It is possible to link what happens in a college hockey game at Cornell University and a cockfight in Bali?
To expand the sociological imagination even further requires linking very different social institutions with one another.
In what ways do sports and religion contribute to the systemic operations of society?
What are some sacred objects in religions? In sports?
What are some rituals in sports? In religion?
Consider what you have learned about the sociological imagination. Choose one of the following topics: war, unemployment, divorce, or poverty and provide an example of a public issue and a private trouble associated with the topic. Describe how the two influence each other.
What characteristics are sociologists looking at when they refer to an individual’s socioeconomic status? How does the social class an individual is born into shape their life chances and choices? Provide one example.
Think about the functionalist perspective on culture. Based on this perspective, provide an understanding how functionalist would view one of these topics: sports, popular culture, religion. Be sure you clearly demonstrate the basic tenants of this theory when providing your reasoning.
What is the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism? Provide an example of each.
How would symbolic interactions explain the social phenomenon of people standing in lines for days to get the latest iPhone?
C. Wright Mills coined the phase “the Sociolocal Imagination” and discussed it as helping us understand “the Intersection of Biography and History”. This is powerful stuff! The understanding of our individual lives within the context of large historical, social and economic factors. Here we are in 2021/22, in the midst of the first pandemic in 100 years, an economy characterized by inflation, low unemployment and labor shortages.
How does your life, career, choices, obligations compare to those of your parents or grandparents? How can sociology help you understand such big questions and issues?
Write a 2- to 3-page paper (500 to 825 words) in APA format focused on how sociological research applies key theoretical paradigms in understanding at least one important social problem. Cite and use at least one additional outside source for this paper.
Your paper must address the following:
Provide direct reference to our reading material and define the sociological imagination.
Explain in detail how the sociological imagination is important to the scientific work of sociologists. For example, how is the sociological imagination used in sociological research? Provide at least one example.
After doing your own independent research, analyze an important issue in society from the sociological imagination perspective and contrast this with a non-sociological analysis.
https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-sociology-2e
Reference reading
Lecture 2 (and Writing Assignment #1)
Link :
Topics covered:
What is a social science?
What are examples of social sciences?
What is political science?
What is economics?
What is psychology?
What is sociology?
How is sociology different from psychology?
What is the two step process we need to go through in order to develop a sociological imagination?
How can we use the sociological imagination to think about romantic love?
Watch Lecture 2 and pay special attention to the discussion of the “sociological imagination.” Then watch the first 8 minutes of the video “History of Ideas: Love” and answer the 5 questions below. Each answer should be 3-4 sentences long (that is about a paragraph in length).
The link for the video “History of Ideas: Love” is:
Assignment questions:
1- How did the King of Mari, Zimri Lin, view marriage?
2- What did Jaufre Rudel, the troubadour poet, believe about love?
3- What was the French King’s belief about love and marriage?
4- Explain why the marriages that took place at Gretna Green were so significant
5- Given how much love/marriage has changed over time do you expect love/marriage will continue to change? Or do you think we’ve now figured out love/marriage and it is unlikely to change. Explain your view
Purpose: For this assignment you will demonstrate your ability to apply your sociological imagination to better explain current events. You can use your textbook and notes to help.
This assignment will help you think more critically about the news and other media you consume on a daily basis, as well as to better understand and critique arguments using a sociological perspective.
Task: Your task is to identify one of the news articles from the list below that you are interested in writing about.
Then, in your written assignment ( 1 page, 12 pt. font, single spaced, with 1 inch margins on all sides) you will identify at least two sociological theories and/or concepts from our class materials and discuss how they can help better explain what is happening in the article.
You should not simply recite what an article says, but instead add some sociology in order to better explain what is happening around us.
Must mention here that it is more important that you understand rather than agree with what you have read. Below are some tips that may help you get started.
Sociological theories and concepts: Incorporate and explain at least two sociological ideas, theories, concepts into your response.
Page length, grammar, spelling, and logic:
Write in complete sentences and be sure to use proper grammar and spell check. Your paper should be at minimum 1 page. Let your work reflect your best self. Proofread before you upload your assignment.
