Sociology is all around us, and by looking closely at it you are able to see how it has a deeper impact and shapes our lives. Society today has become fast paced and very reliant on technology, which has resulted in people’s lives changing and how we live them. I am greatly interested in whether or not our lives our becoming too modernised and if technology continues to expand in the way that it has been will there be a need for human skill and labour, as even the agricultural industry has become modernised with a whole farm being run by machines.
There is an increased demand today for certain aspects in people’s lives to be fast, this could include a person’s internet connection to the time it takes for person’s food to be made. I feel that George Ritzer’s McDonaldization theory is a great representation for today’s modern society as everything in it has become greatly uniformed, for example whenever you go to a shopping centre you expect to see the same popular stores and eating places, such as New Look and McDonalds.
I find this predictability in our lives interesting because from it arises the questions, are we all unconsciously becoming what somebody else wants us to be? Are our consumer habits contributing to the issue of the rich staying rich whilst the poor stay poor? I would like to gain a more in depth knowledge about global and cultural sociology, and I believe studying sociology at university will help me to do this. The subjects that I am currently studying have helped me to look into society and gain a deeper understanding of the events that have moulded it to what it is today.
History has allowed me to gain further knowledge of past events that have clearly impacted society, for example the welfare system came out of the Second World War and it is still widely used and relied upon today whilst also causing great controversy. Writing essays is a main part of history and from that I have been able to gain the skill of writing from two points of view. Being able to select relative pieces of evidence is a skill that I have acquired from English Literature.
Whilst studying novels from different time periods and different genres I find that my interest in sociology has flourished. While reading ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy, I began to question what society would really be like without authoritative figures around and whether or not people’s morality would change. In philosophy and ethics I have gained the skill of being able to criticise an argument as well as being able to find the strengths in it.
On this course I have obtained the nowledge of where people think that morality comes from and whether or not it is innate in us. Not only have these subjects helped me to expand upon my essay writing skills, they have also allowed me to look closely at sociology from the past, present and what it could be like in the future. During my spare time I take part in a zumba class which allows me to interact with other members of my community, I am looking forward to joining a number of clubs when I go to university so that I am able to socialise whilst also stay fit.
From being a part of the bronze Duke of Edinburgh award I have gained the important skills of being able to work together in a team and lead a team. At school I volunteer as a prefect and a tutor buddy. My responsibilities in these roles include helping out at school open evenings answering any questions that parents may have, visiting a year seven tutor group once a week and walking around at break and lunch helping to resolve any problems that arise between pupils of younger years on the playground.
These roles have allowed me to work well with people of all age ranges and allowed me to expand upon my communication skills. I believe that these skills will help me in doing a sociology degree because when giving presentations I would be able to work well alone and with others, I believe these will help me at university because meeting new people and experiencing new things is a big part of university life.
