The top university board in the state of Florida has moved to entirely ban the Introduction from Sociology course from being offered to students as an option of “core” curriculum classes required by all freshman students, dealing a significant blow to the discipline in Florida.
The dramatic move is a culmination of the state’s years-long battle over sociology as a discipline, and mere months after the state controversially required professors to use a new textbook that was in large part edited by state officials.
Entire chapters on issues like Race and Ethnicity, Global Inequality, Social Stratification in the United States, and Gender, Sex and Sexuality were deleted from the textbook, which was based on an open-source textbook.
READ MORE: Sociology no longer a general education course at Florida universities
The creation of the new textbook was required after state officials declared last year that every existing textbook violated state law over how core curriculum courses can be taught.
Sociology professors across the state argued that the textbook mandate violated academic freedom. As WLRN has previously reported, faculty at Florida International University in Miami passed motions in the Faculty Senate declaring that the new requirements do “not conform to the professional standards of the discipline of sociology,” and that professors should not be required to use the textbook.
“Sociology as a discipline is now social and political advocacy dressed in the regalia of the academy."Ray Rodrigues
In comments he made before pushing to finalize removing Introduction to Sociology as an offering in core curriculum, Ray Rodrigues, the chancellor of the State University System, cited WLRN’s reporting on faculty concerns about the new textbook.
“ I have listened carefully. I've reviewed their responses,” said Rodrigues. “ They see this as a threat to academic freedom.”
“ The media has framed a false choice before the board today that you either violate academic freedom and comply with state statute, or you can violate state statute and comply with academic freedom. My recommendation to you is to reject that false choice,” followed Rodrigues, urging the body to remove the courses.
Rodrigues cited faculty concerns that the new textbook does not adhere to professional norms set by the American Sociological Association, and said it led him to doing research into the association. He said he went to the organization’s website and viewed the focus of its annual meetings as being misaligned with Florida law, which bans “unproven, speculative or exploratory” subjects from being taught in core curriculum.
For this year’s upcoming conference in August, Rodrigues saw a banner promoting the event, titled: “Disrupting the Status Quo: Putting Sociology to Work for a More Equitable Society.”
“ This year, ASA says their goal of the 2026 conference is to consider what must be done differently, so that sociology not only examines social problems, but also offers evidence-based solutions for social progress as witnessed by their own themes, goals and words. The ASA declares that this sociology's mission goes beyond understanding society and now extends to its transformation,” said Rodrigues.
“Sociology as a discipline is now social and political advocacy dressed in the regalia of the academy," he said.
A request for comment from the American Sociological Association about the course being pulled from core curriculum across Florida was not immediately returned.
Tensions at FIU before the vote
Following the FIU Faculty Senate’s motion asking the school to stand up and allow professors to teach the course “uncensored,” a top university official called the faculty decisions into question and threatened an escalation.
“One could potentially infer that the Faculty Senate has acted intentionally and irresponsibly under the cover of academic freedom. At this institution we regard academic freedom as a foundational principle; however, it is not absolute and should not be invoked to encourage conduct that conflicts with state law or institutional obligations,” Elizabeth M. Béjar, Provost, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer wrote in a letter to the FIU Faculty Senate.
READ MORE: Chapters deleted, sections added: Florida's new sociology textbook is 'stop-gap,' says professor
Béjar said the university would move to audit the courses currently being taught “to ensure compliance.”
At a Florida International University Faculty Senate meeting in early March, days after Béjar sent the letter, an unidentified speaker said he feared that by publicly calling attention to issues of academic freedom, that faculty had “poked the bear in the sense that the [Board of Governors] is looking at us very carefully,” and that a deeper crackdown by the state could be in the cards.
“ I think the concern is that the longer we dwell on trying to preserve Intro to Sociology in our [core curriculum], the greater we endanger FIU in a broader way,” said the faculty member. “ I would suggest that we keep the bigger picture in mind.”
Stop-gap solution rejected
Although Florida State University Professor Dawn Carr received criticism from her colleagues for helping the state create its new textbook, the outcome of Thursday’s meeting was what she most feared. She said she feared mass firings and an implosion of Sociology as a discipline in Florida if the new textbook was not created.
“What was put on our shoulders was saving our discipline and saving our colleagues' jobs,” Carr said last month. “We needed a stop-gap solution, and this is a stop-gap solution.”
About 25% of the content of the course was lost once the new textbook was written, she explained. But that was better than losing 100% if the course was entirely removed from core curriculum, she argued. To fend off the worse case scenario of mass firings and the discipline losing its place in core curriculum, Carr said she worked such long hours over a six-week period late last year that she faced health issues.
“To my knowledge this has never happened in U.S. history," she said about the stakes of the unprecedented the situation in Florida higher education.
Carr did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday about the Board of Governor's vote.
The vote was not unanimous. Two out of the seventeen sitting Florida Board of Governors members voted against the resolution. One of those voting against it was Kimberly Dunn, an accounting professor at Florida Atlantic University. She is serving on the board as the Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, a role that holds a designated seat on the board.
“ I want to commend our sociology faculty, especially Dr. Dawn Carr from Florida State University, for their dedicated work, developing resources to support colleges across the state. In light of these good faith efforts and the many programs prepared to implement this work in compliance with state law, removal may be premature and broader than necessary,” said Dunn.
“ Sociology contributes directly to the competencies we consistently emphasize. These are skills our graduates need across every sector. Maintaining sociology on the general education list preserves discipline, evidence-based inquiry into critically important aspects of the human experience,” said Dunn.
It was not clear who gave the second 'No' vote.
Even though Introduction to Sociology will no longer be offered as a part of core curriculum to incoming students, the course will still be offered as an elective. Courses that are taught as electives are not subject to the same laws and regulations as those offered as core curriculum.
