For academic and activist Casey Walden, the interest in sociology developed as a kind of gradual awakening. Casey prefers pronouns she/her/hers or they/them/theirs, however, in this paper I will be utilizing only she/her/hers. Casey is a twenty-year-old student at Simmons College, pursuing the study of sociology amongst other concentrations. An interview session with her allowed me to delve into the intricacies of the interview process by analyzing how the conversation progressed, and to explore more about why she is majoring in sociology. In this paper, I will aim to discuss salient points that were mentioned throughout the interview, as well as reflect on the experience of conducting one. Throughout the fluid process of directing the interview, I was able to gage Casey's demographic background, motives, and aspirations regarding her major in sociology. Casey grew up in the small city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She believes she had an adequate and thorough education growing up, but not relative to an education she could've received elsewhere. Sociology was not distinctly on her mind as a young academic, but it slowly came to take form as she progressed through high school. Her first encounter was when she took an Introduction to Sociology class at her local university as a dual-enrollment course, since the psychology class …show more content…
During the interview, I mentioned to Casey how sociology is a living, breathing study. She agreed and said that she definitely appreciates that about sociology- it is dynamic and can constantly be analyzed from different perspectives. Casey became increasingly intrigued by what she heard her friends were studying and doing in their sociology classes. As she began to explore more of sociology herself by taking classes in the department, she decided to switch over, as she felt it spoke more to her than international relations or political science ever
Brinkerhoff, David B., Rose Weitz, Suzanne T. Ortega. Essentials of Sociology Ninth Edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.
Sociology is the study of social relationships and how one interacts in a society. It is a way of seeing and making sense of the world around us. Sociological Imagination means to think and ask questions as a sociologist would. It means to look at the world with a sociological point of view by asking how individual actions relate to societal forces. There are four different ways Donna Gaines uses C. Wright Mill's concepts of the Sociological Imagination in her study of the Suburbia's Dead-End Kids. Gaines emphasizes the fact that when one teenager commits suicide it is a personal matter, but when a group of teenagers commit suicide it becomes a matter of public concern which needs everyone's attention. To find the answer to why these teenagers
The Japanese society can be portrayed as essentially having no classes since there is a small group of elite and underclass that encompass the numerous middle class. Social differences exist between rural folks and urban residents in terms of family composition, education and participation in the labor force. The social difference in urban setting exists between white collar middle class and blue collar industrial workers and the self-employed artisans (Japan social influence 2014:6).
Scott, Barbara Marlene, and Mary Ann Schwartz. 2000. Sociology: Making Sense of the Social World. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Kendall, Diana. 2012. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, Edited by M. Kerr. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Lie, J., & Brym, R. J. (2006). Sociology: your compass for a new world, p. 318-325. New York, N.Y.: Wadsworth.
Sociology is something I didn’t know about until I took this class. This class introduced sociology to me. I learned about how society basically made boys supposed to like blue and girls supposed to like pink. Sociology is “the systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions” (Ferris and stein 2014: p9). Sociology is not something you just learn when you are just born. You learn about sociology throughout your life. Sociology is displayed around things such as being around different environments, friends, and family. Education is a sociology idea that can examine a person’s class and schooling. The higher the education you have,
Social theories provide us with a new perspective in the social world. With new perspectives, new opinions can be made. also, they can provide answers or explain a specific social spectacle. Social theories can help clarify and predict the way the social world works. The three major sociological perspectives are functionalism, the conflict theory, and the symbolic interaction theory. Each theory is different and can help answer many questions about human behavior in a social world.
...requent use of these appeals and strategies evokes a true response of sympathy and urgency to get a start on the revolution to gain women’s rights and equality. Steinem’s goal of her commencement speech to the graduating class of Vassar is not to relay stereotypical “entering the world with high hopes and dreams” advice, but to advocate social and political changes in America’s young, new future. She promotes social reform and helps to redefine what the feminist movement stands for. If society does not learn to unlearn the “traditionalist” ways, it will not move foreword in its attempt to exonerate women, men, and minorities from their preconceived and stereotypical roles. This argument is not only about the growth of women’s rights and power, but about the idea of humanism and that we all need to be liberated in order to initiate advancement of changes in society.
Giddens, Anthony, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Applebaum and Deborah Carr. Introduction to Sociology. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. Print.
The sociological imagination is a term given by Charles W Mills used to describe the ability to grasp the connections between personal troubles and public issues within society (Mills 1959). Mills also identifies that the ability to have awareness of social structures with clarity is to be able to trace the connections within a variety of different environments (Mills, 1959). These connections can be made when analysing one’s family tree and the variances between different generations.
Berger, Peter L. Invitation to Sociology; a Humanistic Perspective. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. Print.
Sarah McLanahan earned her bachelor’s in sociology in 1974 and her doctorate in 1979 (Gilbert). This is clearly her calling, because she has a passion for this. “She is currently the William S. Tod Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, where she directs the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing” (Sara S. McLanahan, 2005). Sh...
Murray, Jane Lothian, Linden, Rick and Kendall, Diane. (2011). SOCIOLOGY IN OUR TIMES, Fifth Canadian Edition by Nelson Education Limited, Published by Thomson Wadsworth, USA.
In the booklet “Let Your Life Speak”, Parker J. Palmer (2000) explained his despair involving teaching sociology at Georgetown to the community at PendleHill. Palmer did not feel the career path he decided upon was meant for him; Palmer stated “ Despite the American myth, I cannot be or do whatever I desire... There are some roles and relationships in which we thrive and others in which we wither and die.” (p.44)