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Sociological Imagination ?303847518415The Sociological Imagination?is a book written by sociologist, C. Wright Mills?in 1959. His goal in writing this book was to try to reconcile two different and abstract concepts of social reality – the "individual" and "society.?'In essence, it is understanding the private in public terms' C. Wright Mills*Applying your Sociological Imagination to everyday life?Coffee. Consider on an individual, personal level it is a drink that provides a pick up due to caffeine content. ?Coffee drinking is an everyday, commonplace and uninteresting thing.*3362325-123825Consider eating chocolate. What do you think of????However, these everyday acts can be considered from a sociological point of view. We can understand these personal acts in very public terms.?CoffeeCultural Rituals?Coffee has high symbolic value: for example it is part of many social rituals. It forms part of many people's morning ritual. Two people who arrange to meet for coffee are probably more interested in chatting.Norms and Deviance?Coffee is a drug, and though it is habit-forming, it is acceptable. Other drugs may be acceptable in other cultures.Global Economy?Coffee is implicated in a set of social and economic relationships, especially in relation to international trade. It is consumed vastly in wealthy countries but grown in poor ones.?The production and transportation involves thousands of people miles away from the drinker.Development?Coffee drinking presumes a particular pattern of past economic and social development: coffee drinking has a history. ?It is not a natural part of the 'Western' diet. It is a product of colonialism.Status and Politics?Coffee is a ‘globalisation’ issue, in relation to trade, human rights and the environment.?It is politicised and what you drink is a 'life choice' e.g. organic, Fairtrade, local coffee shop V Starbucks. ChocolateCultural Rituals???????Norms and DevianceGlobal EconomyDevelopmentStatus and Politics?The Dark Side of ChocolateBY?MILENA KREMAKOVA?ON?OCTOBER 31, 2014 ??Chocolate comes from cocoa beans, and about 70% of coco beans come from Ghana and the Ivory Coast in Africa. Coco bean plantations where it is grown and harvested have historically relied on child, slave labor to harvest those coco beans so that you and I can eat a product many of them have never tasted. As told by Food Is Power, the reality of human trafficking and modern slavery to produce chocolate is a true evil of our time:“Every research study ever conducted in [Western Africa] shows that there is human trafficking going on, particularly in the Ivory Coast.” While the term “slavery” has a variety of historical contexts, slavery in the cocoa industry involves the same core human rights violations as other forms of slavery throughout the world. Cases often involve acts of physical violence, such as being whipped for working slowly or trying to escape. Reporters have also documented cases where children and adults were locked in at night to prevent them from escaping. Former cocoa slave Aly Diabate told reporters, “The beatings were a part of my life. I had seen others who tried to escape. When they tried, they were severely beaten.” Drissa, a recently freed slave who had never even tasted chocolate, experienced similar circumstances. When asked what he would tell people who eat chocolate made from slave labor, he replied that they enjoyed something that he suffered to make, adding, “When people eat chocolate, they are eating my flesh.”(From?The Evil Part of Halloween You Probably Didn’t Think Of, by B.J.Corey)?From <; What further points can you draw from this article?*?Now apply your Sociological Imagination to something else that is a part of your everyday life. You are not restricted by the titles used above. Just think of it in public, national, global terms.?Examples: Exercising, Cooking, Bike riding, Writing, Reading, Going to school, Owning a pet, Religious practice, Spending money, Baking, Going out to eat, Playing a sport, Watching television, Listening to music, etc., etc.??*Applying your Sociological Imagination to society's issues?The Sociological Imagination is most useful when applied to an issue of public debate or concern as it allows us to see the issue from a broader perspective.?Would you consider obesity as a personal or public issue?29337001350700 your opinion what is the most convincing point made in this video presentation on applying the sociological imagination to obesity in the US??Now apply the sociological imagination to one of the following topics:HomelessnessTerrorismRacism?*Reflection?Agree, disagree, not sure??Could the sociological imagination be useful in considering how we manage our classroom discussions and debates?*??Learning Outcomes: 4.2,4.3, 4.4, 7.5, 7.6 ................
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