48-110 (Foundations of Social Life) - Lesson Objectives: 1. Relate what it means to exercise our sociological imaginations 2. Distinguish between individualistic and sociological thinking 3. Describe how social lens and social context contribute to understandings of social life 4. Identify the role of social justice, social action, and social activism in 'committing sociology'

1. PERSPECTIVE
THINKING SOCIOLOGICALLY

2. The Sociological ImaginationThe Sociological Imagination
• C. Wright Mills
• Connection between personal troubles and
social structures
• Personal troubles = problems viewed within a
smaller, interpersonal social context
• Reflection of wider societal issues
• Allan Johnson (1997) – ability to see the forest
beyond the trees

3. Ways of Thinking about Social Life
Individualistic Thinking Sociological Thinking
COLLECTION OFCOLLECTION OF
INDIVIDUALSINDIVIDUALS

4. “In one sense, a forest is simply a collection
of individual trees, but it’s more than that.
It’s also a collection of trees that exist in a
particular relation to one another, and you
can’t tell what that relation is by looking at
each individual tree.”

5. Ways of Thinking about Social Life
Individualistic Thinking Sociological Thinking
COLLECTION OFCOLLECTION OF
INDIVIDUALSINDIVIDUALS
SOCIALSOCIAL
CONTEXTCONTEXT

6. Sociological Thinking
“But we make choices within a social context.”

7. Think about this…
If Danielle chooses to commit a crime, then
we can ‘fix’ or ‘punish’ her and this should put
an end to her criminal behaviour, right?
Maybe.
But will it put an end to criminality in general?
Probably not.

8. If you cut down one tree,
it doesn’t get rid of the forest.

9. So…
….Personal solutions cannot solve social
problems unless we consider both the forest
and the trees and how they’re related to one
another.

10. As long as I have a chair for myself, why raise questions
about the fact that there aren’t enough chairs to go around?
When you start asking this question, you’re thinking sociologically.

11. Social Lens

12. Would we still say simply that
people choose to commit crime?
Yes, but this choice depends on the
lens a person wears and the social context
in which the choice and activity take place.

13. Committing Sociology

14. Committing Sociology
We commit sociology
by adopting sociological
thinking as part of our world
view and by exercising our
sociological imaginations.

15. Social Justice and Social Action
Social justice is the belief in an equitable,
compassionate world where difference is
understood, valued and respected.
Social action is a way to meet the goal of social
justice.
Social activism is an intentional action with the goal
of bringing about social, political, economic, or
environmental change.

16. Social Activism

17. Activism or Slacktivism?

18. Student Activism
Sociology students are uniquely suited for social action
and working toward becoming engaged citizens.