Sociology Common Sense

1. Some people accuse sociologists of observing conditions that are obvious. How does looking at sociology as “making the familiar strange” help counter this claim? How does sociology differ from simple commonsense reasoning?

In today’s society, norms are expected by everyone. According to the book Essentials of Sociology a Down- To- Earth Approach, Hansen states that norms are expectations of "right” behavior (Hansen, 2014). There are also two forms of norms that may be strictly enforced or not. There is folkways and mores. Folkways are norms that aren’t strictly enforced while mores are strictly enforced for essential thought to care values or the well-being of a group (Hansen, 2014). Along with a norm and the two types, there may also be reactions to it. These reactions may be positive or negative and termed as sanctions. Sanctions are either expressions of an approval given to people for upholding norms or expression of disapproval for violating them (Hansen, 2014). In conducting a norm experiment, the terms were put to a test. The experiment consisted of an observed norm violation and an individual norm violation. The experiments resulted in what I had hypothesized. My hypothesis consisted of sanctions of the norms that were conducted.

Common sense is the knowledge of opinions and belief that people have in everyday life. However, it is something with no evidence to back it up. Common sense ideas are found through the struggles that people have lived through and so directly impact their opinions on certain subjects. Common sense ideas can be personal as everyone has a different outlook and opinion depending on background and experience. Taking the example of someone who is homeless. A common sensical thinker would think that they had become homeless due to not having a job or money. Common sense thinkers may also think that the reason for their homelessness comes from lifestyle, blaming alcohol and drug misuse or family for their predicament.

The movie Crash is a drama film that shows you several life experiences of different people living in Los Angeles.  All the characters in the film are somehow inter-related to one another.  A police detective who mother is strung out on drugs and has a brother who likes to kill, two car thieves, a white district attorney, a racist cop, a black Hollywood director, a full Persian descent father, and a Hispanic locksmith are all the characters in the film.

In life, there are many times where an individual may feel alone. Personally, this past week can attest to that notion. Moving into a college dorm, saying goodbye to my loved ones, and taking on a new chapter in my life, have all been accompanied by a new set of emotions that I have never felt before: homesickness, freedom, peer-pressure. However, looking around everyone seems happy, and it feels as if I am trapped in a space that no one else appears to be in. But, internally they may be battling the same struggles that I am. That is what can be drawn from “The Wisdom of Sociology: Sam Richards at TedxLacador,” the idea that behind the facade, our personal struggles are all connected.

“The first wisdom of sociology is this:  things are not what they seem”  (Berger 1963)  http://archiv.watzlawickehrenring.at/2008/peter‐l‐berger/fotos.html Berger, P. (1963).  Invitation to Sociology, Bantam Doubleday Dell cited in:  http://www.soc.iastate.edu/sapp/Berger.html: date accessed 12 January  2016. Key Concept: The sociological imagination C. Wright Mills: “ …enables its possessor to  understand  the

Hey Faye! Let me say, that I checked your office hours and you have bloody awful ones (no offense!). There is no way (unless by magic) I'll ever get to see you which makes me sad. :c

Throughout this essay, I will explain the distinction between sociological and common sense understanding, highlight the differences between sociology and other social sciences, and evaluate two sociological perspectives – Marxism and feminism.

Which of the following groups have the highest incidence of use and abuse of alcohol?

According to Durkheim, Social fact or social phenomenon are the main subject matter of sociology. He said in one of his pieces that social fact must be studied distinct from the biological and psychological phenomenon. Social order is the trend of behavior being used to exercise power over another person. It has become rules and regulations that have been set up by some authorities to be obeyed by another group of people who are being undermined in a society, it is a situation that oppressed people and limits them from their liberties. When people go through these situations they cannot function the way they are supposed to function because they are limited by their freedom. These social orders are not only laws but rather certain norms created by the authority to put a whole race into a situation where they are very far from freedom of speech, movement, and knowledge. African Americans are an example of a race that has been through discrimination at workplaces, schools, community etc. They are one race which has been a label or put in a class where the situation will never permit you to climb the ladder of success. Although you might have all the certification, qualification, the best schools, etc. but the fact that you came from the poor class or the lower class, it becomes very difficult for the Caucasian people to give you the opportunity you deserve, because of this, the citizens of American have been grouped into different classes which are upper, middle, working,

Sociology and sociological thinking are a vital part of society, and through examining both society and individuals, sociology is able to make changes to areas such as policies, and attitudes that may have usually negatively affected them, and instead gained a positive result through the careful research, and applied knowledge.

Sociology is a social science that enables people to understand the structure and dynamics of society. By using a scientific approach, and by critically analysing society using qualitative and quantitative methods, sociologists can find patterns and connections within human behaviour to provide explanations of how society affects people. Sociological views are based on theories that have been tested through unbiased research and attempt to take all values into account. Common sense theories are generally individualistic and naturalistic assumptions that are based on opinions than can vary depending on an individuals

Sociology and psychology is the study of the mind and the environment around us which makes us who we are. These theories assist us to understand behaviour from individual and societal levels.

Consider the following predicament: you are hit by a car and the driver evacuates the scene. Is it common sense to file a police report or hunt down the perpetrator yourself? I believe most Americans will choose the former over the latter based on their perception of common sense. However, if someone chooses to seek retribution for the hit and run by themselves, do they then lack common sense or does their common sense merely differ from ours? The Merriam Webster dictionary defines common sense as a “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.” Do all people then have the same judgement towards all situations? Culture, I believe, is what may blur these lines of judgement based on what is “common

The Sociological Imagination was a term that was first coined by sociologist C. Wright Mills. It could be said that definition of The Sociological Imagination is having the ability to look beyond personal experience and realise that society is shaped by the cross over between biography and history. Mills thought that everyone in society had the capability to think sociologically and that this was essential to gain a deeper understanding of both their society, and their current circumstance. This approach contradicts a more readily adopted approach by the public that sociologists call “The common sense approach”. The common sense approach is a collection of knowledge that has been acquired through little scientific merit, such as: personal experience, gossip or anecdotal evidence. This essay will discuss and explain the difference between the Sociological Imagination and Common-Sense explanations through the use of examples to explain the topic of sexuality.