for those who lack an imagination cannot know what is lacking Vijay Prashad The Sociological Imagination Let us imagine a traffic jam So what is Sociology Sociology Systematic study of human societies ID: 343476
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Slide1
“We need to cultivate the imagination,for those who lack an imaginationcannot know what is lacking.”
-Vijay
PrashadSlide2
The Sociological Imagination Slide3
Let us imagine a traffic jam…Slide4Slide5Slide6Slide7Slide8
So what is Sociology?Slide9
SociologySystematic study of human societies.
YOU SHOULD WRITE THIS DOWN
OR MAKE SURE YOU GET IT FROM
THE WEB SITESlide10
“Sociologists questionwhat most otherstake for grantedabout society.”
-Dalton ConleySlide11
Why is Sociology important?Slide12
Sociological thinking can help us better understand society, how we fit into it, how it shapes us, and how we can change it.
Sociological thinking
—developing a
sociological imagination
—
is super powerful,
i
n my opinion.Slide13
Let us startwith an easy question:Slide14
Why are you here?Slide15
“Thinking like a sociologist meansmaking the familiar strange.”
-Dalton ConleySlide16
Sociology won’tgive you all the answers.
But it will
help you ask the right questions.Slide17Slide18
TIME TO READ!Slide19
C. Wright MillsThe Sociological ImaginationSlide20
Remember:Reading is not about perfect understanding;reading is about learning.Slide21
How Are We Going To Do This?
You may read alone or with a partner
Please do all of the following:
Read the entire text for our seminar discussion on Monday
Annotate the entire text (
what does “annotate” mean?
)
Write a 1-paragraph summary in your notebook of the entire text
Write at least 3 discussion questions in your notebook for our seminar on Monday
Answer the following questions in your notebook:
How does C. Wright Mills define a Sociological Imagination? What does he mean by that?
This must all be completed prior to Monday’s seminar. I will not accept any of this late, as it is important to be prepared for our discussion.Slide22Slide23
The Sociological ImaginationAnnotations
Summaries
Questions
How does C. Wright Mills define a
Sociological Imagination
?Slide24
Milieu or MilieuxCultural surroundings or cultural contextSlide25
“Neither the life of an individualnor the history of societycan be understoodwithout understanding both.”Slide26
“The Sociological Imagination” defined:“A quality of mind that will help [people] use information and develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and what may be happening within themselves.”Slide27
“The first fruit of this imagination…is the idea that the individual can understand [their] own experience and gauge [their] own fate only by locating [themselves] within [their] period, that [they] can know [their] own chances in life only by becoming aware of those of all individuals in [their] circumstance.”Slide28
“In many ways it is a terrible lesson; in many ways a magnificent one.”Slide29
“By the fact of [your] living [you contribute], however minutely, to the shaping of this society and to the course of its history, even as [you are] made by society and by its historical push and shove.”Slide30
Intersection of Biography and History“The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society.
That is its task and its promise.”Slide31
Personal Troubles vs. Public IssuesExamples?Slide32
Personal Trouble
Or
Public Issue?Slide33
Smoking Related Deaths in the USMore deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
300,000 to over 400,000 deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke).
49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposureSlide34
Smoking Related Deaths in the USBased on current cigarette smoking patterns, an estimated 25 million Americans who are alive today will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, including 5 million people younger than 18 years of age.
Data from
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Personal trouble or public issue?Slide35
Alright, let us move on.Slide36
“The first wisdom of sociology is this:things are not what they seem.”
-Peter Berger, 1963Slide37
Sociology has been called,the great myth de-bunking discipline.
But thinking sociologically
ain’t
always easy.Slide38
What might be some obstacles to developing a sociological imagination?Cultural values of individualism and free will
Desire for
certain
rather than
probable
answers
Social processes are dynamic, not static
Commitment to “common sense”
Critical nature of the disciplineSlide39
What might be some benefits of the sociological perspective?Humanizing effects
F
osters appreciation for diversity and broadens personal views
Liberating
E
mpowers people to recognize their role in making history
Helps overcome
“bad faith”
Bad Faith
= the belief that you have
no
freedom—when people argue they don’t have a choice but to follow unjust rules or do their job
Our choices may not be without consequences, but we do have choices (
even if they are limited
)
With liberation come responsibilitySlide40
What might be some benefits of the sociological perspective?
Helps us understand obstacles to solving social problems
Inoculates us against simple explanations of complex issuesSlide41
Anyone who gives you a simple solution for a complex problem is either ignorant or lying.Remember this.