Improving the Quality of Public Education Essay

I’m working on a sociology discussion question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

How has your view of the world changed now that you have a more developed sociological imagination? Give a specific example and use some course material (modules and/or text) to support your ideas.

Identify one societal phenomenon at the micro (individual level) and connect it to a macro perspective (institutional level).  What influence does that institution have on that particular phenomenon?

Initial discussion post I need to reflect on: To be in someone else’s shoes means putting yourself in others’ situations, having empathy, and imagining how a situation would be from another perspective. To do that, you need to place your thoughts and opinions aside to empathize with someone else’s feelings. As I have grown, I have learned to put myself in others’ shoes and always consider their feelings. That has helped me become more empathetic and connect more with people to understand individuals better. For example, if a friend calls and needs to vent, I will listen and imagine myself in their situation and try to give advice that I would like to hear if I was in a similar case. There have been many times when I have felt judged. One of them I can think of that recently happened was where an individual I used to be close with now judges me and no longer will speak to me because of her religious views. Because of my sexual orientation, she now judges me. Although I am unbothered by this individual, I still think it is unfair because there are people out there who have the same experience and are affected by it. As a society, many people are quick to judge at times, and I have judged people before, more so when I was much younger. As I mentioned earlier, before this video, I now always try to put myself in others’ shoes before forming my thoughts and opinions by doing that, it has changed my perspective on life in general and has been a helpful tool. This video was a great reminder to empathize with people from different perspectives.