life experience
Develop a 6-8 page reflection on your life, applying the sociological imagination and using specific sociological concepts to better understand your life experiences.
While we may not notice, society is constantly changing. For sociologists, social change is the continual change of society’s culture, structure, and institutions over time. Every society experiences change—it is through this change that the norms and understandings in a society become altered. Fashion is a great example of social change, as what we wear is dependent on the culture at the time. One hundred years ago it was not common for women to wear pants. Now it is perfectly acceptable. While most women are in favor of being able to wear pants, social change is sometimes not always welcome by members of a society. Can you think of any groups or organizations in the United States that are actively opposed to some kind of social change?
Most social change is the result of conflict, demographic change, and technology.
- Conflict and change: Conflict in a society (such as a war or even an election) can create significant change in a society.
- Demographic change: Changes in the make-up of a population can also affect society. As the makeup of our society in terms of sex, race, age, et cetera, changes, so do many structural and cultural elements of society. How would our society be different if most of the population was under the age of 10? Or over the age of 70?
- Ideas and Change: Technology is often a driving force behind social change and has brought significant changes to our society. Think back to twenty years ago—how different was society in terms of technology? How did that impact your everyday life? In our current time, our cell phone alarm wakes us up, we check our smart phone, make some coffee in our Keurig, remote start our car, and then use our navigation system to get us to work. This is a significantly different experience than we had twenty years ago.
As you reflect on your life and experiences in Assessment 6, consider how much has changed over the course of your lifetime. What are some major social changes? What do you think had changed for the better? For the worse?
Demonstration of Proficiency
