In the first blog I wrote, I saw myself in a little world with not many people outside of my circle of life. I just described myself as someone from a suburb who goes to school and has friends: nothing too personal. After taking sociology, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the world around me than I did before.
Sociology has helped me see that there are so many different types of people, many of whom are so much worse off than me. I've always had that idea in my head but being able to view it firsthand really helped. When I volunteered at an immigrant tutoring center, I saw how much it meant to the kids and parents just to have someone to help with homework. They wanted someone to talk to and someone to learn from. Also, when we watched the movie about Tammy and her son in class it really struck me that she was such a hard worker, but she got so little in return. Tammy walked so far to get to work and she put everything she had into a fast-food job, but her kids were still embarrased of her. It made me see the world in a completely different way, where just because someone is poor doesn't mean they don't try; in reality many probably have to work harder than the rest of us.
I also know see exactly how the world around us shapes basically everything we do. Who am I? I'm what society has encouraged and told me to be. That's not necessarly bad, but we also have to be aware of it. I found it interesting that in Japan, people treat their elders with the upmost respect, while in America we value youth. Where we live and the people we surround ourselves with make us act the way we do.
Also, it was interesting to learn what race really is. Personally, I always thought of it as something you're just born with, but now I realize it's just a social construction, and some places have so many races it's overwhelming. Also, places like Brazil have a completely different standpoint on race. It blew my mind that you could be born a completely different race than either of your parents. The movie Crash also showed me how important of a role race plays in everyday life, whether you realize it or not.
Overall I loved taking sociology. I think I came out of it a better person, and I now view the world in a more observing, understanding matter. This class is something I could take with me anywhere I go, and I now know more about who I am than before.
