Sociology

Introduction
· Wright Mills, a well-established sociologist, defines sociological imagination as the ability to see things from a social perspective and establish a relationship between society's history and biography. Sociological imagination requires one to pull out from the issue of study to have an outsider perspective. Pulling out is necessary to ensure one is not biased (Mills, p.6).
· The importance of teaching sociological imagination is to help individuals to understand their position in society. Understanding personal psychosocial nature and that of the environment help in handling teams composed of diverse cultures.
· Functionalist Theory views society as a system composed of different components that work together to accomplish a goal. We can view education as one of the community's elements that makes it complete and teaching as an activity that focuses on improving individuals' lives. Learning helps improve self-esteem, and it can be used as a platform to understand one's culture.
· Sociology believes that every situation can be related to a root in society.
Benefits of using the Sociological Imagination for your current/future career
Wright Mills views social imagination as a mirror to reflect one's role in society, and this understanding is fundamental in career development. Teaching is one profession that requires a better understanding of culture since it deals with people with different beliefs. Understanding the unique role in a society helps create better relationships while also focusing on the primary role. Interacting with different structures should not divert one from the primary role or position in society (Mills). In my teaching career, I have noted that sociological imagination is more related to psychology since it requires thinking differently to see things differently. This has remained important when teaching a diverse group of students.
Theoretical Framework
The functionalist theory sees society as a unit made up of different parts, and each part has a role. In our case, quality-education is the key element of society, and its function is shifting information from one generation to the next (Robson). Having classrooms across different locations in society ensures that everyone has an equal chance to attain knowledge. Allowing students to learn at an early stage in life ensures that they discover their potentials as early as possible. Some students might be good in book knowledge while others might be good in other activities such as games. An efficient curriculum should help students develop the relevant life skills that help in self-realization (Robson).
Social Interaction
Social interaction focuses on studying the relationship between two people, three people, or even a group. Individual actions affect the environment's behavior, so it is essential to observe individual behavior to understand different relationships. Social interactions may happen regularly, or it might be a coincidence (Little).
Social interaction theory borrows knowledge from different schools of thought and investigates social interaction more in-depth. Social structures directly affect how people exchange emotions in different contexts (Mills, Durepos and Wiebe).
Cognitive semiotics can be used to understand social interactions, as explained by the semiotic framework of Peirce's Universal Categories (UCs). To comprehend how the brain reacts to different changes, 16 volunteers watched a movie with verbal and non-verbal social interaction. The brain changes were then studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). It was noted that watching a movie with non-verbal interactions demanded more mental interpretations (Wolf, Mittelberg and Rekittke).
Mass Media and Social Media
Mass media sociology focuses on studying audiences involved in broadcast, print, and the current online media and their relationship with affiliated institutions. Mass media has been in existence for years, but it has evolved. The major role of mass media is to transform society through educating them of the emerging issues while at the same time influencing people to take different positions in society (Matthews). In social media, audiences play the central role, and therefore social interactions are more visible. Through different levels of interaction in social media, people influence each other, and as a result, people tend to change their way of thinking (Cohn).
Social Learning Theory states that people can change their behavior by imitating others, learning from others' experiences, and listening to others' opinions. Mass media offers a space to experience all this, including observing what is happening globally (Mehaj, Bhat and Mehraj). Media content producers release the content they think will interest the public, and audiences decode it from different perspectives. David Morley's report of 1980 shows that people use the information they consume from media in different ways in their lives. The meaning of a specific content-piece may differ, and sometimes audiences are involved in an active argument to decode the message. The differences are usually a result of having a different social perspective (Matthews).
Social Stratification
In modern and traditional social settings, different people belong to different social classes. Some are viewed as superior, others are viewed as insignificant, and this categorization impacts relationships differently. The ranking is based on wealth and power, and being in a higher class grants an individual more opportunities in life. According to functional theory, the divisions result from different social benefits that favor a section of society members.
Davis and Moore (1945) explain that social stratification is an important element in any society since it determines who will take different positions in society. One may feel like these classifications cause division within communities. Still, the fact remains that an organization cannot survive without this kind of structure since it is impossible to have all people equal. Social classes exist universally, and no society considers them unnecessary (Oyekola and Eyitayo).
Gender Stratification
Gender stratification examines the inequalities that exist between men and women in terms of wealth and power. Men or women may be denied a chance to lead simply because of their gender. Gender can also limit access to resources (Danaj).
In a study on gender stratification, Rae Lesser Blumberg shows how different social structures affect gender inequality, which has happened over history. Structural models explain the relationship between men or women in different institutions, such as political and economic blocks. (Wermuth and Monges).
The issue of inequality based on gender was not considered necessary until 1949 when researchers started releasing more reports on the topic. Before this time, topics such as sexual abuse and domestic violence were deemed personal, and it was odd to speak about such issues. Having different reports in existence sent a new message that gender inequality was a problem worth fixing (Danaj).
Race and Ethnicity
In the 21st century, social science researchers have done more reports on religion, race, ethnic minorities, and migrants. It is now clear that there are serious issues that should be addressed (Solomos). According to the scapegoat theory that was initially developed from frustration-aggression theory (Dollard's 1939), Groups with a louder voice tend to blame others for their mistakes. Scapegoating is very common and has been in existence since the olden days. A good example is in Germany, where Adolf Hitler blamed Jews for the economic troubles that the country was facing (Little).
Race and ethnicity were not considered a topic until the 1970s when more scholars started conducting an in-depth study on the discipline. With time the domains become more popular, and different organizations were ready to sponsor additional research work. Further discussions revolving around the topics have emerged, and now it's an issue of concern worldwide. Various theories have been developed, trying to explain racism, among them being Marxist and post-Marxist theories. Post-colonial and feminism theories are also categorized under this topic
(Solomos).
Social Change
Social change refers to the transformations that occur within the cultures. Change is characterized by a shift in social interaction behaviors (Servaes).
According to the linear theory of change, the transformation is usually due to civilization that happens across generations. The changes occur in a progressive manner and a certain direction (Shah).
In efforts to understand social changes in the 20th and 21st centuries, different studies were analyzed. The bottom-line conclusion was that income, gross national products, and productivity were essential factors in human development but not solely important (Servaes).
Conclusion
Globalization has impacted social life in a significant way since the 1970s. Globalization can be viewed in terms of knowledge advancements, political changes, the market economy, digitization of different domains, and privatization of different entities. Changes that happen in different sectors makes it necessary to restructure social setups. Individuals and societies are working round the clock to remain relevant in the modern world. One major factor that has caused the restructuring of the social structure is the desire to have a better education. Education is a significant determinant of who will take different positions in society, and therefore, people change their everyday life to fulfill education desires. Economic changes have also contributed to the restructuring. Opportunities are not uniformly distributed, and moving away from a social setting may sometimes open doors for more opportunities. With the increased population globally, competition for opportunities is high, and one is required to move the extra mile to remain relevant.
Works Cited
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