1. Mills & the Sociological Imagination
Sociology 1301: Introduction to Sociology
Week One

2. Connection btwn Individuals & Society
"The facts of contemporary history are also facts about the success and the failure of individual men and women" (Mills, 2006, p. 13)
Society and Individuals are connected
You cannot truly understand one without understanding the other

3. The Origins of “Society”
3 societal changes made people more aware of the concept of society:
Rise of industrialism 
Growth of cities
Rise in new Ideas about democracy/politics

4. Auguste Compte ( )
Sociology: the systemic study of human society
Product of 3-stage historical development
Theological Stage
Metaphysical Stage
Scientific Stage
Sociological Perspective: the social point of view of sociology that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people

5. Sociology Basics
Macro-Level Orientation (macrosociology): a broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole
Micro-Level Orientation (microsociology): a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations
Social Institution: any institution in a society that works to shape the behavior of the groups or people within it

6. C. Wright Mills ( )
Sociological Imagination: a quality of mind that will help them to use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within themselves
Personal troubles are public issues (Troubles vs. Issues)

7. Sociology & Personal Growth
4 ways using sociology benefits us as individuals:
Helps us asses the truth of “common sense”
Helps us see the opportunities and constraints in our lives
Empowers us to be active participants in or society
Helps us live in a diverse world

8. Mills’ 3 Questions
What is the structure of this particular society as a whole?
How is society structured and/or held together?
Where does this society stand in human history?
What is going on in the society/world at the point of time you are looking at and how does that affect what you are looking at?
What varieties of men and women now prevail in this society and in this period?
What kind of people live during the period you are looking at and who does/does not have power

9. Using Our Sociological Imagination
Using magazine articles, answer the following questions:
Using your sociological imagination, identify:
Any troubles that might be present in your article.
Any issues that might be present in your article.
Examine your article by answering Mills' 3 Questions:
What is the structure of this particular society as a whole?
Where does this society stand in human history?
What varieties of men and women now prevail in this society and in this period?

10. Works Cited
Collins, R., & Makowsky, M. (1998). The discovery of society (6th Ed.). Boston, MA: The McGaw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Conley, D. (2011). You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist (2nd Ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Macionis, J. J. (2010). SOC100: Sociology: custom edition (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Custom Publishing.
Mills, C. W. (2006). From the sociological imagination. In Massey, G. (Ed.), Readings for sociology (5th Ed.) (pp ). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.