1. Define the concept the sociological imagination. How does utilizing it help to make sense of the world we live in? Provide an example of how you would use the sociological imagination to better understand poverty in the contemporary United States; e.g., what data (information) would you seek and why?
The sociological imagination is being aware of the difference between personal thought and society. It is the ability to view society as having a major impact on the way one lives. Sociological Imagination allows an individual to understand that the way he or she lives their life, may be influenced by the structure of society and its past. However, in retrospect, one can separate the perspective society inflicts on them from their own thoughts, and create a completely new outlook. The sociological imagination can be used to make sense of the world around us in many ways. It allows one to better understand the complexity of the situation we are in. Not only this but, an individual can become a more
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If I travel to a different town, with a majority of its population living in poverty, I would be able to see the differences. Right now I have the sense that many people are unfortunately homeless, and I believe that if I traveled to this town I would see many people living in the streets, this is because that perspective is my personal thought on what poverty is. However, if I actually traveled to this town, I might see something different, such as run-down houses. I would be using my sociological imagination because by taking the time to travel to this town, I would understand that the way I live my life is different from the way other societies live their lives. In addition, I would see that my personal thought is different from the reality of what poverty means in that specific