The Importance of the Global Perspective

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The Importance of the Global Perspective

• Global Perspective the study of the larger world
  our societys place in it.
• 3 Reasons Why Global Thinking is Important To The
  Sociological Perspective
• 1st Societies all over the world are
  increasingly interconnected, making traditional
  distinctions between us and them less and
  less valid.
• Technology is key in this regard air travel,
  internet, and e-mail.
• The emergence of a global economy economic
  activity has leaped beyond political borders.

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• 2. A global perspective is important because
  many human problems that we face in the U.S. are
  far more serious elsewhere.
• The environment pollution and global warming
• Diseases AIDS, SARS, Bird Flu, TB

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• 3. Thinking globally is important because
  studying other societies is an excellent means to
  learn more about ourselves.
• The question is not whether we should study
  ourselves or people who live elsewhere. In a
  world increasingly linked with each passing year,
  we can understand our society only to the extent
  that we comprehend our nations place in the
  larger world.

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The Sociological Perspective in Everyday Life

• Sociological thinking often fosters social
  change. The more we learn about the operation of
  the system, the more we may wish to change it
  is some way. As women and men have confronted
  the power of gender, for example, many have
  actively tried to reduce the traditional
  differences that set men apart from women.
• In short, an introduction to sociology is an
  invitation to learn a new way of looking at
  familiar patterns of social life.

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITSOF THE SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE?

• 1. The sociological perspective challenges
  familiar understandings of ourselves and of
  others, so that we can critically assess the
  validity of commonly held assumptions. Thinking
  sociologically, in other words, we realize that
  certain ideas we have taken for granted are NOT
  entirely true. Question! Question! Question!

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• 2. The sociological perspective allows us to
  recognize both the opportunities and the
  constraints that characterize our lives.
• 3. The sociological perspective, therefore,
  empowers us to be active participants in our
  society. Without an awareness of how society
  operates, we are likely to accept the status quo.
  The greater our understanding of the operation
  of society, however, the more we can take an
  active role in shaping social life.

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• The discipline of sociology advocates NO one
  particular political orientation, and
  sociologists themselves weigh in at all points
  across the political spectrum. But evaluating
  any aspect of social life whatever ones
  eventual goal depends on the ability to
  identify social forces and to assess their
  consequences.
• 4. The sociological perspective helps us to
  recognize human diversity and to confront the
  challenges of living in a diverse world.