Zach Levenson didn’t plan to study sociology. He entered college as a math major but took an Introduction to Sociology class to fulfill a general education requirement \u2014 and it changed his academic path.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He switched majors, eventually earning three degrees in the field, and he now teaches as an associate professor of sociology at Florida International University. There, he has taught the same course that drew him in as an undergraduate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Levenson\u2019s experience isn\u2019t uncommon. For many students, introductory sociology courses have long served as an entry point into the discipline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, that pathway may soon disappear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The State University System\u2019s Board of Governors voted <\/a>March 26 to remove Introduction to Sociology from general education across Florida\u2019s 12 public universities. The change will go into effect for the 2026-27 school year. Students will still be able to take the course as an elective or as part of their individual degrees.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is part of a really shocking and kind of terrifying trend,\u201d Levenson said. \u201cStudents across Florida should be really concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n Almost 1,500 students were enrolled in the class during the 2025-26 academic year, according to public records<\/a> obtained by The Alligator.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2024, the board removed sociology from a list of six \u201cstate core\u201d classes students could use to fulfill their social science requirement. Earlier this year, Florida began requiring the use of a new state-approved textbook<\/a> in sociology courses. The new version omits topics on race, gender and sexuality present in an earlier, much longer version of the text.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have are nonacademics trying to control a curriculum and impose it on academics, which just feels bizarre and even surreal,\u201d Levenson said about the series of decisions.<\/p>\n The motion to remove sociology from general education wasn\u2019t<\/a> listed on the meeting agenda and wasn\u2019t open for public comment. Rather, it was a surprise vote initiated by Ray Rodrigues, the State University System chancellor.<\/p>\n Before the vote, Rodrigues read feedback from sociology faculty submitted through unions and media outlets, saying it informed his recommendation to make the course an elective rather than a requirement.<\/p>\n All of the faculty feedback opposed the board\u2019s decisions regarding sociology.<\/p>\n \n Enjoy what you’re reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n \u201cThey couldn\u2019t even find a single faculty member to be neutral on this issue, let alone support their position,\u201d Levenson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the March 26 meeting, Rodrigues said sociology as a discipline has become a form of social and political advocacy in recent years, adding he learned about concepts like racism and the gender pay gap without indoctrination when he took sociology courses in college.<\/p>\n These issues have not been seen in other disciplines like history and political science, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe path to preserve academic freedom and preserve compliance with Florida statutes is clear,\u201d Rodrigues said. \u201cLeave 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Sociology is the study of social life and its effects on how people behave. In Introduction to Sociology, students learn about basic sociological concepts \u2014 including the influences of race, ethnicity, class and gender \u2014 and vocabulary social scientists use to collect data and conduct research, according to UF\u2019s course description.<\/p>\n At UF, assistant professor Evan Lauteria said the decision is part of a broader pattern affecting the discipline.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is the most recent step in a number of attempts to target sociology, and my concern is that we will not be the last discipline to be targeted,\u201d he said. \u201cThis sets an unfortunate precedent for government overreach.\u201d<\/p>\n He said departments may face long-term academic and structural consequences.<\/p>\n The sociology departments at Florida\u2019s universities are now in the same boat as women\u2019s studies and African American studies departments around the state, he said, and sociologists can look to them for what to expect going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, the board made<\/a> all African American and women\u2019s studies courses electives. The move was part of a state-initiated general education overhaul that removed hundreds of classes, most of them from disciplines in humanities and social sciences.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lauteria said many students will miss out on valuable education, arguing the change undermines efforts to develop well-rounded graduates.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a deliberate attack on academic freedom and is a threat to students\u2019 learning outcomes and is a detriment to the state of Florida,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge disservice to students who deserve a quality education.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Michael Beck, a UF graduate instructor currently teaching Introduction to Sociology, said the course plays a foundational role in higher education.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what you do in the world, the sociological imagination is a superpower,\u201d he said. \u201cIt really helps us not just see things from the microlevel in this really condensed, limited perspective, but it helps us see social structures itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Beck said enrollment is likely to decline now that the course no longer fulfills a general education requirement, which could reduce departmental funding tied to student credit hours.<\/p>\n That shift could affect faculty hiring, graduate admissions and research output, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to change the way the whole department functions,\u201d he said. \u201cThis decision affects people\u2019s livelihoods, their careers, the research that they can do. It\u2019s pretty devastating for those of us who are in the field of sociology.\u201d<\/p>\n Student reactions<\/p>\n