Critical Annotation Summary

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Assignment 1A: Critical annotation. Sarah Fung Swift et al. argue that social analysis leads to increased social awareness and social justice in the world. (Swift et al., 2004, p.3) By gaining knowledge to enable the development of social analysis a greater understanding of social structures and social literacy, increasing the involvement and participation of members of society. The study and development of social analysis is not stagnant, rather it pulls information from a variety of resources such as conversations, historical facts, and systems. Generally speaking, I do agree with what the authors are saying and the positions that they hold. The use of examples and clear explanations made this topic relatable. Swift et al. argue that …show more content…
express the importance of structures in society and how we are influenced by these social structures. The text defines these social structures as sets of invisible, ever-changing perimeters that shape and influence day-to-day activities, including social, political, and economic structures. Although these structures are invisible to the eye they do not go undetectable, while those analyzing these structures have to adapt their approaches so do the members of society. These changes can be normalized to the point where the adaptations in behaviour become subconscious actions, for example the way I would approach a conversation with a profession would be very different than the way I would carry out a conversation with a friend. As said in the second week of discussions I change my behaviour in accordance to what I believe is socially acceptable and to my status in relation to my surroundings and those around me. I see this as an example of how C. Wright Mills sociological imagination has helped me to realize how the unwritten rules of social structure influence me day to day. As discussed in the fourth week of group discussions, my group members and I all collaborated to provide explain C. Wright Mills sociological imagination. Collaboratively we concluded that sociological imagination is the ability to understand how society operates in both a macro and micro setting, this includes an understanding of problems and how they relate to our personal, public, and political lives. We also discussed the three components of sociological imagination including: an understanding of social structure, an understanding of history, and an understanding of individual biographies. (Alexa, Domunique, and Julia, Week 4