This Book Is Not Required - Essay Example

Assignment A: “This book is not required” In the publication d, “This book is not required”, Inge Bell and her colleagues focus on students’ college experience, as an illustration of how Sociology plays a pivotal role in helping individuals make sense of the society. Often, students struggle to acclimatize themselves with new environment, as the different aspects of the college environment conflict with their preset beliefs and attitudes. This often results in a state of incongruence for the students whereby they become disillusioned and wind up not benefiting from the college experience. According to the authors of the book, the college experience is crucial in helping produce individuals who are obedient to authority, as such, one cannot afford to make light of it (Bell et al. 5). The authors’ primary goal, therefore, is to inspire the growth of a reader’s sense of wisdom, which they define as an individual’s ability to keep their mental and emotional balance in life. This creates self-understanding, which in turn enables the individual to live comfortably with who they are (Bell et al. 70). Explored in this essay are three of the author’s insights: the concept of “Slowing down”, role of media, and “avenues of upward mobility/painful ways of struggle”, in relation to my personal college experience. Concept of “slowing down” As mentioned in the introduction, a major impediment to adjusting to a new environment is attitudes and belief systems ingrained in an individual. Processes such as socialization and conditioning are responsible for imparting societal values, beliefs and attitudes on individuals, which in turn influences their outlook on various aspects of the world. In light of this, an individual stands to benefit from stripping away their predispositions, as this allows them to embrace new experiences. In chapter 7, the authors describe exercises designed to help readers break away from prior conditioning and socialization in order to experience aspects of their lives and the world in a new way. One such exercise is “Slowing down”, which entails going through routine everyday activities at 50% of the normal speed (Bell et al. 125). According to the authors, the exercise seeks to help students revel in their present without continuously fixating on their future (Bell et al. 125). Across the globe, the college experience is designed to help students work towards securing their future. Although beneficial, this has and continues to undermine students’ ability to experience fully college. Students tend to ignore aspects they regard as non-beneficial to their future, which in reality stands to benefit them more. It is fallacious to blame this challenge on students solely, as conditioning and socialization predisposes them to developing such a perspective on college education. Take the grading system for example, even the authors chose to focus on it in their first chapter of the book whereby they infer that the system encourages rote memorization, which does not foster permanent learning. Psychologists generally define learning as the relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience or knowledge (Bell et al. 15). In light of this, they infer that rote memorization commonly referred to as cramming facilitates the reproduction of learnt content on a short-term basis, as students are able to reproduce crammed information impeccably only during assessments. However, when asked to explain examined concepts in the future, they are unable to do so. Students prioritize good performance over internalization of learnt concepts, as society relies on grades as an indicator of academic prowess. As a result, students focus on academic excellence at the expense of other integral social issues. By “slowing down”, one is able to focus on all aspects of college without prioritizing a single aspect, which in turn undermines the college experience. In retrospect, reading this text made me reflect on my expectations of enrolment into college. I admit that my only priority was to ensure my performance was stellar, as I believed it was the only way to guarantee a flourishing career at a respectable organization. In addition, I knew that it was the only way to earn the respect of my peers and family. I spent more time in the library, and set aside very little time for extra-curricular activities. It made perfect sense to have few friends with similar interests. I dare say that due to this narrow-minded thinking, my outlook on life was completely flawed. I denied myself the opportunity to interact with people with different outlooks, which I think would serve to enrich my college experience. Despite this, I am hopeful that taking on the exercise of “slowing down” will enable me to focus on things other than academics. Role of media Bell et al. (138) infer, “ media mediate between us and our immediate world by influencing us to define and see the world in a certain way”. In Chapter 9, the authors claim that media remains a major tool in virtually eliminating student activism by choosing what they deem worthy to broadcast (Bell et al. 143). Despite this, they still believe that media is a useful, informative means by, which students are able to get information about issues pertaining to the contemporary society. Information is power; and ignorance is no defense. In light of this, it is of importance to