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.
One unexpected thing I learned in this course was how to be more emotionally aware. I didn’t come in expecting that, but some of the topics I explored were really personal and thought provoking. They made me look at my own experiences and the way I interact with the world. Some of the readings hit close to home, and they made me realize how much emotion is tied up in the things we talk about, whether it’s identity, justice, or relationships. I started to see the value in listening, like really listening, to other people’s stories and trying to connect with them on a human level. That’s not something I expected to learn in a course.
This course also helped me become a better writer too. At first, I’ll be honest, I kind of dreaded the journal assignments. I thought, Ugh, another thing to write and hope I don’t sound redundant. But over time, they became something I actually looked forward to. They gave me space to process what I was learning and reflect on how it connected to my own life. I started to notice patterns in my thoughts and behaviors. I also noticed how my opinions were changing as the course went on. I can see real growth, not just in my writing, but in how I think and feel about things. I explored writing in di�erent formats, essays, reflections, and I learned how to express myself more clearly and confidently. I used to struggle with organizing my thoughts or knowing how to back up my opinions. But with all the practice and the feedback I got, I started to feel more comfortable with it. I don’t panic anymore when I see a writing assignment. I’ve learned how to structure my ideas, edit my work, and say what I actually mean.
One of the biggest things I took away is that society is not just a backdrop, it’s actively shaping our lives every day, even when we don’t realize it. Through the units on culture and socialization, it clicked for me that our personal choices aren’t just ours alone. They’re influenced by everything around us, our families, our schools, media, religion, and even our friends. It kind of blew my mind to realize that things I always thought were natural, like gender roles or ideas about money, are actually social constructions.
Throughout the course, I also found myself thinking di�erently about power. Who has it, how it’s used, and how it’s resisted. Power isn’t just held by governments or police, it’s everywhere, operating in families, workplaces, media, and language itself. One quote from Elements of Sociology that stuck with me is that “Power is not just repressive, it is productive.” This means that power shapes what’s possible in our lives, not just by limiting us, but by creating certain realities. For example, we see how beauty standards are promoted through media and how that shapes people, especially women, to experience their bodies. Realizing this made me think more critically about messages I encounter every day.
Reading Elements of Sociology really helped me understand social norms. The examples made it clear how much social norms dictate behavior, even when we think we’re being totally unique. It made me way more aware of the invisible rules we all live by, and how powerful institutions are in shaping our thoughts and actions. Honestly, it made me more forgiving towards myself and others. We’re all products of something bigger than us. Another big takeaway for me was about social inequality. Before this course, I knew there were rich and poor people, and obviously I knew discrimination existed, but I didn’t fully understand how deep the structures run. Learning about social stratification, systemic racism, gender inequality, and economic systems helped me see that it’s not just about individuals working harder or being smarter but it’s about systems that are set up to advantage some and disadvantage others. Concepts like cultural capital and intersectionality really stood out to me because they showed how layered and complicated privilege can be. It’s not just about race, class, or gender separately, it’s about how they stack on top of each other.
Finally, this course taught me that nothing about society is inevitable. Gender roles, economic systems, even the structure of families, they aren’t written in stone. They’ve changed before, and they will keep changing again. That realization was one of the most powerful for me. It made me feel a lot less powerless, and a lot more responsible. If society is made by people, then people like me can remake it in ways that are fairer and more just.
So, what have I learned in this course? A lot. About thinking, writing, listening, questioning, feeling, and growing. Of course, I still have a lot to learn. I’m not suddenly a perfect thinker or communicator. I still get stuck sometimes, and I know I still carry biases and make mistakes. If I had to sum it up, I would say that this course taught me that sociology isn’t just about memorizing theories or learning facts about society, it’s about learning a new way of seeing the world. A way that’s more critical, more compassionate, and more active. I’m walking away from this course feeling like my eyes have been opened to how things
work and more importantly, how they could work di�erently if we had the courage to change them.