This week in sociology we discussed sociological imagination and mindfulness. Sociological imagination is the idea that when you are and where you are affects who you are- your decisions, views, attitudes, thoughts, interests etc. For example, someone who was born today would act very differently opposed to someone born 50 years ago due to things such as advances in technology. The world around a person shapes that person. Sociological mindfulness is being able to appreciate people's qualities, ignoring/not contributing to stereotypes, and being aware of how everyone is interconnected to one another. For example, if a comedian tells a discriminatory joke, he/she is not being mindful of how that reinforces beliefs that aren't always true about certain types of people.
I am most able to connect sociological imagination to my experiences visiting India. I'm able to see how different my life would be if my parents hadn't moved and I had been born there. Pretty much all of my family lives there and the lives of my cousins my age are completely different. They place a way higher value on after school studying than over here. It's normal for virtually everyone to have tutoring multiple times a week, whether or not they're struggling. Over here, you only get a tutor if you need one. If anything, I would be embarrassed to get a tutor here because it would show that I don't understand something as much as I should. Another difference in school is that teachers never get to know their students on a personal level. I love getting to know my teachers- I've become very close with a few of them dating back to elementary school. If I was in India instead of over here, that would not be considered appropriate. Teachers still slam the children's fingers as a form of discipline over there. I remember telling my 13 year old cousin about my school life here and he couldn't believe it. Another area I see majorly different is the way children interact with parents, at least within my relatives. There is a very low tolerance for any kind of disrespect. I always knew that my parents seemed to have a lower tolerance for talking back than my friends' parents did and now I see that that could be because of their sociological imagination shaping the way that they raise me. My mom always tells me and my sisters that if my grandparents knew about some of the things my sisters and I did- like wear a bikini at the beach- they would have a heart attack! I would be a completely different person if I was born there.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Who Am I?
Hi! My name is Leah. I'm the middle child of one older and one younger sister. I live in the suburbs with my parents, younger sister, and three cats. I've always lived in the same house since I was born. I go to a large high school and social studies is my favorite subject. I'm involved in a couple extracurriculars - I have a weekly radio show with my best friend and we just goof off and play music and for the past two years I've also done KIVA club which has been a fun and gratifying experience. Next year I'm probably going to U of I which I'm nervous but also excited for!
I've always been really musically influenced. I love to sing and play guitar. I'm normally a pretty dependent person but music is always something I did on my own- I taught myself guitar and learned to sing on my own as well. I'm pretty shy but in the past year I've become more comfortable with performing in front of people. It started with small groups of friends at bonfires and slowly grew from there. People also have a huge influence in me. The people close to me, like family and friends, and also people I don't know personally. I've always loved reading interviews, blogs, etc. My favorite type of book to read is a memoir because it's so much more relatable than a regular biography. I really gain a lot through forming connections with people. I try to get to know people on a personal level because that's the best form of learning I know. I've learned so much from talking to people who are different than me. And one of my major goals in life is to continue forming strong personal connections with people, because that's what makes me happy. Not only do I like feeling close to people but I think it's really gratifying when they also feel connected to me. In college I plan to study journalism, and hopefully one day write for a magazine and be able to interview people myself!
I've always been really musically influenced. I love to sing and play guitar. I'm normally a pretty dependent person but music is always something I did on my own- I taught myself guitar and learned to sing on my own as well. I'm pretty shy but in the past year I've become more comfortable with performing in front of people. It started with small groups of friends at bonfires and slowly grew from there. People also have a huge influence in me. The people close to me, like family and friends, and also people I don't know personally. I've always loved reading interviews, blogs, etc. My favorite type of book to read is a memoir because it's so much more relatable than a regular biography. I really gain a lot through forming connections with people. I try to get to know people on a personal level because that's the best form of learning I know. I've learned so much from talking to people who are different than me. And one of my major goals in life is to continue forming strong personal connections with people, because that's what makes me happy. Not only do I like feeling close to people but I think it's really gratifying when they also feel connected to me. In college I plan to study journalism, and hopefully one day write for a magazine and be able to interview people myself!
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