By Peter Kaufman
What happens to you when you study sociology? Do you see the world differently? Do you find yourself analyzing and interpreting things that you previously took for granted? Do you say things that might have surprised your pre-sociological self? Do people respond to you, or even question you, in ways that they never used to before? Do you wonder how you could have made it to this point without sociology in your life?
Two years ago I wrote a post titled "I’m a Sociologist Because . . .," in which I made a list of 41 reasons why I consider myself a sociologist. At the beginning of this semester, I shared that post with students in my Senior Seminar in Sociology class as part of a reflective exercise about their sociological journey in college. I then asked them to flip the prompt around and consider how their lives have changed since they began studying sociology. Starting with the phrase, Because I’m a sociologist . . ., the students each wrote 5-10 responses highlighting the ways that sociology has impacted their everyday lives.
When we combined all of the students’ lists, we had long list of responses. We then collectively reviewed the responses and combined the ones that we deemed to be pretty much the same. So what effect does sociology have on students who have spent their undergraduate years studying it? Here’s what a small sample of college seniors had to say:
- I think deeper when being asked a question
- I have enjoyed reading more about how society works and the issues that exist
- I am more compassionate, empathetic, and respectful toward others
- I have a more open mind, making me more aware of myself and my surroundings
- I have the constant need to study and analyze my social surroundings
- I am able to analyze different life situations and develop well thought out assumptions
- I try to think before I speak
- I question the societal norms
- I spend a lot of time trying to figure out the “why” of every situation
- I apply sociological theories to my everyday life
- I try to listen to more than just the spoken words
- I try to let it begin with me
- I often get lost in thought as I try to be mindful of the biases that shape my perceptions
- I am mindful of how my behavior may be perceived
- I think back to my K-12 education and question all that I was taught to accept as truth
- I question the power structure in my existence
- I criticize and question society
- I do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, heterophobia, xenophobia, etc., and I find it easier to confront someone acting like this
- I realize that there are endless possibilities
- I cannot look at something and accept it for what it is
- I have a stronger desire to make the world a better place, particularly in my community
- I feel it is a duty to change society
- I understand my privilege, and recognize how I have less privilege than others
- I find the need to change the way that my younger relatives are learning
- I have the ability to recognize the beauty and potential in the most broken individuals and situations
- I struggle to understand or accept certain behaviors
- I understand people and their rationale
- I realize that every person has a story and different experiences than myself
- I find myself thinking about the relationships between people more often
- I have gained a deeper understanding of my friends and family and our relationships have become stronger
- I can influence others to think more critically about their surroundings
- I want others to learn what I have learned from sociology and apply it to their lives
- I love to help others grow and learn
- I became closer to those who are just as open-minded as I am, and I became distant with those who are close-minded
- I can help make others understand to not be so quick to judge others
- People at work look to me for answers when the deeper social questions arise
- I find myself enjoying a friendly conversation one second, to giving a speech on the origins and effects of our actions/words the next second
- I can have long and thought-out conversations with people about problems in today’s society
- It has become difficult to network with individuals who turn a blind eye to the major issues affecting our society
- I enjoy the company of other sociologists because they help stimulate my thinking
- I lost a few associates
- People find me annoying because I expose things they neglect to see about what’s going on in society
- I am the ultimate buzz kill
- I complain. A LOT. (But it's only because I care)
- I incorporate thought provoking ideas into my artwork.
- I tend to choose sociology classes as electives whenever I have the chance
- I can no longer laugh off offensive and ignorant Idea
- I cannot watch television or movies without analyzing and critiquing them
- I have to watch shows that show positive portrayals of people of color
- I don't watch the news
- I believe that more Marxist policies should be used in the United States
- I find pleasure in buying at small stores rather than big department stores
- I consider myself to be a faux-science major
- I have a whole range of jobs to choose from in the future due to the broadness of sociology
- I might end up teaching at one point in my life
- In the long run, I will regret my choice of study financially, but will be satisfied nonetheless
- I constantly have to deal with "Your major is easy," "Why don't you study something real?" and "What kind of job are YOU going to get?"
- I will have a career in which I will make positive change in people’s lives
As with my original list of why I consider myself a sociologist, this list is not in any way meant to be exhaustive. It is not even altogether consistent. As you might have noticed, there are a few minor contradictions to be found on the students’ responses. Overall, however, there are some general sentiments or themes that were expressed somewhat consistently among most students. There is no denying that once students finish an undergraduate course of study in sociology, they come to see the world, and themselves, differently. Although none of these students invoked the typical catchphrase of the sociological imagination, this mindset is certainly what they were alluding to in their responses.
As someone who regularly teaches the bookend required courses of Introduction to Sociology and Senior Seminar, I find this list to be a pretty accurate representation of what students generally say is the result of studying sociology. I imagine some professors might want to see responses that speak to the learning of skills such as writing, speaking, researching, and applying theories; however, I find it understandable that most students focused on their attitudes, beliefs, and worldviews. But as I’ve said, this list is in no way complete. There is plenty of room for more responses. So what do you think? What effect has studying sociology had on you?
The following students contributed to this post: Jonathan Camacho, Paul Choi, Nearlyse Dandas, Ethan Fogg, Toni A. Lee-Jones, Genesis Retamozo, Rich Ruby, Kelsey Ryan, Edyaline Tejeda, Jennifer Varon, Dani White
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برچسب : نویسنده : sociobloga بازدید : 222 تاريخ : چهارشنبه 24 بهمن 1397 ساعت: 16:37