How I Have Grown

Over the course of this class, I have learned a great deal about sociology and myself as a reader and writer. I was not expecting to learn sociology, but I am glad it was a part of the course as I gained much insight on how societies function and how we grow throughout the years. I have also improved my interaction with reading material, and how I handle the readings that initially seem dull. In addition, I have explored many ways to improve my writing process from start to finish.

 

The many essays I have written for this class has reflected the vast knowledge I have gained from the material we have read and seen throughout the class. As I prepared for my first in class essay titled “We Are Who (They Think) We Are,” I learned a great deal about socialization, more specifically, the agents of socialization. A few examples of those “agents” are parents, friends, media and environment. Furthermore, how a person shapes his identity is an age-long process, which starts during childhood and as he grows up, he starts to learn more and more from his surroundings, both in his own neighborhood and through a global perspective. For my first out of class essay, “Her Words, My Inspiration,” I was able to self-reflect on similarities between my own and the author’s, Rose’s, agents of socialization. Both of our mothers indirectly showed us the importance of having inner strength.

Next, for my second in class essay “Why is There Crime and Deviance?” I learned the difference between crime, which is carrying out an illegal act, and deviance, behaving in a manner that contrasts the social norm without necessarily performing an illegal deed. More specifically, we learned about the children living in poor suburbs around major cities, and how they do not have a good moral guidance from neither their homes nor their surroundings. In addition, I learned about juvenile crime for my second out of class essay “Stop Juvenile Crime.” I believe it is important to change the environment that these children grew up in, as they are heavily influenced by gang life and feel the need to commit criminal acts to survive. Also, we should work to change the juvenile’s the bad behavior once he is in detention so they can learn how to properly behave and live crime-free. Lastly, for my third out of class essay, I learned how different cultures around the globe “assign” different gender roles.

In terms of reading, I have gained much knowledge on how to properly absorb the information I am learning. I learned that it is crucial to define a focus question before reading because then I pay attention particular attention to information necessary for my essay. Before this class, I have already acquired the habit of annotating the books I am reading. I did not, however, annotate in accordance to the focus of my next essay. This is important to learn because it makes the writing process a great deal smoother, and it is easier to find quotes to provide examples and prove points.

I have gone in-depth with methods that improve my writing during this class. I truly appreciate the significance of creating an outline before writing the essay to make sure I know what points I want to make and organize my ideas in a fashion that will make sense to the reader. As I write, I am more aware of my reader and make sure the information is portrayed in a way that will make sense to the audience. I learned that the ordering of the paragraphs themselves is crucial, and within the paragraphs, whether or not the information is organized properly.

In the future, I can take what I have leaned about sociology and apply it to social science classes I decide to take. Also, I will be more effective in how I read difference material, making sure I attain the most information and useful information I can. Also, my essays will have better flow, and I will continue using the methods of writing we learned to produce a fluid and high-quality essay.