Sociological Imagination Essay Example for Free

Sociological Imagination Essay The blackboard website will be unavailable between 7PM to midnight on June 29th for maintenance, so please make sure you upload it before 7 PM. Do not wait till last minute. Late assignments will result point deduction or even a zero essay grade. Format: Please submit an electronic word file named â€Å"your full name essay 1†, such as â€Å"JohnSmithessay1†, through blackboard on time. This essay should be 3-4 pages in total, double spaced, 11 point font. Do not directly copy and paste your assignment on blackboard! Choose to attach your assignment word file. Late assignments are not going to be accepted. The sociological imagination enables individuals to see the intimate relationship between the events of history as they occur in human societies and the events of an individuals or familys biography. wrote C. Wright Mills. In this assignment, you are to write up an Essay explaining the connections between your family biography and historical events over the past 50 years. Choose one family members of yours to focus on, such as your grandparents, you parents, your brothers and sisters, or you. Reflect on his or her life and think about how his/her life trajectory is intertwined with the historical changes in the country that you are from. The purpose of this assignment is to for you to apply the sociological imagination to analyze the profound influence that historical and societal contexts have on lives of individuals. Please make sure that you fulfill the following requirements: Clearly state what the personal events are. Explain how these personal events in your family are related to or affected by some of the historical events you listed. Explain in your own words what the sociological imagination is and whether/how it has helped you to better understand the life experiences of your family members. You can refer to the first assigned reading to answer these questions. Before you start your essay, you can do the following exercise on a piece of paper. Please do not include the time line drawing in your essay! It is just used for you to better conceptualize your essay. Draw a time line that begins in the 1960 and ends at the 2013. Above the line you are to identify in chronological order three significant events and/or transitions in the life of you or your family members (such events or transitions are like births, graduations, marriages, divorces, employment changes, income changes, geographic mobility, employment changes, or other changes you can think of). Next, think about the historical and social contexts underlying this particular individual’s life trajectory. What historical or societal events have affected his/her path or life? What historical or societal factors have influenced the important decisions he/she made in his/her life? Below the line identify in chronological order some of these important historical events. Write down the historical events and the time period it occurred or lasted. Such events in the United States include, are not limited to, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights and Womens movements, the Vietnam War, the recession of the 1980s, and etc. Please do not be limited by the events I list here. You are free to choose some historical events that are less well known (such as the development of colon technology, tea party movement and etc.) but you think are influential in your life or the life of the family member that you chose. After you have decided which family member and life events to focus on, write an essay on the relationships between these personal events and some the important historical events in your country. Please note: I am not asking you to write what you or your family were thinking or doing on the day of 911 or the inauguration day of president Obama. You are supposed to write about how these historical events substantially shaped the life trajectory of the particular individual you chose. Your essay will be graded based on how well you answered each question and the overall quality of your assignment. I strongly recommend you read the grading rubric in the appendix carefully before you start. Please organize your thoughts and arguments, present them in a logical manner and explain them in detail. Please proof read papers for typographical and grammatical errors. Appendix 1: excerpts of other students assignments as example The following are some examples from other students assignments. Please learn from them how to apply the sociological perspective to your own life events but do not be constrained by them. (1) During World War II my family underwent some great changes. My grandmother took a second job, working in the woolen mills making army blankets. My grandfather joined the marines and moved his whole family from Ohio to California It was during this time that my grandparents divorced. Divorces are higher during any period of dramatic economic change. Although Im sure my grandparents blamed themselves, their divorce was a product of the economy and society. The same theory holds true for my parents. When they divorced, they blamed themselves, wondering what each had done wrong, as I did. When I look at what was happening in the economy, the similarities [with my grandparents] are easy to see. The nation- wide divorce rate was up dramatically and the economy was beginning to take a terrible turn for the worse. (2)When people ask me why I enrolled in college a year ago, I usually answered that I enrolled because I wanted to. I realize now that my answer cannot be quite that simple. Because my family doctor believed that the pill was finally proven safe in 1963, I was able to plan my family. In doing so, my son and daughter are nearly raised and I am still young enough to pursue a second career. More than any other factor, though, the womens movement probably was the greatest influence on my decision. The successes of the movement in social equality have given me the necessary courage and confidence to attempt to be more than a mere shadow of my husbands social position. Appendix 2: grading rubric Sociological Understanding (40%) The essay should apply key sociological concepts, ideas, theories learned in class correctly and properly to analyze related topics. Assertions in the essay must be supported by evidence (from texts or from data) that is logically related to the thesis. Coverage (30%) The essay must be clearly based on readings and topics related to the course. Essays that are simple summaries of sources are adequate, but will not get the highest grades. The essay should answer all the required questions in the essay guideline. If you fail to answer any questions, some points will be deducted. However, you should organize the essay in a way that it flows smoothly. Do not just list your answers to each question. Originality (10%) The essay should be original. Originality does not mean that you must be the first to think or write something, but that you take different sources and write about them using your point of view. Originality is entailed in taking your sources and forging them into an essay in your voice. Summarizing sources will be adequate, but not very original. Papers written by you and previously submitted to other courses are not original for this course. Such recycled papers will get a failing grade. Copying directly from internet without citing properly is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. What is plagiarism? Writing Quality (10%) Words and constructions should be chosen with care. Statements should be direct and clear.w The essay should contain no errors of sentence structure, spelling, word choice, or punctuation. If you have difficulty writing or English is your second language you should tell me at the beginning of the semester. Im not a writing teacher, but I will do what I can to help you become a better writer. You should also seek help at the Writing Center. Every paper must have a title and the authors name, either at the top of the first page or on a separate title page. All citations and references must be in ASA, APA or MLA format. The general tone of the essay should be academic and professional. Good writing often sounds like well-organized thoughtful conversation. I do not want you to imitate the turgid academic writing found in some sociology journals. I want you to write with a level of sophistication appropriate for well-educated college students.

