3 What are three ways the sociological perspective can help you succeed in college and the workforce?
4 Think of some of the ways the social institutions of government and education are connected. Why is it in the interest of the government to support higher education? How has government support (or lack of support) impacted your college experience?
5 Imagine you would like to look at reasons behind the high college dropout rate in the United States. How might your explanations differ based on whether your analysis was on the micro, meso, or macro level? Why? Which level or levels would you focus on for your study? Why?
Key Terms
environment 16
globalization 6
levels of analysis 12
macro-level analysis 18
meso-level analysis 17
micro-level analysis 17
national society 15
social institutions 14
social processes 16
social structure 14
social units 14
social world model 14
sociological imagination 8
sociology 5
Contributing to Our Social World: What Can We Do?
At the end of this and all subsequent chapters, you will find suggestions for work, service learning, internships, and volunteering that encourage you to apply the ideas discussed in the chapter. Suggestions for Chapter 1 focus on student organizations for sociology majors and nonmajors.
At the Local (Micro) Level
Student organizations and clubs enable you to meet other students interested in sociology, carry out group activities, get to know faculty members, and attend presentations by guest speakers. These clubs are usually not limited to sociology majors. If no such organization exists for sociology students at your school, consider forming one with the help of a faculty member. Sociologists also have an undergraduate honors society, Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD). Visit the AKD website at alphakappadelta.org to learn more about the society and what it takes to qualify for membership or to form a chapter.
At the Organizational or Institutional (Meso) Level
State, regional, and specialty (education, criminology, social problems, and so forth) sociological associations are especially student-friendly and feature publications and sessions at their annual meetings specifically for undergraduates. The American Sociological Association lists regional and specialty organizations and their website addresses, with direct links to their home pages at www.asanet.org/news-events/calendar.
At the National or Global (Macro) Level
The American Sociological Association (ASA) is the leading professional organization of sociologists in the United States. Visit the ASA website at www.asanet.org and take a look around. You will find many programs and initiatives of special interest to students. If you are interested in becoming a sociologist, be sure to look at the links under the heading “News on the Profession.” ASA also sponsor an Honors Program at the annual meeting that introduces students to the profession and gives them a heads-up on being successful in sociology. For more information go to www.asanet.org/teaching-learning/undergraduate-student-resources/honors-program.
The International Sociological Association (ISA) serves sociologists from around the world. Every 4 years, the ISA sponsors a large meeting. Specialty groups within ISA hold smaller conferences throughout the world during the other years. Check out www.isa-sociology.org.
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Descriptions of Images and Figures
Back to image
The flow diagram illustrating the model in social life is as follows:
Micro:Me, within parenthesis, my family and close friends.Local organizations and community. My school, place of worship, hangouts.
Meso:National organizations, institutions, and ethnic subcultures. My political party, ethnic affiliation.
Macro:Society. Type of national government and economic system.Global community. United Nations, world bank, doctors without borders, multinational corporations.
Back to Figure
The different occupation categories that sociology graduates get as their first job is as follows:
Social Services or Counsellors, 21.9 percent.
Administrative support or clerical, 16.7 percent.
Sales or marketing, 12.6 percent.
Teachers or librarians, 11.7 percent.
Service occupations, within parenthesis, Police or Cooks, 9.3 percent.
Other professional, within parenthesis, (Prog. Asst.; IT or PR, 9.3 percent.
Management related, 7.7 percent.
Social science researcher, 5.3 percent.
Other, 5.9 percent.
The flow diagram illustrating the model in social life is as follows:
Micro:Me, within parenthesis, my family and close friends.Local organizations and community. My school, place of worship, hangouts.
Meso:National organizations, institutions, and ethnic subcultures. My political party, ethnic affiliation.
Macro:Society. Type of national government and economic system.Global community. United Nations, world bank, doctors without borders, multinational corporations.
Back to Figure
The loss events that occurred during the year 2017 geographically are as follows:
Geophysical events, within parenthesis, Earthquake, tsunami, volcanic activity:
Earthquake in Iran, Iraq.
Earthquake in Mexico.
Other smaller events are spread