Distinctive about Sociology as a Way of Looking at the World - Essay Example

One strongly believes that from the modules learned from the course, the facet that is distinctive about sociology is learning about people and how interaction is made possible within a local community, within a specific culture, and as members of a global society.

For instance, at the core of social interaction, an analysis could be deemed possible through a closer examination of the basic unit of society, which is the family. From discussions in Chapter 13 which focuses on Families and Aging, families across cultures share similarities and differences; as well as diversities within a specific culture. It was clearly indicated that American families have sustained transformations in terms of addressing issues such as divorce, cohabitation, unmarried or single mothers, and the benefits accorded to family members whose parents (or other siblings) are apparently earning a living (Benokraitis). Likewise, American families were disclosed to exhibit patterns of increasing diversity – with people coming from other cultures deciding to migrate and settle permanently in the United States.

As such, despite the diversity and the evident transformations, sociology contributes to a greater understanding of the family and cultural diversity within the American culture as a way to implement government policies that address their disparate needs. The perspective, therefore, starts with looking at the family from a macro-oriented point of view; but slowly navigates to a more macro-oriented perspective. The information gathered from various research studies on family and cultural diversity, therefore, provides the necessary inputs that would be helpful in the design of strategies that address different sociological needs: education, health, employment, and even criminal behavior.

 Another way of expounding on how sociology applies theoretical frameworks as a way of looking at the world is through monitoring social change through time. The chapter on social change through a closer examination of collective behavior, social movements, and the role that technology plays in effecting social change asserts the distinctive impact that sociology contributes to looking at the world from a global realm. One is convinced that social movements and collective behavior significantly impact a way of life and become the driving force for much-needed change. For instance, there have been several pieces of evidence from history that the power of people in a collective effort could oust heads of state. A known example was when the People Power in the Philippines in 1986 was instrumental in ousting the known dictator, then President Ferdinand Marcos from power and elected an ordinary housewife, Corazon Aquino, to replace him as the new president of the republic. This is a perfect example of collective behavior and social movement through nonviolent means. The impact was evident in terms of restoring democracy to the country, which in turn, positively reverberated to enhancing the image of the country to the world. As such, there was the needed social change (from dictatorship to democracy) which was brought about through collective behavior and social movements on a highly commendable non-violent means.

The impact of technology, on the other hand, on people’s way of life and how they react and interact with others is another distinctive sociological facet that affects the way people look at the world. Through technological advancement brought about by the Internet, which is one of the most remarkable discoveries in this century, people have become more united, despite their retention of the diversities. The world seemed to be a smaller place where more people could contact, correspond, view, access, and interact with other people from across the globe through social networking sites.

Technological applications of mobile phones, digital gadgets, telecommunications resources have paved the way for continued access to information on a 24/7 basis. Thus, reactions to different concerns are more immediate and immensely made possible with technology. Likewise, all sectors of society have benefitted from technological changes. Public and private organizations have tapped the online medium to ensure that clients from across the globe could view their products and services, and even contact them through different social media. Concurrently, health institutions have applied technology to improve delivery to a higher quality of patient care through the implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and enabling patients to schedule, correspond, and access their health records online.