Read the Book(Uploaded) and write about the questions(each 1150~200 words)

As you explored social life in this textbook, I hope that you found yourself thinking along with me. If so, you should have gained a greater understanding of why people think, feel, and act as they do—as well as insights into why you view life the way you do. Developing your sociological imagination was my intention in writing this book. I have sincerely wanted to make sociology come alive for you.

Majoring in Sociology If you feel a passion for peering beneath the surface—for seeking out the social influences in people’s lives, and for seeing these influences in your own life—this is the best reason to major in sociology. As you take more courses in sociology, you will continue this enlightening process of social discovery. Your sociological perspective will grow, and you will become increasingly aware of how social fac- tors underlie human behavior.

In addition to people who have a strong desire to con- tinue this fascinating process of social discovery, there is a second type of person whom I also urge to major in soci- ology. Let’s suppose that you have a strong, almost unbri- dled sense of wanting to explore many aspects of life. Let’s also assume that because you have so many interests, you can’t make up your mind about what you want to do with your life. You can think of so many things you’d like to try, but for each one there are other possibilities that you find equally as compelling. Let me share what one student who read this text wrote me:

I’d love to say what my current major is—if only I truly knew. I know that the major you choose to study in college isn’t nec- essarily the field of work you’ll be going into. I’ve heard enough stories of grads who get jobs in fields that are not even related to their majors to believe it to a certain extent. My only problem is that I’m not even sure what it is I want to study, or what I truly want to be in the future for that matter.

The variety of choices I have left open for myself are very wide, which creates a big problem, because I know I have to narrow it down to just one, which isn’t something easy at all for me. It’s like I want to be the best and do the best (medical doctor), yet I also wanna do other things (such as being a paramedic, or a cop, or firefighter, or a pilot), but I also realize I’ve only got one life to live. So the big question is: What’s it gonna be?

This note reminded me of myself. In my reply, I said:

You sound so much like myself when I was in college. In my senior year, I was plagued with uncertainty about what would be the right course for my life. I went to a counselor and took a vocational aptitude test. I still remember the day when I went in for the test results. I expected my fu- ture to be laid out for me, and I hung on every word. But then I heard the counselor say, “Your tests show that mor- tician should be one of your vocational choices.”

Mortician! I almost fell off my chair. That choice was so far removed from anything that I wanted that I immedi- ately gave up on such tests.

I like your list of possibilities: physician, cop, firefighter, and paramedic. In addition to these, mine included cow- boy, hobo, and beach bum. One day, I was at the dry clean- ers (end of my sophomore year in college), and the guy standing next to me was a cop. We talked about his job, and when I left the dry cleaners, I immediately went to the police station to get an application. I found out that I had to be 21, and I was just 20. I went back to college.

I’m very happy with my choice. As a sociologist, I am able to follow my interests. I was able to become a hobo (or at least a traveler and able to experience different cultural settings). As far as being a cop, I developed and taught a course in the sociology of law.

One of the many things I always wanted to be was an author. I almost skipped graduate school to move to Green- wich Village and become a novelist. The problem was that I was too timid, too scared of the unknown—and I had no support at all—to give it a try. My ultimate choice of soci- ologist has allowed me to fulfill this early dream.

It is sociology’s breadth that is so satisfying to those of us who can’t seem to find the limit to our interests, who can’t pin ourselves down to just one thing in life. Sociology cov- ers all of social life. Anything and everything that people do is part of sociology. For those of us who feel such broad, and perhaps changing interests, sociology is a perfect major.

But what if you already have a major picked out, yet you really like thinking sociologically? You can minor in sociology. Take sociology courses that continue to pique your sociological imagination. Then after college, con- tinue to stimulate your sociological interests through your reading, including novels. This ongoing development of your sociological imagination will serve you well as you go through life.

EPILOGUE: WHY MAJOR IN SOCIOLOGY?

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