Instructions For Assignment: Weekly Journal Will Be 1-2 Page ✓ Solved

Instructions for assignment: Weekly journal will be 1-2 page

Instructions for assignment: Weekly journal will be 1-2 pages and will include 2 sources in the media that relate to the reading that week. The purpose of this assignment, which will continue throughout the semester, is to encourage you to think in a sociological manner and learn to apply sociology and social problems theory to events in everyday life. You should learn to integrate the ideas we discuss in class and start to regard aspects of society critically. Each journal entry should be dated, typed, single-spaced and include citations. For each journal entry you should include the following: Choose 1 or more concepts or themes from the chapter. Define the concept or theme in your own words. Locate 2 items in the media (e.g., news source, journal or magazine article, working paper, video, television show, or blog) that link to the concept/theme. Summarize the connection or the significance of each source to the concept/theme from the textbook. Critical analysis (you may consider the following questions: how is the social problem framed [person vs. structure blame]; are there any solutions proposed and by whom; is there anything not considered in the source that should be; does the information in the source contradict the text; etc.). Bibliographic information about the source (e.g., title, author, publication). Your entries should be critical and academically enlightening.

They also should reflect a sociological perspective. You should provide evidence from the material you are analyzing to support your ideas and have some connection to the text. These journals are not formal essays, but they should still follow an organizational structure. Therefore, they should contain an introductory paragraph, a body consisting of two to three paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Since you will be using course content and outside sources, you will need to cite the source of your information. Please use the American Psychological Association (APA) formatting. This is the format most frequently used by all of the social sciences. You may cite sources at the bottom of your journal response, instead of on a separate page.

Paper For Above Instructions

The opening goal of this assignment is to demonstrate a clear, sociological interpretation of a typical reading, using Chapter 1 as a foundation. A central concept for many first-year sociology readers is socialization—the lifelong process through which individuals learn norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors appropriate to their culture. Socialization shapes how people interpret everyday life, how they view others, and how they respond to social problems. This paper engages socialization as a lens to examine contemporary media and social life, drawing on classic theory (Berger & Luckmann, 1966) and contemporary observations of networks and technology (Granovetter, 1973; Mills, 1959; Giddens, 1984) to illuminate the social forces that mold perception and action. The discussion below integrates concepts from classic texts with insights drawn from recent media sources to illustrate how socialization operates in modern contexts and how structural factors mediate individual experience (Becker, 1963; Putnam, 2000).

First, socialization as a concept is defined as the process by which individuals internalize the norms, values, and cultural symbols of their society, enabling them to function and participate in social life. It is both pervasive and cumulative, beginning in early life and continuing through adulthood as people encounter new roles, institutions, and technologies. In its most helpful framing, socialization allows us to understand not only how people behave, but why they interpret the same events in different ways. This perspective is consistent with the sociological imagination, which encourages looking beyond personal experiences to identify broader social forces (Mills, 1959). When we consider the reading and the media items described below, socialization helps explain how people absorb and reproduce certain norms—whether regarding work, family, or politics—across generations and social contexts (Berger & Luckmann, 1966).

Media Source 1: The hidden influence of social networks (N. A. Christakis, 2009). In this TED Talk, Christakis emphasizes the way our behaviors and attitudes diffuse through social networks, often beyond our awareness. The talk illustrates Granovetter’s classic idea of the strength of weak ties, showing that information, norms, and even health-related behaviors spread through friends of friends and acquaintances who may not be part of our closest circle. This is a vivid demonstration of how social networks function as a mechanism of socialization that operates at multiple levels, from intimate circles to broader communities. The ideas align with Berger and Luckmann’s social construction of reality: our interactions with others shape our sense of what is normal or acceptable, thereby influencing individual choices and collective norms (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). The video also underscores the agency-structure dynamic that Giddens describes in structuration theory: individuals navigate networks that in turn shape their options and behavior (Giddens, 1984). The diffusion of norms via networks highlights how socialization is not solely a family or school process but a feature of life in interconnected, modern societies (Granovetter, 1973). In discussing this source, it is important to note that while networks exert strong influence, individual agency remains a factor in choosing which norms to adopt, resist, or reinterpret (Mills, 1959).

