Introduction to Sociology

WATCH IT

Watch the following video to see an example of how the sociological imagination is used to understand the issue of obesity.

https://youtu.be/BINK6r1Wy78

TRY IT

16. 
    Based on the sociological imagination, how would an individual view a quinceanera, a coming-of-age celebration for a 15-year old girls?
    
    1. 
       As a personal milestone of achievement.
       
    2. 
       As a gathering and a rite of passage.
       
    3. 
       As a competition for finding potential spouse.
       
    4. 
       As a regular birthday party.
       

17. 
    Using the sociological imagination, what is the most likely description of eating disorders?
    
    1. 
       They are a family issue related to lack of control in one’s environment.
       
    2. 
       They are hereditary and are genetically passed along within families.
       
    3. 
       They are personal troubles that stem from a lack of control or anxiety.
       
    4. 
       They are social issues related to standards of beauty that emphasize a slender body.
       

Check your answers at the end of this document

GLOSSARY

personal troubles: private problems experienced by one individual and the range of their immediate relation to others
public issues: issues that lie beyond one’s personal control and the range of one’s inner life, rooted in society instead of at the individual level
sociological imagination: the use of imaginative thought to understand the relationship between the individual (personal troubles) and the broader workings of society (public issues)

1. 
   Mills, C. W.: 1959, The Sociological Imagination, Oxford University Press, London. ↵
   

LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS
CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY

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  Modification, adaptation, and original content. Authored by: Sarah Hoiland for Lumen Learning. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
  
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  The Sociological Imagination. Provided by: College of the Canyons. Located at: https://www.canyons.edu/Offices/DistanceLearning/OER/Documents/Open%20Textbooks%20At%20COC/Sociology/SOCI%20101/The%20Sociological%20Imagination.pdf. Project: Sociology 101. License: CC BY: Attribution