Overview
The first discussion is taken from the readings in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 and asks you to think through some issues using your sociological imagination. In this discussion you should respond to the following prompts:
400 word minimum
- Present one personal trouble in your life (for example, struggling to pay for college or to find a job that pays well, a time when you were discriminated against, etc.). Now use your sociological imagination to relate your personal struggle to a larger social issue. In other words, explain how an issue that you have experienced personally is actually something that is likely experienced more widely by individuals who share your social location. Share how your solutions to the problem differ depending on whether you viewed it as (a) an individual problem or (b) a societal issue.
- Explain why the second core commitment of sociology (social activism) must be preceded by the first (use of the sociological eye). Provide an example of how you must fulfill both core commitments.
- It is often interesting to assess the media lens and media framing by looking at how different media outlets report on the same story. Choose a current important news story. Be sure to choose a story that can be compared on the following three media outlets: CNN (www.cnn.comLinks to an external site.), BBC (www.bbc.comLinks to an external site.), and Fox News (www.foxnews.comLinks to an external site.). Are the events at the center of the story portrayed positively or negatively (or both) by all three news outlets? How are the perspectives of the three news outlets different? How would your knowledge of the story be different if you just read one news outlet? Share the news story and responses with your classmates.
The second discussion is taken from the reading in Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 and asks you to think through social issues and the use of sociological knowledge in the political sphere. In this discussion you should respond to the following prompts:
400 words minimum
- Do you know what the president of the United States, your state senators, and your representative are doing about (a) sweatshops and (b) funding for higher education? If you do not know, explain why you think you are unaware of their positions on these issues. Would their position influence your vote for them? Share your explanation of why or why not with your classmates. Washington State
- Sociologists note that although sociological studies have pointed out good solutions to social issues they have been largely ignored by governmental leaders and the media. Go to the American Sociological Association website (www.asanet.orgLinks to an external site.) or the Society for the Study of Social Problems website (www.sssp1.orgLinks to an external site.). Take a look around each site and find a research study that provides a good basis for the use of sociological research in public policy. Share with your classmates what you located and how this evidence could benefit government leaders in their decision-making.
- Based on what was presented in Chapter 3, describe how you would determine if a politician is providing you with trustworthy or misleading information.