Summary: Applying The Sociological Imagination Theory

C. Wright Mills in The Real World points out that “the sociological imagination is a quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our individual circumstances and larger social forces” (12). For instance, in 2008, in China, one of my friends could not find a job. She thought that she did not have the right skills, education background, and good experience. Then she used the sociological imagination to analyze this situation; according to the larger social and historical reasons, she found out that the 2008 financial crisis was the worst economic disaster since the great depression of 1929. Many people lost jobs and even factories faced closure. My friend’s difficulty to get a job was not only due to her personal circumstances but also due to large social forces and historical phenomena. After the clarification of sociological imagination approach, I thought of an interesting event that happened to me recently. I can also apply the sociology imagination theory to analyze the essence of the problem about why textbook prices keep climbing. …show more content…
The National Association of College Stores points out “more than 77 cents of every dollar spent on textbooks go to publishers. Of those 77 cents, the publishing company makes about 18 cents in pure profit, while spending 15 cents on marketing, and roughly 32 cents to cover costs paper, printing, employee salaries” (Here Is Why College Textbooks Are Expensive). Remarkably, this is a monopoly. With no close substitutes, the monopolist can derive super-normal profits. This means the publishers can relax and enjoy the profits. The lack of market regulations will leave the textbook market even worse. Consequently, what can we do to avoid the