Student Reflections
One of my favourite ways to evaluate student learning is simple: I ask, “What have you learned in this course?” This question cuts through the artificial constraints imposed by traditional exams and essays. It gives students space to reflect and use their own voice while exploring their own creativity. The responses are consistently more insightful, authentic, and moving than standard evaluation formats. They’re also more rewarding to read than yet another formulaic answer to a generic test or essay prompt. I include some of the more potent ones below.
The Religion of Technology
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As a visiting student from the University of Waterloo, I came to SOCI 460 with a unique background that shaped my engagement with this course’s material. Having taken CS 492 (Social Implications of Computing) at Waterloo, which considers the impact of computing on individuals, organizations, and society and aims to equip the student to make informed judgements about the social and ethical consequences of the deployment of computing technologies”, I had been moderately familiarized with examining technology’s social effects. However, CS 492 approached these issues primarily through technical ethics and computer science frameworks, focusing on topics like algorithmic bias, privacy protection, and professional responsibility in software development.
Reflections on the Course (Soci 460)
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When I enrolled in SOCI 460, I thought I would be learning about algorithms, digital infrastructure, and maybe some history about computers or the internet, I didn’t expect this course to it so close to home. I had no idea I would end up thinking about the Catholic Church, the masculine foundations of science, spiritual longing, Facebook content moderators, or the invisible ands that curate and control my daily life. More than that, I didn’t expect to be sitting with guilt, grief, awe, and a renewed sense of responsibility.
Going Deeper
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I walked into this course thinking I was relatively informed and steadfast on my views of the “reality” of the world. I’m a mom in my 40s, raising three kids, running a business, showing up for clients, and going back to school to finish what I started years ago. I assumed sociology would offer some insight, but mostly just reinforce what I already understood: people are different, systems aren’t always fair, and we’ve all got a role to play. I didn’t expect to be peeling back layers of my own upbringing and questioning the rules I’ve been following most of my life.
What Have I Learned
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In reflecting on the ten units in this course, my biggest take away is that the nature of how human beings interact, both at an individual and organizational level, is incredibly complex. By actively participating in this course, completing the commentary, reading the text, writing the learning journals, I have gained an appreciation for the complexities involved in our social settings and interactions – how each and every one of us has different experiences and different socialization factors that have influenced and shaped our positions and outlooks. I find this incredibly interesting. It also humbles me a little bit; in nearing the end of an introductory level sociology course I recognize the depth and complexity of the subject.
A Conscious Awakening
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I initially believed that this course would only introduce me to the fundamentals of social institutions including family, religion, education, and race. However, after reflecting on the entire semester, I’ve concluded that this course not only imparts knowledge but also symbolizes a conscious awakening. From the standpoints of social structure and ideology, it forced me to reevaluate my life experiences and comprehend “who I am,” “why I have become who I am today,” and “how I should change.”
A Personal Journey
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Honestly, when I registered for this course, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I thought maybe I would just learn some facts about society, memorize some theories, maybe talk about why people do the things they do. I figured I’d learn some new material, hopefully get decent grades, and move on to the next thing. I never imagined that by the end of it, I’d be sitting here writing a reflection that feels a little like looking back on a personal journey. I didn’t expect it to change how I see almost everything around me. Looking back now, I realize this course has completely shifted my perspective. It made me see how connected everything is, from the jobs we work, to the things we buy, to the very ideas we have about success and fairness.
An Indigenous Voice
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A particularly liberating lesson from this course was the critical examination of the Western ideology of competition. I learned that the widely celebrated notions of competition are socially constructed narratives designed to benefit elite interests by pitting individuals against one another.
A Transformative Journey
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When I started this course, I expected it to be boring, laced with sociological theories, but what I encountered has been transformative. This course has fundamentally changed the way I think about society, institutions, and my role within them. Rather than seeing the world as a set of isolated problems, I now understand that most of the challenges we face like poverty, racism, gender inequality, environmental collapse are interconnected and systemic. Each unit in this course peeled back a layer of the world I thought I knew, revealing power structures and social mechanisms designed not to serve everyone equally but to sustain a privileged few. This course gave me critical tools to see through dominant narratives and to start questioning how things came to be and what alternatives might exist.
Profound Analytic Framework
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When I first enrolled in Introduction to Sociology, I anticipated learning about social groups and perhaps some statistical trends in society. What I discovered instead was a profound analytical framework that has fundamentally altered how I perceive the world around me. Sociology has equipped me with conceptual tools to examine social structures, understand human behavior beyond individual psychology, and recognize patterns of inequality that shape our collective experience. This essay reflects on the key concepts, theories, and perspectives I’ve gained throughout this course, demonstrating how sociology has transformed my understanding of society and my place within it. ** Sociological Imagination**
Caring is not enough
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Throughout SOCI288, I found myself not only studying ideology, power, and resistance, but slowly recognizing how deeply these forces have shaped my own life. As a woman from an Arab background, a community worker, and someone who values community, I have often felt a quiet but persistent tension between who I am and how dominant systems expect me to be as a parent for a child in school, at my work, etc.
A Sociological Mirror
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When I started SOCI287, I expected to pick up a few new perspectives on social issues. Maybe learn about inequality, culture, and institutions, the usual stuff. But what I didn’t expect was how much of the course would turn into a mirror, showing me things I hadn’t fully seen in my own life. I thought I would be learning about “society” but instead, I ended up learning about myself, where my beliefs came from, how my identity was shaped, and why certain things that used to feel personal were actually deeply political.
