Sociologist C.  Wright Mills wrote that the promise of sociology is
that it can help people “to grasp history and biography and the
relation between the two within society.”  In other words, thinking
sociologically involves placing ourselves within a larger context-
understanding ways in which our lives are “victims of circumstance,”
as well as ways in which we contribute to larger social patterns and
structures.

The main goal of this course is to help you develop a keen
sociological eye and an active sociological imagination.  Along the
way, we’ll address a range of questions, like the following:  Why do
inequality and injustice persist despite numerous efforts to make
the world a better place?  What would happen if you started facing
the wrong way in elevators, saying a “goodbye” when you
mean “hello,” or closing your eyes when people talked to you?  What
is globalization and what effect does it have on life here in
Bloomington. Why do women make less money than men for the same
work?  Does the individual really make a difference in shaping the
social world?  Why is “reality TV” so popular?  Does the educational
system create a level playing field or just produce compliant
workers?  What does it mean to say that society is looking more and
more like McDonalds?  What’s driving political and military conflict
in the Middle East?

If you and I both do our jobs right, then by the end of the course
you will have a new way of looking at the world and will have gained
some insights into the driving forces in contemporary societies.