/gcdn/-mm-/d8d0774057d19139d16e6ede624d76e89947662d/c=1-0-1365-767/local/-/media/2022/04/21/USATODAY/usatsports/imageForEntry14-8aS.jpg?width=660&height=371&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\"/) PlayPause Sound OnSound Off 0:00 1:27 AD SKIP ClosedCaptionOpen ShareEnter Full ScreenExit Full Screen ## The claim: A Utah college deleted an online listing for a class about pornography after media coverage and controversy A college in Salt Lake City, Utah has stirred controversy over a planned course studying pornography. The class listing for Westminster College\'s \"FILM-300O: Porn\" course says students in the class watch pornographic films together and discuss the “sexualization of race, class and gender,\" as well as explore pornography as an \"experimental, radical art form.\" The listing says pornography is \"as American as apple pie and more popular than Sunday night football.\" The course sparked outcry from social media users, including conservative commentator Candace Owens. Several media outlets, including local stations KSL-TV and ABC4, reported on the controversy. It led to a claim that the college removed references to the course from its website. “Since yesterday’s media attention from numerous sources, Westminster College has deleted their ‘PORN’ class from their website! Interesting,” read an April 21 Facebook post that was shared more than 50 times in a day. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks But that description is misleading. The online course listing was changed, but the course remains listed elsewhere on the website and the course will still take place as scheduled, a school official told USA TODAY. USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment. ## College says course listing was changed to be in correct place on site Sheila Rappazzo Yorkin, chief marketing officer for the college, wrote in an April 21 email to USA TODAY that the course was still visible on the college’s undergraduate course listing. USA TODAY observed the class at that link – after the Facebook post claiming otherwise – on April 21. Later that day, however, the listing was removed from that part of the website. The course remained online in the course catalog, however. Yorkin said the change was made to correct an error, as the course should not have been listed in the first location. And the class is still taking place as scheduled, Yorkin said. Fact check:Missouri students were given math assignment about Maya Angelou\'s sexual abuse, sex work There were 14 students registered for the two-credit course as of April 21. Yorkin said course plans have not changed in light of the controversy but added that the name of the faculty member teaching it was removed from the listing “due to fear of harassment.” ## Course has been offered in the past, paused during pandemic Yorkin said the course has been offered several times in years past but not since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are usually around 20 students enrolled. She said the college, along with other higher learning institutions, “often explore challenging subject matter to further understand their pervasiveness and impact.” “Descriptions of these courses, while alarming to some readers, help students decide if they wish to engage in serious investigation of controversial subjects,” she wrote. According to the course catalog, the college also offers a four-credit class called “Sex on Film,” which has a stated goal of exploring “what sex on film can teach us about social conventions in relationship to law, science, politics and religion.” Descriptions for several other courses mention that assigned films may include sexually explicit images. Topics for other film studies courses include commercial film production, podcasting and music videos. Fact check:Photo of KKK billboard from 1970s, not taken recently in North Carolina The college was founded by the First Presbyterian Church as the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute in 1875 but ended its denominational relationship with the Presbyterian Church in 1974, according to its website. It ended mutual agreements with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church and \"completely cut ties\" with religious schools in 1983. ## Our rating: Missing context Based on our research, we rate MISSING CONTEXT the claim that a Utah college deleted an online listing for a class about pornography after media coverage and controversy, because it can be misleading without additional information. The class studying pornography is still taking place. The college removed the listing from one section of its website, but it remained in the course catalog as of April 22. ## Our fact-check sources: * Sheila Rappazzo Yorkin, April 21, Email exchange with USA TODAY * Westminster College, accessed April 22, Course catalog * Westminster College, accessed April 22, Course listing * Westminster College, accessed April 22, History Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. 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A Utah college deleted an online listing for a class about pornography after media coverage and controversy