Florida discourages the study of Sociology

The Council of Social Work (CSWE)encouraged schools of Social Work a few decades ago to develop what is called "Generalized Social Work Practice" model at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Prior to this development Masters of Social Work students had to choose a major in casework, group work, or community organization. The primary courses in Social Work are usually named something like "Human behavior and social environment".

Human behavior and social environment is based on a "person in situation" model meaning that human behavior can be explained by the influences of the social environment as much as on individual personality traits and characteristics.

It was suggested several months ago that posts not directly related to clinical practice be labeled "OT" for off topic or sometimes "SP" for social policy. I am intending to study and write a lot more about Social Policy and its outcomes.

I noticed an article on The Conversation that the Florida Legislature and Gov. DeSantis have introduced legislation discouraging the study of sociology as a basic course in the college curriculum even denying that credit for sociology courses be granted toward degree requirements.

The boards that oversee the education of hundreds of thousands of students enrolled in Florida’s public colleges and universities voted to reduce the number of students who study sociology on those campuses.

They officially removed principles of sociology from the lists of classes that count as core courses that satisfy requirements for undergraduate degrees.

This change, made in January 2024, was in response to a law that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in 2023. That measure bans general education college credits for instruction “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”

Does this social policy strike anyone else as a dereliction in duty of providing college students with an understanding of societal dynamics that influence human behavior and the quality of life that people in a society experience?

The Florida Governor and legislature apparently would have its citizens be ignorant of the social forces that impact their lives. Does this social policy contribute to lower levels of consciousness of the citizenry which inhibits their understanding and management of social forces that influence their quality of life? What impact does this policy of withdrawing incentives to study sociology have on the mental health of the populations affected?