SO 202 Lecture Notes - The Sociological Imagination
Document Summary
Concerned with how the cultural context and value systems shape society. The reality of humans is shaped by human social experiments. Sociological imagination focuses on linking individual experiences to larger social structure. Society is a product of human social interactions. Refers to the practice of being able to link personal trouble to larger public issues. Mills argues: si is helpful at times of great social disruption (ie. great depression) Mental and social distress during the american election period. Draws attention to how different perspectives or standpoints influence our understanding of the world. Understanding hierarchy and the types of relationships. Understanding the objective knowledge of science is still influenced by the subjective value systems of the researcher. Value systems are fluid and have an impact on each other. The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical sense in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals (mills, p. 2)