students to keep abreast with contemporary issues. Accessibility to different media platforms has and continues to make it easier for students to keep up with trending topics. Enlightened students possess the autonomy to make their own decisions without falling prey to external influences that often do not have the students’ best interests at heart. The college environment provides students with a platform to exercise some of their constitutional rights, for example, voting and engaging in peaceful protests to voice their grievances. During protests, students are able to make use of the different media platforms to present their views to a larger audience, and in turn garner the support they need to strong-arm those they label as detractors to their vision and mission. It is important to note that bias in the media sector is not a new phenomenon. Knowing when and how to bypass constraints put forth by biased media executives helps teach students in a college setting how to push back in a just, constitutional manner when engaging in protests external to the college environment. In my opinion, social media has and continues to transform the role of media in the college environment. I count myself lucky that I am part of a generation that wields such power in the form of a media platform that is free from bureaucratic legalities, which often dictate what information makes it to the public domain. Student activism has taken on a new form, as it is possible to disseminate information to multiple people simultaneously without being at the mercy of others. However, I am weary of the problems resulting from the indiscriminate, unregulated use of social media. Due to the vast amounts of information circulating social media sites, culprits are able to execute their malicious plans without fear of repercussions. For example, the recent use of social media by religious extremists continues to upset me, for I think these radicalized individuals are misusing a tool initially created to empower those with no power. Avenues of upward mobility/painful ways of struggle Throughout the text, the authors stress on the importance of students’ ability to let go of their personal predispositions, and in turn be willing to embrace new perspectives, as defined by agents such as media, behavioral changes (for example, “slowing down”) among others. Chapter 10 sums it up by addressing the issue of rising in station socioeconomically. Bell et al. (166) state that rising from one social class to another necessitates changes in an individual’s personality and worldviews. In addition, they insist that these changes are never easy, as it requires one to be willing to compromise or fully surrender their ingrained beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Change in general is hard to deal with; however, the ability to adjust to change attests to one’s resilience. In fact, it attests to one’s intelligence. By its very definition, intelligence generally refers to a person’s ability to adapt or cope with changes in their environment. Unfortunately, not many people have well adjusted coping mechanisms, a factor that impedes their ability to embrace change, even in situations when they stand to benefit from the change. Such people find it much easier to remain in their comfort zones rather than venture into the unknown. Openness to change is that stands to yield outcomes that are more desirable is the only one can hope to lead a successful life. As the authors mention, rising in station socioeconomically requires one to take on more risks, even when they stand to lose things that are the core of who they are. However, it is crucial to note that change should be for the better whereby adopting change should not result in a person not being able to live comfortably with they have become. When I reflect on my earlier days in campus, it was apparent that change was inevitable. I came from a very sheltered background where I was not exposed to things such as indiscriminate mixing of both sexes in closed quarters. On the very first day when dragging my suitcase along the co-ed corridors of the hall I was assigned, I ran into both male and female students in their towels heading to the same bathroom. For the longest time, I had to shower late into the night in order to get some privacy. This destabilized my sleeping pattern to the point where I struggled to concentrate in class. I had no choice but to embrace the change; however, much the action conflicted with the person I was. Conclusion Cutting across the text, is the authors’ goal to create readers that are autonomous in their thinking, capable of self-understanding and comfortable enough to live who they are. Autonomy in this case translates into the ability to establish independent thought, free from personal biases rooted in socialization and conditioning. The authors blame these processes for impeding students’ ability to acquaint themselves with new experiences specific to the college environment. Through sociological analyses, the authors are able to define, describe and explain the internal workings of large institutions with the context of a larger society. The practical nature of the analogies they use further makes it easier for readers to relate. Work Cited Bell, Inge, et al. This Book is Not Required: An Emotional and Intellectual Survival Manual for Students. 3. New York: SAGE Publishers, 1999. Read More