Homework Assignment 1
The sociological imagination, coined by C. Wright Mills, is in the simplest terms; a way of thinking or analyzing a situation outside of the box. Using this perspective allows us to “think ourselves away” and see that our behaviors, feelings, and the choices we have made, may not have necessarily been free will. These things that we view as private or personal and individual may actually reflect on a larger scale. We are influenced by the social context within our social environment; i.e. the physical setting in which we are raised, including the people we interact with and the culture in which we are surrounded. Robert Merton’s theory of social structure is the units or aspects within society that are interconnected and …show more content…
Education, a particular component of social structure within the aspect of Institutions, unknowingly played a leading role in my decision to choose Appalachian State University to further my knowledge. From kindergarten to my senior year of high school the one thing I heard every year without fail was, “you’ve got to do well in order to get into a good college.” Teachers, librarians and school officials engraved this message into our minds in hopes it would reap a positive outcome. Tracking was a system used by my elementary, middle and high school. I was placed in AIG and honors classes with students whose academic achievements excelled in the same way as my own. The courses within my discipline were not coincidentally college bound. Within the AIG classification, the curriculum was above grade level and critical and creative thinking strategies were intended to challenge and expand intellectual abilities. Teachers gave …show more content…
Friends arguably have the most effect on oneself. It’s human nature to want to be accepted and well-liked by your peers and often time we do absurd things to gain popularity or to stay in the loop. Friends don’t just influence your decisions but they can alter your view of the world. The youth are very impressionable and because of this our beliefs and values are constantly evolving and shifting as we meet new people. Because I’m from a very tiny (almost microscope) dot on the map, I’ve had the same hand full of best friends since I was in first grade, all of whom I take into account when making life altering decisions, just as I would my family. But before I took them into account senior year, when trying to choose which university I wanted to attend and just how long it would take to drive from where I was to where they were, these people had long been influencing me. From a young age, my friends and I would pass the time talking about how we couldn’t wait to flee the town we had all been strapped to since we were infants. Some of us talked about how we would backpack across South Africa or become a recluse from society and live in the wilderness of Alaska, just like Christopher Mccandless, become vegans, models, movie stars or even rock gods, although none of us could sing a tune or play an instrument. All of these fantasy ideas we
The sociological imagination, coined by C. Wright Mills, is in the simplest terms; a way of thinking or analyzing a situation outside of the box. Using this perspective allows us to “think ourselves away” and see that our behaviors, feelings, and the choices we have made, may not have necessarily been free will. These things that we view as private or personal and individual may actually reflect on a larger scale. We are influenced by the social context within our social environment; i.e. the physical setting in which we are raised, including the people we interact with and the culture in which we are surrounded. Robert Merton’s theory of social structure is the units or aspects within society that are interconnected and …show more content…
Education, a particular component of social structure within the aspect of Institutions, unknowingly played a leading role in my decision to choose Appalachian State University to further my knowledge. From kindergarten to my senior year of high school the one thing I heard every year without fail was, “you’ve got to do well in order to get into a good college.” Teachers, librarians and school officials engraved this message into our minds in hopes it would reap a positive outcome. Tracking was a system used by my elementary, middle and high school. I was placed in AIG and honors classes with students whose academic achievements excelled in the same way as my own. The courses within my discipline were not coincidentally college bound. Within the AIG classification, the curriculum was above grade level and critical and creative thinking strategies were intended to challenge and expand intellectual abilities. Teachers gave …show more content…
Friends arguably have the most effect on oneself. It’s human nature to want to be accepted and well-liked by your peers and often time we do absurd things to gain popularity or to stay in the loop. Friends don’t just influence your decisions but they can alter your view of the world. The youth are very impressionable and because of this our beliefs and values are constantly evolving and shifting as we meet new people. Because I’m from a very tiny (almost microscope) dot on the map, I’ve had the same hand full of best friends since I was in first grade, all of whom I take into account when making life altering decisions, just as I would my family. But before I took them into account senior year, when trying to choose which university I wanted to attend and just how long it would take to drive from where I was to where they were, these people had long been influencing me. From a young age, my friends and I would pass the time talking about how we couldn’t wait to flee the town we had all been strapped to since we were infants. Some of us talked about how we would backpack across South Africa or become a recluse from society and live in the wilderness of Alaska, just like Christopher Mccandless, become vegans, models, movie stars or even rock gods, although none of us could sing a tune or play an instrument. All of these fantasy ideas we