The State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors voted Thursday to remove sociology from the list of general education requirements, a move that effectively demotes the discipline to elective status across the state’s 12 public universities.
The 15-2 decision marks the latest escalation in Governor Ron DeSantis’ broader campaign to overhaul higher education and eliminate what state officials describe as “woke” indoctrination in the classroom.
Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, who spearheaded the recommendation, delivered a stinging indictment of the field during the meeting. He argued that sociology has transitioned from a rigorous academic study into a vehicle for political activism.
“Sociology as a discipline is now social and political advocacy dressed in the regalia of the academy,” Rodrigues told the board. He later doubled down on the decision in an interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education, stating, “We didn’t murder sociology. Sociology committed suicide.”
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The policy change prevents Florida’s 430,000 public university students from using sociology credits to satisfy mandatory general education blocks. While students can still major in the subject or take it as an elective, it will no longer be part of the foundational curriculum required for all undergraduates.
The board’s decision follows months of intensifying friction between state officials and faculty unions. Sociology professors have raised alarms over newly mandated textbooks they claim sanitize the discipline by scrubbing essential topics.
Professor William Marsiglio of the University of Florida previously criticized revised course materials for eliminating units on:
- Social stratification and class
- Race and ethnicity
- Gender and sexuality
- The genocide of Native Americans
“It is an affront to academic freedom,” Marsiglio told The Independent Florida Alligator. “It’s hard to imagine thinking about how people live their everyday lives and assume that social stratification… don’t matter.”
Only two members of the 17-member board voted against the measure. Kimberly Dunn, a Florida Atlantic University professor and the board’s faculty representative, warned that the decision was “premature and broader than necessary.”
Dunn argued that sociology provides evidence-based inquiry into the human experience—skills she maintained are vital for graduates across all professional sectors.
The ruling impacts major institutions including the University of Florida, Florida State University, and the University of South Florida. It represents a pivot toward a curriculum focused on “traditional” Western foundations, a hallmark of the state’s current educational policy shift.
