The Department of Sociology sent a statement to the University Faculty Senate on March 30, calling on them to draft a resolution stating that the decisions made by the Board of Governors’ actions at their meeting on March 26 are diminishing the quality of education, and to ensure the department can still teach on social issues without fear.
Come Fall 2026, Introduction to Sociology SYG 1000 and 2000 will no longer satisfy general education requirements across all 12 of Florida’s public universities, including Florida Atlantic University; these courses will count only toward elective credits for students seeking to complete their 120-credit undergraduate degrees
This move is part of a multi-year-long push to rid introductory sociology courses from the Florida Gen-ed curriculum. In 2024, the BOG set in motion the steps toward this current removal by voting to remove principles of sociology from the general education curriculum, according to previous reporting from the University Press.
The vote passed 7-2 at the Board of Governors meeting in Pensacola on March 26. Members and university presidents convened to vote on a motion to remove sociology from the gen-ed requirement.
Despite the board’s decision, FAU students are voicing strong support to keep sociology on the general education list.
First-year communications major Morrissey Floyd says that sociology is an important foundational course for anyone, regardless of major or minor.
Floyd started her year in the sociology course “Family and Society” and is now enrolled in Sociological Perspectives to fulfill general education requirements. After taking the classes, Floyd decided to minor in Sociology.
“The first thing you have to do when you understand perceptions is understand how people think, how people feel, like those different perspectives that lead people to make the decisions that they do,” said Floyd. “It really has changed the way I think and made me realize that a lot of what is, is really just how we were socialized.”
Junior and exercise science major Ketchnaida Philogene says that, growing up in Haiti, sociology classes were taught in middle school, leading her to believe that every student should take a sociology class and that the curriculum should be implemented earlier in American education.
“Sociology teaches people how to look beyond the surface,” said Philogene. “When you are able to do that, you can function in any society.”
“As a liberal arts major who took sociology before it was ideologically captured,” said Chancellor of the State University System Ray Rodrigues during the meeting. “I learned about racism and the use of red-lining, I learned about sexism and the gender pay gap, and I learned those concepts without enduring indoctrination.”
In an email to staff on April 9, University Faculty Senate President William Trapani expressed his dissatisfaction with the Chancellor’s remarks and the BOG’s decision.
“Speaking solely for myself, I find everything about the Board’s actions on this matter, and especially the Chancellor’s statement, patently absurd, offensive, and well below the professional standards we should expect from the leaders of the nation’s top-ranked university system,” wrote Trapani. “We know we do not indoctrinate students, and there’s never been one whit of evidence to suggest that we do.”
According to Trapani’s email, over 1,000 students enroll each calendar year at FAU, and removing the sociology course would deprive students of “important insights” from the program.
An opinion shared by associate professor and Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, Kimberly Dunn, who voted against the motion to remove Introduction to Sociology SYG1000 & 2000 as a general education requirement.
“Sociology contributes directly to the competencies we consistently emphasize. These are skills our graduates need across every sector. Maintaining sociology on the gen ed list preserves discipline, evidence-based inquiry into critically important aspects of the human experience,” said Dunn in the BOG meeting.
Isaiah Sewell is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this story, email Burke at [email protected] or contact him on Instagram @izayahx_.
Liam Burke contributed to the reporting for this story.