John Updikes A&P Essay -- English Literature

John Updike's A&P Many of the events that take place in John Updike's "A&P" would not have happened had the town lived under a Marxist society. Marxism is a socio-economic ideal where all people work for the good of the community and is characterized by not having any social class distinctions. The division of Classes in "A&P" is very apparent, especially between Sammy, the protagonist and first person narrator, and the three girls, one of the three antagonists, who walk into the store during the exposition. There is also a cast disparity between Sammy and Lengel, the store manager and another antagonist (along with society, who complete the three). A distinction is also noticeable between the three girls and the rest of the shoppers in the convenience store. The story is told entirely in flashback and is set in a grocery store in a town north of Boston, Massachusetts during one Thursday in summer. During the exposition we learn that Sammy is working one of the cash registers. Later in the story we are told that he is 19 years old and by his description of how his parents treat company we can assume he comes from a middle class family. We are lead to believe during Sammys narration that the three girls, on the other hand, come from a rich or high societal background. The way Queenie is described by Sammy as having prima-donna legs and walking slow while holding herself straight paints a portrait of a high society woman. The fact that Sammy calls her prim twice also leads us in that direction. Sammy looks up to Queenie because she is different and places her on a higher level than the "sheep" in the store. When Sammy quits his job, creating a conflict between he and Lengel, his motive is to become the .. ...ls us she was embarrassed by the whole situation-where she felt out of place because of her high stature in society. These scenes, of course, would never have taken place in Marxist cultures because the government would have provided for it's citizens and the girls would have never found themselves being humiliated in front of a lesser class of people. All the conflicts that take place in Updike's "A&P" would have been avoided in a Marxist society. Lengel and Sammy would have never had a confrontation because Sammy would not have been trying to impress a high society girl. Likewise, the three girls would not have found themselves shopping for a snack in the A&P because the government would have provided it for them. This leaves us with one question, however, In a Marxist society, would Sammy have realized his adulthood or would he have remained a child?

