SARASOTA, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida college officials dealt a final blow to sociology on Friday, purging the subject from all community college requirements.
This move aligns the Florida College System, which includes 28 public universities across the state, including Palm Beach State College, Indian River State College, and Broward College, with state universities.
The State University System Board of Governors, which encompasses a dozen Florida universities, did away with the sociology requirement at the end of March, according to previous reports.
The decision is reportedly part of a broader push by state leaders to limit Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives within Florida’s public university system.
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Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas argues that the field has drifted from objective instruction:
For years, we have watched Sociology drift further away from its academic purpose, moving from objective instruction toward the promotion of ideological viewpoints at the expense of true critical thinking.
He continued by calling Sociology a “sinking ship,” saying it doesn’t meet Florida’s “standards.”
Board Chair Ryan Petty emphasized that general education must be free from identity politics and historical distortion, adding that the move ensures that every course meets the specific mandates outlined in state law:
The path to preserve academic freedom and preserve compliance with Florida statutes is clear: remove Sociology 1000 and 2000 courses from all general education classifications. Leave these courses as electives, free to compete in the marketplace of ideas, and leave them as the majors and the minors for the students who choose to study them.
Friday’s decision effectively closed the door on sociology as a baseline requirement for all public undergraduate students in Florida.