Course Reflection

There is one central element that I have learned by participating in this social problems course that I found essential to understanding sociology. The common aspect that was presented in about every discussion board topic for this course as a possible solution was education. Without the proper understanding and education for each topic that was provided for us to analyze, I would not have been able to accurately evaluate the various social problems we encountered throughout the semester. This course helped broaden my concepts and ideas that I can use to now use to improve my sociological imagination and apply them to other social problems I might encounter in future courses. Though education is the essential element for understanding sociology, …show more content…
Though the opinions that others hold may not be the same as mine, it is still crucial to openly listen to the points others find value in. This was another aspect that I also learned through taking this course. Having the discussion boards for almost every chapter of the book was an element of this course that I thoroughly enjoyed. Through this I was able to obtain knowledgeable feedback that people gave me to challenge or expand on what my opinion was. It was always intriguing to see how others were able to take my opinion and apply it to their own. This fact was also reciprocated when I would respond to my fellow classmates. Listening to other’s opinions gave me the ability to expand the conversation further by asking other questions that were related to the topic. Reading the discussion posts from my fellow classmates also made me question the validity of my own opinion because they would draw conclusions for elements that I had not gathered before. My favorite moment from participating in these discussion boards was after reading a post about the last topic we discussed in regards to the relation of technology, the environment, and armed conflict. My understanding of the last discussion topic was strengthened after someone described the relation between the three elements like a catalyst. This was a great word to describe the relationship, which enabled me to further my own sociological imagination on the issue. Another element that I learned through this course that helped me analyze my ideas about a social problem were the various social theories that were found at the end of each chapter. These theories were beneficial in most discussions because the showed the various pro and cons that could be taken from the social problem. Applying the thoughts of other people along with social theories that have been developed by famous