How do we exercise our sociological imaginations when we "people watch"?

What will be an ideal response?


If we look closely enough when we observe people walking through a shopping mall or going to a concert or sporting event, it is not hard to make educated guesses about many of them. We can identify their gender and perhaps their age, race or ethnicity, and maybe even their religion (for example, if they are wearing some kind of identifying clothing). The way they dress may also convey something about their income. The way they speak might tell us if they are well-educated or not or if they are from a particular region of the United States or from a foreign country. When we "people watch" in this way, we are, without necessarily realizing it, beginning to engage our sociological imaginations. We are using information we know about our society to make educated guesses about the individuals we encounter.

Sociology

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Which of the following former or current Presidents of the United States favors a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between a man and a woman, thus barring same-sex marriage in all states?

(a) George W. Bush (b) Bill Clinton (c) Barack Obama (d) Lyndon Johnson

Sociology

Facebook friends and people following someone on Twitter are examples of technology used to create a(n) __________

a. category b. crowd c. aggregate d. mass

Sociology

Union contracts provide for which of the following:

a. power to influence decisions b. the right to set their wages c. some measure of justice and due process at work d. a grievance system that gives the power to management

Sociology

Discuss censorship. Do you believe that the Internet should be a free and open exchange of ideas and information? Why or why not?

What will be an ideal response?

Sociology