Media Source 2: The Social Dilemma (J. Orlowski, 2020). This documentary examines how digital platforms, driven by algorithmic reinforcement and commercial interests, mediate our information environment and shape collective behavior. The film argues that design choices embedded in social media feed systems can intensify polarization, suppress nuanced discussion, and alter perception, thereby transforming the socialization process itself. From the perspective of socialization theory, The Social Dilemma foregrounds macro-structural factors—platform architectures and business incentives—that influence what people see, share, and value. This aligns with the structuration view that social systems shape individuals, while individual choices and actions—such as liking, sharing, or commenting—feed back into the system, reinforcing particular patterns of behavior (Giddens, 1984). The documentary complements Granovetterian ideas about networks by highlighting how digital environments restructure ties and information flow, potentially altering how social norms diffuse across communities (Granovetter, 1973).

Integrating these media items with classical theory helps illuminate how socialization operates in practice. Berger and Luckmann remind us that reality is socially constructed through day-to-day interactions; Christakis’ talk demonstrates how those interactions extend into networks that span beyond immediate social circles. Mills’ sociological imagination invites us to connect individual experiences with broader social structures—the rise of digital platforms and changing patterns of social engagement are not merely personal choices but implications of a changing social order (Mills, 1959). Putnam’s work on social capital cautions that changes in how we connect with others influence the quality of civic life and community bonds (Putnam, 2000). In short, socialization is both nourished and constrained by the environments we inhabit, including the digital space that increasingly mediates our relationships and norms (Becker, 1963).

From a critical perspective, these sources reveal how framing of social problems can shift between individual blame and structural accountability. The media items often emphasize personal responsibility (e.g., how individuals choose to engage online), yet the broader structural influences—network architectures, platform incentives, and cultural expectations—shape those choices in meaningful ways (Mills, 1959; Giddens, 1984). A reflexive journalist-education stance would highlight both agency and constraint: individuals can resist certain norms or adopt alternative practices, but their options are not limitless in a system that rewards certain behaviors and stigmatizes others (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). Solutions proposed in the media items tend to emphasize policy awareness, digital literacy, and civic engagement to counteract harmful effects of networked life, yet the literature also points toward structural interventions, such as strengthening social capital, supporting local communities, and reimagining education to foster critical thinking (Putnam, 2000). This combination—rooted in sociological imagination and reinforced by network theory—offers a more robust blueprint for understanding and addressing social problems in contemporary life (Granovetter, 1973; Becker, 1963).

Organization and evidence: While journals are not formal essays, they benefit from a clear structure that foregrounds a central argument, integrates evidence from both course content and outside sources, and situates the analysis within broader theoretical debates. The two media items chosen here illustrate different facets of socialization: networks as channels for diffusion of norms and behaviors, and platform-mediated environments that reconfigure socialization itself. Together with classical perspectives on social construction, social capital, and the structure-agency interface, they provide a cohesive framework for evaluating how everyday life is shaped by both micro-level interactions and macro-level systems (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Mills, 1959; Giddens, 1984; Granovetter, 1973; Putnam, 2000). The goal is not to romanticize social life or to attribute social problems to individuals alone but to understand how social forces create conditions in which certain beliefs, practices, and inequalities become normalized (Becker, 1963).

Conclusion: The approach outlined here—identifying a chapter concept, locating two media sources that connect to that concept, and analyzing the connections through a sociological lens—embodies the core aim of the course: to develop critical, evidence-based reasoning about how society works. By linking theory to media examples and considering both structure and agency, students can practice applying sociological ideas to real-world situations and cultivate a more nuanced understanding of everyday life. The exercise also reinforces APA-style citation practices and the importance of grounding analysis in established scholarly work as well as contemporary media commentary (Mills, 1959; Macionis, 2012; Henslin, 2017).

References

• Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Anchor Books.
• Becker, H. S. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. Free Press.
• Christakis, N. A. (2009). The hidden influence of social networks [Video]. TED Talks.
• Granovetter, M. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380.
• Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press.
• Macionis, J. J. (2012). Sociology (14th ed.). Pearson.
• Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster.
• Giddens, A. (1984). The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. University of California Press.
• Orlowski, J. (Director). (2020). The Social Dilemma [Film]. Netflix.
• Additional sources to consider for further reading (optional):
• Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The Social Construction of Reality. (See above.)