Socicology - "the Study of the Obvious"

Ok, so I've been to a little over 10 classes thus far and I am finding that I am having a hard time with the class in general. Now, my intention isn't to bash on my professor or his teaching methods. I just thought that I would highlight some of the things that I liked, some of the things that I found interesting.

My professor says that sociology is really "the study of the obvious," rather than "the study of society." It may be the obvious, but some of the things that I have thought while in class are pretty profound. And by the way, what is the true definition of society? He uses that word a lot.

August 27, 2008

• Never accept something as pure truth at face value, take time to consider and question it.
• We are who we are because of how and where we live and because of who we live with.
• We are taught how to think in different ways - it depends on the environment we live in.

August 29, 2008

• To find out what ideas mean, find applications for them.
• Rather than accepting something as a pure truth, discuss different ideas in abstract perspectives to see all the possibilities behind the statement. Consider authority and power, how and why someone has it and if they are really right.
  
• Do we conform?
  
• How do we conform?
• Why do we conform?
• When do we conform?
• Why are you in college?
• What do you gain for it?
• How do morals, ethics and values fit into sociology?
• Things that we respect and things we ought to respect are very different.
  
• Why do we respect and attract the things we do?

September 3, 2008

• How does being born into different societies effect who you are, what you do, and what you accomplish?
• How do you find a balance between conformity vs. unique identity?
• We are all the products of circumstances of which we come.

September 5, 2008

• The situations in which we live, shape our ways of being/thinking.

Think about these things, tell me what you think...

~Holls