Exploring Sociology: My Journey of Understanding Social Relationships, Institutions & Issues - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sociology entails the study of social relationships as well as institutions and also the study of social problems. In addition, it involves the investigation of the social causes and consequences of things such as prejudice and discrimination. While this may be termed as the basic explanation of sociology, my choice to pursue sociology as the major exposed me to even more aspects of the discipline. During my young adulthood, I realized that I cared a lot about inequality as well as the underlying causes of social problems. Before this age, it has never occurred to me the need to question the patterns of the world and their meaning. Thus, my studying of sociology has benefited me greatly in helping me to understand my immediate environment and appreciate the needs of other people.

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Although my first choice was not sociology, I feel that having sociology as my major was one of the best things that happened to me. I feel I was destined for this. My first choice of career was Health Science. I felt attracted to this career since I needed to stay close to people and take care of their wellbeing. However, the grades required for the Health Science major were 3.00 GPA for two semesters, and I did not attain this. Therefore, I was not able to enrol for this course. At the moment, I did not have an alternative, and I consulted a lot of people about the next best course that I could pursue. After wide consultations, I came to the conclusion that sociology would be the next best option. After researching what the course entails, I felt that this was the next best course to pursue, and I enrolled for it. Therefore, I landed on sociology because I could not get admitted to my first choice, which was Health Science. Besides, the research and consultations that I did from professionals, parents and peers helped me to settle for the sociology major.

Although I had expected to have a smooth time pursuing sociology as a major, things did not turn out as I had expected. I faced financial challenges, as it became hard for me to finance my education. I sought financial assistance from the Federal Government while at San Jose State University, but I was not successful. I was denied financial aid, and it became difficult for me to finance my financial education at the university. This was a hard time for me as my peers who were pursuing the same course did not have any problems with financing their education. They received financial support from the federal government without problems. This left me demotivated and sad.

Other than the financial challenges, I also faced health challenges. I got sick, and I felt that I could not continue with my education. As a result, I took a break of one and a half years to recover. I also used this time to seek financial support for my education. Luckily enough, I was able to obtain financial aid in Fall 2016 and returned to San Jose State University to continue my education to the present day.

Sociology major entails the studying of different courses which explain different social institutions and social problems. Some of the notable courses include SOCI 151 Violence in Family and SOCI 101 Social Theory. SOCI 151 Violence in Family deals with the major types and causes of violence that happen within the family. Violence in the family is an issue that has attracted wide attention in recent days as the cases of family violence continue to increase. I found these two courses difficult to understand and the materials provided did very little to help me understand the courses. However, the intervention of the professor helped to improve my understanding of the two courses. The professor explained the courses in the simplest terms possible and provided personal experiences which made the materials easy to understand. The professor also asked us to think of any form of violence that we have ever witnessed in our families or neighboring families. Once prompted to do this, it made it easier for us to understand the concept better. The professor also showed us how to study the provided course materials which aided in the understanding of the courses.

Studying sociology has made me have a different worldview from the rest of the people who have not studied sociology. Sociology has made me very passionate about social issues, human rights and dignity and respect for others. While in my hometown, I move about the streets, and I see people mistreating others, and I get concerned and go to their rescue. At one time, I found a man who had bought some oranges from a woman, but he had refused to pay, claiming that the oranges were spoilt. The two were hurling threats at each other as other people who had not studied sociology looked at them with others taking sides and fuelling the conflict. However, perhaps due to the knowledge of sociology in me, I approached them and cooled their tempers. After learning from them the source of their conflict, I advised the man to pay since the woman might not have known about the spoilt oranges. The man accepted to pay and apologized. I advised the woman to thoroughly check the products from her vendor to ensure that they are in their best quality to avoid future conflicts with customers.

Sociology also taught me to be respectful to other people. As such, I intend to raise my children, instilling them the need to be wise and respectful to other people. This is an aspect that lacks in many parents and elders who think that the young are expected to respect them, but the elders are not supposed to respect the young. Sociology taught me that respect is an essential virtue that should be accorded to all. I believe that if respect is given to all people irrespective of their age, then the world would experience lesser conflicts.

Additionally, sociology taught me to focus on external forces which affect people's behaviors, values and attitudes to help them understand themselves better. Today, I understand myself and my environment better. Despite the fact that we all belong to various organizations and groups, we are also their creators. Studying of sociology equips one with the tools and skills which are necessary to participate in and advance such groups.

Studying sociology also taught me to be more tolerant and objective to other people and their cultures. Out there, people are very judgmental. As I grew up, my parents usually told me about the ills of certain people not based on their character but by their cultures. To them, there exists some superior and inferior cultures and languages. I held this belief in my high school, but as soon as I enrolled for sociology and started the studies, I found out how long I had been to become so judgmental. Today, I cannot stand to judge people and their culture, families or languages. I believe that any culture is as important as mine. There are sometimes I get tempted to comment on some issues, but I choose to remain silent after considering the available alternatives. The notion among many people that their cultures and languages are the best and cannot be compared with others is not only wrong but also fallacious and misconceived.

Sociology entails in not just making a decision when something happens but also in asking questions as to why that thing had to happen. When I was young, I thought that every deed should either be punished or rewarded depending on its nature. However, sociology has taught me the need to ask questions about a particular instance. For example, when a racist atrocity or an irresponsible head of state is elected, it behooves us to relook into the past and assess the possible causes. In that manner, one will reach the best decision other than being very quick to take irrational decisions. Thus, sociology instilled in me the need to think in a multifactorial manner. It is my hope that the knowledge of sociology will help me to solve some of the problems that exist in the society and also influence other people into doing the same.