KINE 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Social Statics, Participant Observation, Harriet Martineau
8 Dec 2015
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Document Summary
Sociology is defined as the systematic study of the relationship between the individual and society and of the consequences of difference. American sociologist c. wright (1959) created concept called the sociological imagination, our recognition of the interdependent relationship between who we are as individuals and the social forces that shape our lives. Mills described the sociological imagination as our ability to see the interaction between history and biography. By history" he meant not just the times in which we live but also our positions in society and the resources to which we have access. Biography encompasses our personal experience, our actions and thoughts, and the choices we make. As individuals we act but we do so within the context and confines of society. Practicing the sociological imagination empowers us to more fully appreciate the impact our social location has on our individual choices.