This film is a documentary about the impact of commercial culture and media on children and youth.
Midterm Essay Nature of the Assignment:
You have already learned about the “sociological imagination” (pg. 6-7),the“core theoretical frameworks”(pg. 9-16; 125-137)of sociology,as well as about the concepts of“ideology” (pg. 63-64) and the “looking-glass self”(pg. 73-75).
To gain a more thorough understanding of this essential textbook material, it is important to become more aware of its relevance to us and to the world around us.
This assignmentis designed to develop this kind of awareness, as it requires you to make specific connections between the text book materialand the documentary film listed below.
Keep in mind that there are no absolutely right or wrong answers to the questions below, although there is accurate or inaccurate knowledge of the course materialand of the film. Your goal is to connect the course material to the content of the film in convincing ways.
Documentary Film:This film is a documentary about the impact of commercial culture and media on children and youth. It is available as a streaming video on the MacEwan library website.Barbaro, B. and J. Earp (Directors). (2008). Consuming Kids:
The Commercialization of Childhood. Media Education Foundation. (Running Time: 67 min).Respond to TWO of the following three Critical Thinking Questions. Be sure NOT to respond to all three questions.
1.While the documentary film does not explicitly mention the core theoretical frame works of sociology, its analysis of commercial culture isimplicitly based on some of those frameworks.
Trace the ways in which the film utilizes ONE core theoretical frame work by connecting that framework’s key concepts and theories with the film’s analysis.Demonstrate thorough and accurate knowledge of the framework you are tracing.
2.According to the film, in what ways is commercial culture designed to promote a certain ideology?
What are the key characteristics of this commercial ideology? How would you describe the relationship between the ideology of commercial culture and the sociological imagination? In your analysis, demonstrate accurate knowledge of the concepts of “ideology”and “sociologica limagination.”
3.According to the film, in what ways is commercial culture designed to promote a high looking-glass-self orientation(LGSO)?
What is the marketing strategy behind this promotion of a high LGSO? Which social and psychological problems may arise from a high LGSO? In your own estimate, in what ways do social media promote a high LGSO?Be sure to demonstrate accurate knowledge of the conceptof the “looking-glass-self.”
Format:
•PDF file
•2-3 pages, typed (double-spaced, standardmargins)
•Time New Roman, 12-pointfont
•Title page (in addition to the 2-3 assignmentpages)
•References page (in addition to the 2-3 assignment pages):You may format your referencespageusing any style you are familiar with (e.g.,APA, MLA).
•You are notrequired to use essay format (i.e., introduction, body, conclusion), although you may if you wish. Instead, you may use a question-and-answer format, using headings such as “Question #1” or“Question #3.” You mustuse full sentences and paragraphs.
•Whenever you are using a piece of information or an idea that you obtained from another source, you must properly cite that source in the assignment and include it in your List of References.
•When using material from the textbook, cite it as follows: (Symbaluk and Bereska, p. 13).
When referring to material from the film, cite it as follows: (Barbaro and Earp, 14:33-14:48).
When referring to material from the modules, cite it as follows: (Module 3).
Note that if a whole paragraph of your text is based on one and the same source, that source only needs to be cited once at the paragraph’s end, rather than at the end of each individual sentence of that paragraph.
•You are only required to use the course material and the documentary film for this assignment.
No additional sources arerequired.GradingCriteria:
•Breadthofanalysis: th range of idea sand pieces of information from the course material and the film
•Depth of analysis: the level of detail provided from the course material and from the film (for example, referring to specific scenes or quotations from thefilm)
•Accuracyandextentofknowledge:demonstrateanaccurateunderstandingofthe course material and the documentaryfilm
•Abilitytoapplythecoursematerial: connectthecoursematerialtothefilmcontentinconvincingways
•Technicalaspects: grammar,structure, logical flow, punctuation,spelling, etc.
While these criteria will determine your mark for the assignment, please note that each criterion will not receive an individual mark. The assignment will receive a global mark out of 25
