From Private Troubles to Social Issues in Schooling: Invoking Your Sociological Imagination
Assessing your ability to analyze an aspect of your educational experience sociologically (PSLO 1) and to apply sociological theory appropriately and accurately to that experience (PSLO 2) while considering social justice implications (PSLO 4).
5-6 pages double spaced, proof for typos and grammar, must be a WORD document (available to all students
PROMPT: Write a story about a profound experience you have had as part of your schooling experiences. Then analyze your selected experience by applying: 1) Mills’ notion of the sociological imagination from Module 2 and other sociological theory/criticism/concepts from Module 2.
HINT: C.Wright Mill’s sociological imagination is invoked when you identify a “personal trouble” as a “social issue.” Dig deep so that the personal trouble you identify can be readily understood as part of a larger social issue. Your Forum 1 will help you to build toward this and after reading other students’ posts you will have some ideas from things they shared. Then draw, as well, from sociological theory/concepts to analyze this issue.
Your paper must have the following two parts:
1. Tell the story: a brief narrative of the experience as a social personal problem. You have already begun critically reflecting on your education. The first part of your paper may be dedicated to presentation of an issue or experience so that you have a focused (short one to two pages) narrative similar to the one written by Marie MyungOk Lee in “What I Learned in School.”
2. Analyze the experience theoretically/invoking your sociological imagination (from personal problem to social issue), drawing from C. Wright Mills to reflect on how society shapes your experience. The second part of your paper also requires that you use concepts you read in Module 2 to examine the social issues that your private troubles indicate. As you consider the usefulness of each of your two theories to help you analyze your experience, think about Mills 3 questions: How does your experience sit/fit within the way schooling is happening in this particular society, respective to your particular place in society, and to the historical period in which it occurs so that your theorizing follows Mills’ suggestions for invoking your sociological imagination.
