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 — and it changed his academic path.
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.
Levenson’s experience isn’t uncommon. For many students, introductory sociology courses have long served as an entry point into the discipline.
However, that pathway may soon disappear.
The State University System’s Board of Governors voted March 26 to remove Introduction to Sociology from general education across Florida’s 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.
“This is part of a really shocking and kind of terrifying trend,” Levenson said. “Students across Florida should be really concerned.”
Almost 1,500 students were enrolled in the class during the 2025-26 academic year, according to public records obtained by The Alligator.
In 2024, the board removed sociology from a list of six “state core” classes students could use to fulfill their social science requirement. Earlier this year, Florida began requiring the use of a new state-approved textbook in sociology courses. The new version omits topics on race, gender and sexuality present in an earlier, much longer version of the text.
“What we have are nonacademics trying to control a curriculum and impose it on academics, which just feels bizarre and even surreal,” Levenson said about the series of decisions.
The motion to remove sociology from general education wasn’t listed on the meeting agenda and wasn’t open for public comment. Rather, it was a surprise vote initiated by Ray Rodrigues, the State University System chancellor.
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.
All of the faculty feedback opposed the board’s decisions regarding sociology.
“They couldn’t even find a single faculty member to be neutral on this issue, let alone support their position,” Levenson said.
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.
These issues have not been seen in other disciplines like history and political science, he said.
“The path to preserve academic freedom and preserve compliance with Florida statutes is clear,” Rodrigues said. “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.”
Sociology is the study of social life and its effects on how people behave. In Introduction to Sociology, students learn about basic sociological concepts — including the influences of race, ethnicity, class and gender — and vocabulary social scientists use to collect data and conduct research, according to UF’s course description.
At UF, assistant professor Evan Lauteria said the decision is part of a broader pattern affecting the discipline.
“I 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,” he said. “This sets an unfortunate precedent for government overreach.”
He said departments may face long-term academic and structural consequences.
The sociology departments at Florida’s universities are now in the same boat as women’s studies and African American studies departments around the state, he said, and sociologists can look to them for what to expect going forward.
Last year, the board made all African American and women’s 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.
Lauteria said many students will miss out on valuable education, arguing the change undermines efforts to develop well-rounded graduates.
“This is a deliberate attack on academic freedom and is a threat to students’ learning outcomes and is a detriment to the state of Florida,” he said. “It’s a huge disservice to students who deserve a quality education.”
Michael Beck, a UF graduate instructor currently teaching Introduction to Sociology, said the course plays a foundational role in higher education.
“No matter what you do in the world, the sociological imagination is a superpower,” he said. “It really helps us not just see things from the microlevel in this really condensed, limited perspective, but it helps us see social structures itself.”
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.
That shift could affect faculty hiring, graduate admissions and research output, he said.
“It’s going to change the way the whole department functions,” he said. “This decision affects people’s livelihoods, their careers, the research that they can do. It’s pretty devastating for those of us who are in the field of sociology.”
Student reactions
As a major, sociology enrolled 342 UF undergraduates as of Fall 2024. Introduction to Sociology is a required critical tracking class for the program. But most students who take the class come from other majors. Some of those students said the course has had a lasting impact on how they understand the world.
Ava Hall, an 18-year-old UF health sciences freshman who is currently taking Beck’s Introduction to Sociology class, described the board’s decision as “sad” in many ways.
“It’s a class that everyone should take, just because it gives you a different perspective on life,” she said. “It’s really important for everyone to have open, different perspectives.”
Hall said the lessons she is learning in this class and the different perspectives she has gained will help her future career in the medical field by informing the way she interacts with patients.
“I think sociology is a good example of how you can understand them better,” she said.
Natalie Biggs, a 20-year-old UF health science sophomore, said she initially enrolled in the course to meet graduate school requirements but found it transformative.
“But I’m so glad I did, because it’s changed so much about my mindset,” she said. “I see sociology every day in the way people interact.”
Sociology ties into many different majors, which is why she was so shocked to hear it would no longer be considered a general education course, she said.
“It encapsulates so many different majors that I don’t understand why it wouldn’t be a gen ed requirement,” she said. “I don’t understand why it should be removed.”
Claire Tibshrany, a 19-year-old UF psychology and criminology freshman who took the class last semester, said she enjoyed the class so much, she’s considering adding a sociology minor.
“Sociology is a really good thing to study just to understand the world around us,” she said. “It makes me a better student, a better classmate, and it makes me see the world a little bit better with more understanding of others.”
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_.
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies student and The Alligator's Spring 2026 Enterprise Politics Reporter. She previously served as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice Reporter. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling and going on random side quests.
