Week One

The when and where we live, known as sociological imagination, as well as respecting how others differentiate from us culturally, socially, physically, and emotionally, known as sociological mindfulness, were the building blocks of sociology for our class this week. Although I find myself to have the propensity to appreciate and respect individuals around me, it was interesting to learn how these terms were coined and how effective they may be to society. I found sociological imagination to almost be an excuse. For instance, if people were debating whether women's 50's retro dresses are socially acceptable to wear in public--it depends on the when and where. The theory of sociological imagination falls into the cracks of modern day relativism and essentially provides a murky answer. I originally understood the basics of sociological imagination when I reminisced about my trip to Paris, France last summer. My family and I were visiting my mom's friends and they coincidentally had a girl that was my age. I thought it was so strange to see native french people modernly dressed conversing with one another, riding their bikes (which surprisingly is fad in Paris), walking from shop to shop running daily errands in such an antique and historical city. It didn't register with me that humanity modernized, as people were modernly dressed and effected by technology, though the city didn't age a bit. All of the beautiful buildings from the French Revolution, original cobblestones and alleyways,  patisseries from the nineteenth century, the entire city still consists of its original archetype. It was interesting to see the contrast between this girl, who was my age, growing up in the same generation as me, in a culturally rich society--not to mention in the most beautiful city in the world--and me growing up in the suburbs half way across the world. I really enjoyed conversing with her and appreciating what I could learn from her culture. She mainly told me about the concerts and art exhibitions she goes to in different places throughout Europe (since the countries all rely on the Euro and have railway systems to make transportation real easy), and how her sister studies in a different country each semester. This really reminded me how much they value traveling in Europe--not only just for fun but that it's important to experience a full rounded education academically and culturally. Versus in America we value standardized tests, such as the ACT, and don't focus so much on the benefits of traveling. So although we both may have experienced similar events in our life, the when and were/ or environment around us is really the base of our values and ethics. The cultural fusion I experienced that week in France exposed me to an unique social norm in which I was able to respect the environment and culture around me.