1.01 A Sociological Introduction

 

WELCOME SOCIOLOGY SCHOLARS!

If you did not have a chance yet, please complete these two tasks:

Student Demographics Survey 

I want to get to know each of you better as an individual, so please answer this demographic survey.  Please share as much info as you are comfortable sharing, but please know that all of the information is private and only for me to see.

Syllabus

After you finish the demographic survey above, please begin reading the syllabus.

Attendance Sign In

Start of class meditation - meditation number one

Introducing...The Class

 

Syllabus 

Importance of college syllabus in general

Our syllabus 

Schedule notes - Feb 21, Mar 14, Mar 24-31

What questions do you need answered to be confident that you can do well in the class?

Fired Up? [Ready to Go!] come to class each day fired up and ready to go. 

Be Present: Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an awareness of yourself.  To start each class, I use a mindfulness meditation.  I will ring a bell to signal that we are starting class. This is a reminder to center your thoughts and limit distractions.  This present moment is a gift (that's why it's called the present!) I want you to be in this moment.  I will also give you a thought to meditate on and help you develop your own personal mindfulness.

Mindfulness and Learning

Being mindful means having an appreciation and a focus for the present moment. In this case, we are in class, together. Be present. I value your presence and I feel that each of you can be a teacher for all of us - we are all students and teachers of each other! There is a lot of evidence that electronic devices and social media are a distraction for not only you but for those around you. One study calls social media the second-hand smoke of learning. So, please be mindful of your presence in class.

Today's lesson:

I had you fill out the survey above because I wanted to get to know you as an individual.  My question now is, are you, in fact, an individual?  What makes you an individual? 

Introducing You...

Introduce yourself to one or two of your peers.  Please say your name and where you are from and then share:

1.  Do you think you are an individual?  Why or why not?  What makes you unique?

2.  What do you think it means to be an individual?

If you are absent from class, the Google Form for this lesson is here.  Absent students must fill out the Google form to even be considered for participation credit.  If you are present in class, you do not have to do the Google Form.

Big Group Discussion:  Are you an individual?  

At first glance, it might seem like you are unique.  In my case, I am a Loyola University graduate, a professor and a Chicagoan;  I like basketball, the Cubs, skiing, mountain biking, golfing, gardening, and cooking.  I am a husband and I have three daughters.  All of this might make me sound unique, but all of it also is a result of my connection to others and at the same time, it connects me to others.  We are intimately shaped by other people and society at large, but our culture's fascination with individuality often hides this connection.  Sociology will help us explore this reality.

3.  Now think about how you arrived at this moment in this class.  How did you get here?  Who are all the people that helped you get here today?

3.2 After you answer that, think even more creatively about who those people are that have made it possible for you to be here today.

Introduce yourself to one or two different peers.  Please say your name and where you are from and then share:

Small groups:  Share the people that you came up with. What was one answer that someone said that you had not thought of?

Mindfulness and Sociology

How many different people did you come up with? Did you think of your parents? Probably.  How about your grandparents or great-grandparents?  How about the people who built the roads or the engineers who designed them? The architects who built the building you are sitting in?  The doctors who helped you stay healthy until you reached this age or the dozens of teachers who have taught you over the years. There are so many people who have affected your ability to be here and now.  Sociology will make us aware of our connections to other people.  Michael Schwalbe called this awareness of our connection to others "Sociological Mindfulness."  Throughout our class, you will see that sociological mindfulness is woven into the lessons and assessments.  

Sociological Mindfulness is also all of the people that we influence in society. We are both products and agents of society.

4. Think about the people who you may have had an impact on in your journey to Loyola. Who have you influenced? In what ways?

Small Group Discussion

Find 2 or 3 people who you did NOT discuss with earlier. Share your answers with them. Tell them how you arrived at Loyola and ask them how they think that YOU may have influenced people along the way.

Conclusion (What you should be able to do/explain after this lesson and what the final assignment will ask you to do):

• Why is the syllabus important?
• What do sociologists study?
• What is sociological mindfulness?
• Why does sociological mindfulness matter?