Benefits of Sociological Imagination
Sociological Imagination Assignment Name: Jayden Pereira
Instructor: Prof. Rebecca Lock
Course Number: SOC 103 (031)
Date of Submission: 25/09/2014
Sociological Imagination is a term which has been in use for a very long time, however it often difficult to state what it means exactly, however C. Wright Mills helps us understand the meaning of it in his book named “Sociological Imagination” in which Naiman (2010) points out to us as it being “the ability to go beyond the personal issues we all experience and connect them to broader social structures.” (p.7). In order to understand the true meaning of social imagination, we first need to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of others around us. Once we are in their shoes we will be able to fully understand their feelings about a certain idea or situation they are faced with. Once we are faced with issues of others we can try and then compare our lives to theirs and perhaps we may eventually find that they are faced with the similar issues as us. Eventually the case would be that it may not be in fact the issue of one self but in fact, the current society is faced with the same dilemma. It’s important to not only understand our own situation in life but also to be able to understand on a day to day basis, why one may react the way they do to something. An example of when sociological imagination would be of good use is when one fails a test at university. Some may believe it is just due to the professor high standards or perhaps the student didn’t study or never attended class. However if the whole class happened to have a very low grade and majority failed in that particular class it may go to show that it may not just be that one student’s fault but it can in fact be that the test was hard and the students weren’t prepared to be tested on that certain matter, an example could be a result of a chapter being included when it wasn’t supposed to thus it can be seen that there is an issue in the class overall and
Instructor: Prof. Rebecca Lock
Course Number: SOC 103 (031)
Date of Submission: 25/09/2014
Sociological Imagination is a term which has been in use for a very long time, however it often difficult to state what it means exactly, however C. Wright Mills helps us understand the meaning of it in his book named “Sociological Imagination” in which Naiman (2010) points out to us as it being “the ability to go beyond the personal issues we all experience and connect them to broader social structures.” (p.7). In order to understand the true meaning of social imagination, we first need to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of others around us. Once we are in their shoes we will be able to fully understand their feelings about a certain idea or situation they are faced with. Once we are faced with issues of others we can try and then compare our lives to theirs and perhaps we may eventually find that they are faced with the similar issues as us. Eventually the case would be that it may not be in fact the issue of one self but in fact, the current society is faced with the same dilemma. It’s important to not only understand our own situation in life but also to be able to understand on a day to day basis, why one may react the way they do to something. An example of when sociological imagination would be of good use is when one fails a test at university. Some may believe it is just due to the professor high standards or perhaps the student didn’t study or never attended class. However if the whole class happened to have a very low grade and majority failed in that particular class it may go to show that it may not just be that one student’s fault but it can in fact be that the test was hard and the students weren’t prepared to be tested on that certain matter, an example could be a result of a chapter being included when it wasn’t supposed to thus it can be seen that there is an issue in the class overall and
References: Kornhauser, W. (2013). Politics of Mass Society (Vol. 49). New York, NY: Routledge. Naiman, J. (2012). How societies work: Class, power, and change. Nova Scotia, Canada: Fernwood Publishing.