Introduction
· Wright Mills, a well-established sociologist, defines sociological imagination as the ability to see things from a social perspective and establish a relationship between society's history and biography. Sociological imagination requires one to pull out from the issue of study to have an outsider perspective. Pulling out is necessary to ensure one is not biased (Mills, p.6).
· The importance of teaching sociological imagination is to help individuals to understand their position in society. Understanding personal psychosocial nature and that of the environment help in handling teams composed of diverse cultures.
· Functionalist Theory views society as a system composed of different components that work together to accomplish a goal. We can view education as one of the community's elements that makes it complete and teaching as an activity that focuses on improving individuals' lives. Learning helps improve self-esteem, and it can be used as a platform to understand one's culture.
· Sociology believes that every situation can be related to a root in society.
Benefits of using the Sociological Imagination for your current/future career
Wright Mills views social imagination as a mirror to reflect one's role in society, and this understanding is fundamental in career development. Teaching is one profession that requires a better understanding of culture since it deals with people with different beliefs. Understanding the unique role in a society helps create better relationships while also focusing on the primary role. Interacting with different structures should not divert one from the primary role or position in society (Mills). In my teaching career, I have noted that sociological imagination is more related to psychology since it requires thinking differently to see things differently. This has remained important when teaching a diverse group of students.
Theoretical Framework
The functionalist theory sees society as a unit made up of different parts, and each part has a role. In our case, quality-education is the key element of society, and its function is shifting information from one generation to the next (Robson). Having classrooms across different locations in society ensures that everyone has an equal chance to attain knowledge. Allowing students to learn at an early stage in life ensures that they discover their potentials as early as possible. Some students might be good in book knowledge while others might be good in other activities such as games. An efficient curriculum should help students develop the relevant life skills that help in self-realization (Robson).
Social Interaction
Social interaction focuses on studying the relationship between two people, three people, or even a group. Individual actions affect the environment's behavior, so it is essential to observe individual behavior to understand different relationships. Social interactions may happen regularly, or it might be a coincidence (Little).
Social interaction theory borrows knowledge from different schools of thought and investigates social interaction more in-depth. Social structures directly affect how people exchange emotions in different contexts (Mills, Durepos and Wiebe).
Cognitive semiotics can be used to understand social interactions, as explained by the semiotic framework of...
Social Change
Social change refers to the transformations that occur within the cultures. Change is characterized by a shift in social interaction behaviors (Servaes).
According to the linear theory of change, the transformation is usually due to civilization that happens across generations. The changes occur in a progressive manner and a certain direction (Shah).
In efforts to understand social changes in the 20th and 21st centuries, different studies were analyzed. The bottom-line conclusion was that income, gross national products, and productivity were essential factors in human development but not solely important (Servaes).
Conclusion
Globalization has impacted social life in a significant way since the 1970s. Globalization can be viewed in terms of knowledge advancements, political changes, the market economy, digitization of different domains, and privatization of different entities. Changes that happen in different sectors makes it necessary to restructure social setups. Individuals and societies are working round the clock to remain relevant in the modern world. One major factor that has caused the restructuring of the social structure is the desire to have a better education. Education is a significant determinant of who will take different positions in society, and therefore, people change their everyday life to fulfill education desires. Economic changes have also contributed to the restructuring. Opportunities are not uniformly distributed, and moving away from a social setting may sometimes open doors for more opportunities. With the increased population globally, competition for opportunities is high, and one is required to move the extra mile to remain relevant.
Works…
Works Cited
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