The Most Successful Social Movements are Started by the Rich
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When I began reading the coursework for this class on social movements, I thought that the emphasis of information would be on rights movements. The rights of marginalized people, the disabled, people of colour, Aboriginals of the world, and those living on the fringes of society like queers. It was most clever for SOCI 288 to begin with the history and impact of #METOO, a social movement focusing on the sexual misconduct of men toward women in many industries. This movement set the stage for outrage but also served as an example of how information can spread like wildfire through systems that can carry the message. Social movements are all about messaging. Putting your words in the hands of the public and showing them the truth of those words is what allows social movements to mobilize resources and create true change. What I expected of this course would be examples of the most successful social movements of all time and I was not wrong on this count. What I did not expect was that the most successful social movements in our living history were social movements created by massive multi-corporate alliances.
The Most Successful Social Movements are Started by the Rich
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Before I began SOCI 288: Introduction to Sociology II, I would have told you I understood the world quite well. After all, I was a carpenter who had lived through poverty, witnessed political theatre at its finest, survived inflation, burnout, and disillusionment. I subscribed to Catholicism—particularly Franciscan spirituality—which emphasizes service to the poor and marginalized. I considered myself a person who already saw the cracks in society. But this course did something different: it helped me name the cracks, trace their origins, and most importantly, recognize how those in power paint over them with ideological primer and call it a “prosperous democracy”.
Western Elitism
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Prior to taking this course, I realized I never paid attention to technology and science or their effects on my daily life. Still, I have to emphasize that I never truly realized the damaging effects of technology, or perhaps I never truly wanted to. Technology and its power to connect and innovate are magical yet poisonous, and I am surprised that I never looked at it that way prior to this class but, this is what learning is all about. I, just like billions of the other people on the planet, rely on my smartphone, my laptop and all the other beautiful things that technological advances have provided me with but, I have to admit that the use of these devices has rendered me blind and easy to take advantage of, something I believe, even after this course will never change. Technology and its power to control us using those beautiful glass screens is something that frightens me. Still, the fear, I believe, will quickly dissipate and disappear as brand new technology arrives and blinds me once more. I have learned quite a few things that I believe will stay with me in light of all this, acting as reminders every once a while because honesty still remains the best policy.
Theory and Praxis Happily Combined
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SOCI288 was the second sociology course I took, and before enrolling, I was not sure what to expect, as I had little prior knowledge of this field of study. Coming from a career in Mechanical Engineering and immigrating from Brazil (which brought a unique cultural perspective and challenges with the English language), I must admit I was initially concerned about my performance and the quality of my learning experience. Fortunately, as the course progressed, my concerns transformed into joy as I gained valuable knowledge and found ways to apply the content to various areas of my life.
The Power of Education
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I thoroughly enjoyed the SOCI 288 Introduction to Sociology II course. Initially, when I reviewed the course materials and the website, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of resources, readings, and course deliverables. It seemed like an insurmountable task to read through everything and internalize and retain the information. However, as I began to dive into the material, I found it deeply engaging, informative, and thought- provoking, which made the learning process much more enjoyable than I had anticipated.
The Indigenous Roots of Rock and Roll
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As I reflect back on the course material while I write this assignment, the words that stand out to me are: Social Movement; Propaganda; Ideology; Competition; Homework; Link Wray; Jim Keen; Slaughterhouses; Biodiversity; #MeToo; Cooperative Learning; Seed Monopolies; Demobilization; Corruption.
Sociology 287 and 288
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I have now taken Intro to Sociology 1 and 2 and I wanted to reach out to you just to let you know how much I enjoyed both classes. You have made the learning process very enjoyable for me. I appreciate your willingness to create courses that don’t conform to the typical structure. You challenge students to think critically and not to simply accept the social norms that too many people take comfort in. Thank you for opening our eyes. I also thoroughly enjoyed your book “Rocket Scientists Guide to Money and the Economy…” It was an excellent way to simplify our capitalist society. I may disagree a bit on the necessity for spirituality in changing the system but that could be my bias as a non spiritual person. It was still an exceptional book and I have already lent it out and recommended it to others.
Best Course Ever”
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This course is one of the best I have ever taken. As someone who has always questioned religion, society, and why people do the things they do, I found that I found some of the answers to my questions as I read course materials, worked on assignments, and read Dr. Mike’s informative and interesting commentaries. I really enjoyed critiquing New Ageism, and I learned a lot about how emergent religions are just a different avenue of the inherent search for meaning in life and answers to the big questions that people have.
A fascinating Course
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This has been a fascinating course for me. I think my husband has begun to dread my appearance at his office door, textbook in hand, as I launch into yet another rant about the appalling things done to society in the name of religion. The treatment of women has been something I have found particularly challenging. How is it that humanity has moved so far from the peaceful matriarchal societies and religions of ancient times? I was struck by the similarities between ancient Sparta and the Salem witch hunts and trials. I realized that the similarity might not be immediately apparent, but the textbook readings about ancient Sparta’s vile practices were, for me, an overwhelming example of evil and, particularly, evil that focused on the weak. Spartan women existed only for the sexual whims of Spartan men. Helot women could be raped at any time. Babies could be tossed from cliffs to end an inconvenient life. It was a religion of abuse that seems to have celebrated all that is cruel and barbaric in the worst of the human condition. Likewise, the Salem episode was cruel and barbaric. Yes, the accussers were women, but the accussed were mostly women, and the authorities that carried out the trials and the punishments were men. Men got to strip women naked and examine their bodies. Men got to prick them with pins. Men were duty bound to torture them into confession. Those men, it seems to me, stepped out of Sparta and into Salem. Same attitude, different outfits.