Introduction to Conflict Resolution Essay

â€Å"Conflict is one of the drivers for improved team performance. Managed well, conflict can lead to better decisions, more creative ideas and higher quality output from the team. Managed badly, it can stop teamwork and hinder individuals from achieving their personal goals. † (Conflict Resolution: For Team Members (n. d. ) taken from TeamTechnology. co. uk http://www. teamtechnology. com. uk/conflictresolution. html) The assignment presents a situation in which a conflict occurred and what happened. Also, the assignment discusses on what should have been done and which was the wronged party. The conflict presented is between the two groups of the recruits that are undergoing training in the VP-92 navy P-3 squadron. The recruits were divided into two groups for a mock target attack mission: one was responsible for identification of the targets and informing the other group about the location of the targets and the second group was supposed to strike the targets. The problem arose when the area surrounding the vessel was foggy and the targets could not be identified clearly by the first group. Hence, the second group, whose performance was dependent on the first group, could not aim and shoot the targets. This was followed by an argument and a ‘conflict’ between the two groups which was resolved by the officers. Then the writer says which side he would have chosen and why and what actions he would have taken. The conflict, however small it was, was genuine and both the parties were justified and neither one is to be blamed. Title: Introduction to Conflict Resolution Part I – The Organization The organisation that is to be discussed below is VP-92. It is navy P-3 Squadron where the navy conducts its operations. The navy also provides training to its new recruits. â€Å"A Navy is the branch of a country’s military forces principally designated for naval warfare, namely lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includes operations conducted by surface vessels (ships), submarine vessels, and seaborne aviation, as well as ancillary support, communications, training, and other fields; recent developments have included space-related operations. â€Å" (en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Navy) Part II – The Conflict The conflict at VP-92 was between two groups of the marine crew at an assignment of mock target attack mission. One group, consisting of five crew-members, was responsible for identifying targets to be hit, while the other group, also consisting of five crew men, was responsible for hitting the targets in the assigned target areas to them. The conflict arose when the group that was supposed to identify targets could not identify the targets to be hit on time due to the fog and mist that was blurring their visibility and making it hard for them to locate their targets. As the targets could not be identified on time, the group that was supposed to strike the targets could not perform their duties on time. As a result a conflict arose between the two groups. Basically the ‘striker’s work depended on the ‘identifiers’ and the second group could not perform well because ‘identifiers’ had a problem with identifying the targets. The ‘strikers’ could not rightly strike their targets and their aim was wrong and not rightly focused. Hence, they put all the blame of their bad performance on the first group. Part III – Choose a Side I choose to be on the side of the group that could not properly identify their targets due to the bad weather and the mist that was blurring their view and became a hindrance to performing well. How Was it Managed? The group that was supposed to identify the targets in the mock target attack mission, informed the other group about the weather situation. However, when they persisted that targets should be identified, the assignment was not called off. The ‘ identifiers’ were asked to continue with their searching, which they did but spent a lot of time due to the lack of clarity of vision causes by fog. However, when the ‘strikers’ could not rightly strike their targets, they blamed the ‘identifiers’ for wrongly identifying their targets and also spending a lot of time on searching for targets. I think the conflict was very much genuine and there were no personal reasons for this conflict. The conflict was substantive because the group that was supposed to locate the targets to be struck could not be identified due to external factors such as the weather. Another reason may also have been the location of the ship where the fog was more and the targets were not visible. There was no negative impact on the goal attainment of the organisation or even the personal/ working relationships between the two groups. Since this was a mock assignment that’s aim was to train the new recruits in the navy to properly identify and aim their targets. In my view, the weather condition provided a flavor of the real target attack missions faced by the navy. The goal of this assignment would have been achieved if both the groups became experts in their tasks in variable whether conditions. However, expertise comes with practice and experience. Hence, I think this assignment and conflict was the first step towards attaining the goal. Even though this conflict arose out of a blame game for the two groups, one blaming the weather and the other blaming the first group, the argument was purely professional and not personal. There was a heated debate between the two groups, but this ended when the officers arrived after few minutes to give their remarks. After both the groups had presented their points of view to the officers, they were told that it was a part of the navy life and the navy assignments and no particular group was to be blamed for the failure to aim the target properly. Hence, this argument did not produce any hard feelings between the groups.

Heart of Darkness - 971 Words

1. Does Conrad really otherize, or impose racist ideology upon, the Africans in Heart of Darkness, or does Achebe merely see Conrad from the point of view of an African? Is it merely a matter of view point, or does there exist greater underlying meaning in the definition of racism? br2. How does Achebes personal history and the context in which he wrote An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness reflect the manner in which he views Conrads idea of racism in the novel? br3. Taking into account Achebes assumptions and analysis of racism in Heart of Darkness, how does this change Conrads novel as a literary work, if it does at all? br br brThe literal heart of darkness in Conrads novel Heart of Darkness does†¦show more content†¦Instead, the real question is the dehumanization of Africa and Africans which this age-long attitude has fostered and continues to foster in the world. (12). Questioning whether a novel which celebrates this dehumanization, which depersonalizes a portion of the human race, can be called a great work of art (12), Achebe responds by doubting Conrads talents as a writer. br brAchebe accounts for Conrads racism against black Africans because of his personal history-- there remains still in Conrads attitude a residue of antipathy to black people which his peculiar psychology alone can explain. His own account of his first encounter with a black man is very revealing: brblockquoteA certain enormous buck nigger encountered in Haiti fixed my [Conrads] conception of blind, furious, unreasoning rage, as manifested in the human animal to the end of my days. Of the nigger I used to dream for years afterwards. br brCertainly Conrad had a problem with niggers. (13)/blockquote br brThus, Achebe clearly sees Heart of Darkness as a racist text, one which parades in the most vulgar fashion prejudices and insults from which a section of mankind has suffered untold agonies and atrocities in the past and continues to do so in many ways and many places today. [He is] talking about a story in which the very humanity of black people is called into question (15) However, Achebe partly does save the reputation of Conrad when he concedes that ConradShow MoreRelatedHeart of Darkness1958 Words   |  8 PagesSTUDY GUIDE Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness Each detail to which your attention is drawn by the Study Guide is part of the puzzle of Heart of Darkness. It is important to notice the details, to ponder them, to see how patterns repeat themselves, and to see how the pieces fit together. Marlows journey and your reading about the journey require constant alertness, discipline, patience, and a willingness to look for what is not immediately apparent. 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