Overview
Sociological Imagination Paper Assignment
C. Wright Mills defined sociological imagination as "the vivid awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society". Having a vivid sociological imagination means understanding that much of our life experience and biographical arc is shaped by sociological forces beyond our control. The time and place of our birth, our birth date and birth year, age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, the type of family we are born into, social class, birth order, generation and generation size, cultural inheritances, family inheritances, and the timing of our lifespan with much larger historical events and processes all help shape our collective experience in life.
In the paper you will use your biography as an inspiration to write about how these categories play a role in shaping the lives of the people in them. You will use your sociological imagination to go beyond the personal. All of the things that you think give your life a distinctive personalized experience are in fact shared by other people in the categories that make up your "sociological matrix". In this paper you will select one or more of these categories and write about them. This is not a biography. It is a sociological analysis how people in these categories share a common experience.
For each category you select, you should write about both the positive and the negative aspects associated with them. If you are an immigrant, for example, you might face discrimination, but you also might have very close relations with others in your community. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being born in your particular birth year? How has your particular generation been shaped by forces outside of your control? What kind of family do you come from? Are you from a military family, an immigrant family, a musical family, a law enforcement family, an alcoholic family? What are the common experiences of people who come from these types of families? Did you grow up in the United States? What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the U.S. in the early 21st century? You can choose from the list above or you can come up with some variables of your own.
You may need to do some research to complete the assignment. Find out what generation you are and read about its characteristics. What common historical events are shared by members of that generation and how have they had a positive and negative effect on people's lives. What is your birth year? Were a lot of people born in that year or was it a small birth year? You can focus the paper on one characteristic (i.e. race or gender), but you can also write about several categories. Make sure you clearly outline what you intend to write about in the introduction to the paper. I also suggest you consider doing at least one major revision before turning it in. I've always found that improves the finished product immensely. And remember to list any references at the end of the paper.
Building your sociological imagination will help you adapt to the times you live in. Like a swimmer who swims with the current instead of against it, understanding the larger forces that shape your life can lead to more effective choices, and make you a more aware and empathetic member of society.
Instructions for the Assignment
Make a list of all the sociological categories that define you as a person: (gender, ethnicity, social class, generation, birth year, etc)
Pick one or more of these categories to write about
In the paper, discuss the advantages and disadvantages people in your chosen categories (not yourself specifically) experience in their life chances because of their membership in that category.
.Do some research if you need to. If you come from an alcoholic family, for example, do some research online about the children of alcoholic families and the challenges they face. Repeat this process with all the categories you choose to write about.