Agenda for 1/29

1. In notability: create a new folder, title it "Sociology," and then create a new note.

2. Developing the Sociological Imagination:

"SEEING THE GENERAL IN THE PARTICULAR"

Disney Ad Analysis

In your notability note answer the following questions as best as you can (write down whatever some to mind :

A. What aspects of American culture/values are evident in this Disney ad? What ideas does it support? How does it reflect they way Americans think about life? Think about sex and gender, masculinity and femininity, body image, race, socioeconomic class, childhood.

B. Think about which group in society this ad is meant to target? Do you have any concerns about companies designing ads to target this group?

C. Add one of your observations to this padlet

"SEEING THE STRANGE IN THE FAMILIAR"

• Why do Americans value gun ownership?  
• How does this value effect the lives of Americans?
• Need more evidence?  
• So does this value "make sense"?Answer in your Notability note.

3. The effect of categories (and expectations). 

• Listen to Pt. 1: 0-6:40 (and you should definitely listen to the rest because it's AWESOME!)

4. Connecting the Sociological Imagination to your life!

• "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace
• How do the ideas in this excerpt connect to the concept of the "Sociological Imagination." Think about the iceberg and the waterline of visibility.

HW:

Assignment #1 - Due: 2/3
What is the main point of Wallace's "This is Water" speech? What is the connection between his words and the "Sociological Imagination?" Respond a 1/2 page paragraph (typed).

• Below are excerpts from the speech to help you think about the question.
  

"The only thing that's capital 'T' True is that you get to decide how you're going to try to see it. This, I submit, is the freedom of real education, of how to be well-adjusted. You get to decide what has meaning and what doesn't. That is real freedom. That is being educated and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness."
“Learning how to think" really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot or will not exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed.”