Last week, the state of Florida decided to remove “Intro to Sociology” from its required undergrad courses in Florida’s 12 public universities. This is basically an attempt to sanitize anything that doesn’t conform to the traditional family model and traditional social roles, otherwise known as “woke culture.” While it is true that those two areas of society are studied in sociology, just take a look at what else is covered below.

This decision is a disservice to the very students it claims to protect. Introductory Sociology is far more than a political statement. It is a foundational life skill course. As young adults step into the workforce, into relationships, into communities, and into civic life, understanding how society functions is not optional; it is essential. Sociology teaches students how institutions shape opportunity, how culture influences behavior, and how individuals navigate systems that were built long before they arrived. Stripping that knowledge from the curriculum doesn’t produce independent thinkers. It produces adults who are less equipped to understand the world they are about to fully enter.

Consider what students actually lose. They lose the frameworks to understand workplace dynamics and systemic inequality, knowledge that helps them advocate for themselves in their careers. They lose exposure to research on family structures, social mobility, and community belonging, topics that are deeply relevant to anyone building a life as an adult. They lose the ability to critically evaluate the social forces acting on them every single day, from media to policy to peer pressure. A student who has never been taught to examine society is far more likely to be shaped by it without ever realizing it.

Sociology doesn’t tell students what to think. It teaches them how to think about the world around them, and that is something no young adult entering society can afford to be without.

Read more here:
Florida Deals Another Blow to Sociology
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/03/30/florida-deals-another-blow-sociology