Florida mandates sociology textbook that avoids race, gender — faculty call it censorship

Florida International University faculty are pushing back against the state over a newly mandated introductory sociology textbook, shortened to remove or reduce coverage of topics such as race, gender, and sexuality.

An education expert told The College Fix the revisions do not necessarily amount to a fundamental alteration of the course.

However, in a letter to the Faculty Senate, members of the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies claimed that the new textbook omits key course components, amounting to an “attack on academic freedom” and “censorship,” according to Inside Higher Ed. 

“There are no discussions of systemic or structural racism, a core concept in sociology,” the letter states. “Not only are these omissions an incorrect representation of the field, but they also fail to prepare students for majors and graduate education that require or recommend introduction to sociology.”

The College Fix reached out to the Florida Board of Governors and the State University System to request a copy of the new textbook, but neither responded to this request. 

However, Florida Board of Governors spokesperson Meghan Thomas told The Fix that “university faculty participated in a statewide sociology workgroup and developed a framework that could be used for the course, and developed a resource to align with the framework.” 

The revised textbook follows the 2023 passage of Senate Bill 266, which prohibits core courses that purport theories of embedded oppression and systemic inequalities of U.S. institutions, Inside Higher Ed reported. 

Courses must meet a series of standards that provide students with the skills to think critically about given topics without “distorting events or including curriculum that teaches identity politics.”

Neetu Arnold, a scholar at the Manhattan Institute who has written about general education reform, told The Fix that “Removing or de-emphasizing any one interpretive framework does not necessarily ‘fundamentally alter’ the course as long as students are still introduced to core concepts and methods.”

Arnold noted that the purpose of general education is to provide a broadly accessible survey course.

She added that if faculty feel that certain frameworks are essential and can’t be presented in a way consistent with state guidelines, departments have the option to teach those perspectives in non–general education courses.

Arnold, when asked whether Senate Bill 266 promotes viewpoint neutrality or amounts to ideological censorship, said it depends on implementation. 

“Florida’s law attempts to address politicization in courses. How well it promotes viewpoint neutrality depends on how clearly its standards are defined and implemented,” she said.

Arnold pointed to her recent Manhattan Institute report, in which she proposed clearer language to protect students from compelled speech or ideological conformity while also preserving open inquiry. 

Even with this language, however, accusations of censorship are still likely, as “many professors are accustomed to broad discretion in designing their courses, and to them, any kind of oversight is perceived as infringing on their academic freedom,” she said.

She added that at taxpayer-funded universities, academic freedom does not mean the absence of expectations. 

When asked about what message the revision sends about the future of sociology in Florida and other states, Arnold said state universities should expect increased oversight in how foundational courses are taught.

“State universities will face more expectations about how foundational courses are taught,” she said. “Lawmakers are realizing that public universities can’t continue to operate as if they are insulated from public accountability.”

Reached for comment, the Heterodox Academy directed The Fix to its recent Substack post in which the organization’s members criticized the state’s move as “censorship.” The Heterodox Academy equips “faculty and campus leaders with tools, research, and community support to broaden inquiry,” according to its website.

HxA President John Tomasi warned that “When a college issues an official moral judgment on a contested issue … It reassigns moral authority, signaling which views are legitimate and which are disfavored within the institution.” 

The new state-approved textbook is a heavily shortened version of the original 669-page OpenStax text, reduced to just 267 pages, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Key changes include the complete removal of chapters on media and technology, global inequality, race and ethnicity, social stratification, and gender, sex, and sexuality, as well as the elimination of a section discussing government-led genocide of Native Americans.

The word “transgender” is used 68 times in the original version and once in the revised version. The word “racism” fell from 115 uses to just 6.