The best way to learn, as is well known, is by reflecting and regurgitating on any new information that have been learnt or acquired. This strategy helps the learner to gain a deeper insight into the concepts that have been newly learnt, and also improves the individual’s ability to apply these concepts. This essay looks at my reflection over the concepts learnt in this module. These are as discussed in the essay below.
It is well known that man is a social creature. Therefore, it means that there must be social studies aimed at understanding this social nature. This is why the branch of sociology studies came up. After going through the module, there are some issues that have come to me in a greater dimension. One of these issues is the demographic trends in the modern world. Before taking on this module, I was for the idea that the demographics of the society were not as important when it came to the social trends. Nevertheless, I came to understand that it could, in fact, be one of the greatest determinants of the trends. As Shackman et al (2002) observe, different countries adapt technologies in different ways, based on the gender, age and educational demographics in the region. I also came to appreciate that there is a difference between the social structure and the social mobility.
According to Matras (1967), the social structure is the organization of the different social groups in a society. These can be divided along their tribal loyalties, educational level or simply the level of wealth that individuals have. The social structure puts the different members of the society in different classes. Social mobility, on the other hand, is the possibility of an individual to move from one social class to another. This is at times quite hard, since those low on the ladder have few resources to propel them to the level of the seniors. It is this concept that has crept to the entire world, where the countries are divided into different social classes. There are different classes such as the lower class, the upper class and the middle class. All these are determined by the lifestyles observed by the individuals. As such, it can be seen that demographics play a major role in the cycle.
Whenever issues to do with sociology have to be discussed, the aspect of social institutions comes up quote strongly. As a matter of fact, ociology cannot exist if there are no social institutions. Eitzen and Baca- Zinn (2001) have given an analysis of this issue. They argue that there are different social institutions that shape and mould an individual to be a respectable member of the society. These institutions include but are not limited to the manner of bringing up or parenting that the individual had, peer and social groups, modern technology, schools, hospitals among others. On going through the model, I came to learn that these concepts were important since they help in shaping the society as well as its members.
The work I did during the class work was satisfactory for me. However, the load could have been so hard to bear at some point. Nevertheless, I can say that I was satisfied with my work and that I did the best that I could. It is said that there is always room for improvement. If I am to follow this analogy, then I have to admit that I could have done much better. In my opinion, the work was well done and I did the best I could at the time. Again, my skills were honed even more and I now understand my career in a very different way.
The module dealing with the philosophies in economic institutions was the hardest for me. Maybe this came about simply because I am not good with numbers and I actually do not fully understand them. As such, when I went for this module, I had a preconceived mind about it, and that I could not understand. Again, I am not very good with philosophical terms. I do not fully understand why this happens but I realize that I actually dread reading philosophical literature. If I were to give a suggestion, I would seek to establish a help center for the learners so that they can have more access to the facilities they need as well as the proper training.
I have a feeling that what I have learnt will actually affect my future interactions with others. In my career, I expect to be working with people at a close range. This means that I have to have the interpersonal skills so that I can easily relate with everyone else. Also, by understanding the differences in the different people, I can easily relate with most of them. in so doing, I will have practiced what I have learnt.
Looking at the above expectations, I can say that the module helped to understand quite a lot about sociology. As a matter of fact, I could put it that I have fully satisfied the above concepts. In as much as it might appear as little or as nothing in the eyes of those well versed in the field, I can still ascertain that with time, these differences are resolved. In conclusion, I can say that the modules were very relevant and they were quite precise.
Works Cited
Eitzen, S. & Baca-Zinn, M. (2001). Social Institutions. Retrieved on 13th July 2012 from http://www.angelfire.com/or3/tss/socinst.html
Shackman et al. (2002). Brief Review of World Socio-Demographic Trends. Retrieved on 13th July 2012 from http://gsociology.icaap.org/report/socsum.html
