I chose this essay for my coursework sample because it was my first essay I wrote for SOC-150. This essay was a way for me to look at a world in a sociological perspective, which was a new way of thinking for me. It challenged me to go beyond my personal beliefs and experiences and analyze social issues using concepts and topics we discussed in class. Writing this paper helped me understand how social structures, cultural norms, and institutions shape people’s behaviors in a way we often don’t realize. Looking back on this paper, I can see how this essay helped me for future sociology classes. It taught me how to support my arguments with evidence, think from multiple viewpoints, and connect individual experiences to larger social patterns. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to apply the theories that we learned in class, but after writing this essay, I have a more clear and better understanding of what these theories are. I’ve begun to notice these theories in everyday life because sociology is all around us. These theories have made me understand “why” behind so many aspects of our world, from education and healthcare to gender roles or economic inequality. Using this post in my EPortfolio just reminds me of how much I’ve grown in sociology throughout the semester because when I started this semester I wasn’t sure what sociology really even was. I’ve now learned what sociology is and it’s not just something you learn in a classroom. Sociology is a way of thinking that you carry with you. It helps you to question, observe, and make sense of the world around you in a deeper way. I learned to challenge my assumptions in class through the theories we learned in class, and this reflection captures a moment of growth I made, so that’s why I chose it as my work sample.
