Use your sociological imagination to think of ways that your individual choices and actions will be influenced by ongoing developments in the Muslim world.

Your social world is continually changing. What are some examples of new technologies that have been developed during your lifetime? How have they changed the way you interact with and relate to others?

How do shopping malls reflect increasing globalization? Do you think shopping malls lead to a sameness of culture around the world, or do they allow local areas to retain their differences?

What items are you most likely to buy using the Internet? How do social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) influence what you consume?

Beginning in 2010, WikiLeaks released thousands of confidential documents obtained from government, military, and corporate sources. What social structures have impeded the flow of this kind of information in the past? How have the Internet and social networking sites made it easier to get around these structural barriers?

According to C. Wright Mills, how are private troubles different from public issues? How can we use the micro/macro distinction to show how private troubles are related to public issues?

What is the difference between structure and agency? Within your classroom, could you be a “dangerous giant”? In what ways does your school prevent you from becoming a dangerous giant?

What do sociologists mean by the social construction of reality? How can you apply this perspective to better understand trends in the music industry?

How is The McDonaldization of Society an example of public sociology? Can you think of ways in which we can use “pure science” to better understand the process of McDonaldization? What do you believe should be the goal of research?

How is sociology’s approach to globalization different from those of other social sciences? What are the advantages of using a sociological approach to understanding globalization?