Relevant Courses to issues of Inequality:
SOCL 333 – Race & Racism in United States: Race and Racism in United States is a course that focuses on issues of racism through history and the present in the United States. Key concepts that I took away from this course is what race is, racist views that are still present today, and how and who racism affects.
SOCL 241 – Marriage and the Family: Marriage and the family is a course that focused on the history of American families and issues within the family. Some key concepts that I took away from this course are the ideas of marriage, cohabitation, families that consist of divorced parents, how socioeconomic status affects the family, etc.
SOCL 325 – Gender and Society: This course examines the social construction of gender. Some key takeaways from this course are issues of gender inequality, intersex individuals, how gender is defined, gender identity, etc.
CRIM 323 – Gender and Crime: Gender and Crime is a course that focuses on how gender correlates to crime. Key concepts that were examined in this course consist of which sex is more likely to commit a crime, gendered statistics, crime rates, etc.
SOCL 331 – Aging and the Life Course: Aging and the Life Course focused primarily on issues of aging in society and in the family. Some key aspects that I have taken away are social gerontology, social security, demographic changes as people age, etc.
Through my time here at Longwood University, I have taken many classes that focus on social institutions. Classes that focus on these social institutions consist of marriage and the family, race and racism, gender and society, gender and crime, aging in the life course, etc. Before taking classes that focus on these social institutions, I didn’t think much about any of them because they were not in my everyday life. While these ideas may not be present physically in my everyday life, I am taught about the which makes me aware that problems around these institutions exist.
The first paper I have included is Sexual Violence Against Women. This paper would be in the category of gender when it comes to inequality institutions. Before taking classes in regard to gendered inequalities, in this case inequalities regarding violence, I always knew that girls and women had to be more aware of their surroundings and cautious because that is what I was taught growing up. I always knew that for some reason I always needed to use the buddy system or have pepper spray for my protection but I didn’t understand until I got a bit older and could understand what the news was saying happen to these little girls or even women. This course gave me insight on what violence is inflicted on women by male perpetrators. We were taught more in depth in class about statistics but I wanted to further my research on what violence takes place and how often. My knowledge about women violence has broadened and I am more aware of issues and measures that have to take place in ensure safety.
The second paper I have included is LGB In the Workplace. The paper would be in the category of sexuality when it comes to inequality. Growing up, I was taught to accept anyone for who they are, I was not taught to have stigma towards certain groups based on their skin color, sexuality, disability, etc. If someone were lesbian, gay, or bisexual, I didn’t think about it twice. Since I did not put much thought into it, the thought of their inequalities never crossed my mind either. I was not aware of the inequalities that LGB people face in their everyday lives. Since taking this course, Gender and Society, I have become aware of the struggles that people have to face, if they are not straight, in society, in the workplace, etc. I furthered my research when I began to write a paper and found that LGB individuals face more discrimination, especially in the workplace, than I had even imagined. I personally am not of the LGB community, nor is anyone that I am close with so I never had to think about the struggles that exist. I am now more aware of the discrimination and inequalities that members of the LGB community face on a day-to-day basis
The third paper that I have chosen to include is Mass Incarceration, The Racial Makeup of Prisons, & Consequences. As stated previously, I was not taught growing up to have any prejudices against anyone therefore I was not aware of the large issue regarding race in the United States. Growing up in school, you are taught about slaves and the Civil Rights Movement and you are taught to think that society and races are equal today. While there may be laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, that does not mean that it does not happen. In this course, Race, Crime, and Criminal Justice, I was taught about the underlying racial prejudices that are embedded into our law and law enforcement agencies, I was taught about the laws that were created to target minority groups without flat out saying that. I learned that African Americans make up 13% of the United States population but yet they represent almost 40% of our prisons. The War on Drugs was implemented to fight back against drug users, every race was using drugs, but targeted Blacks. Since this movement, Blacks have dominated our prison populations due to racial targeting. The inequalities regarding race have never left.
My classes at Longwood University, in the Sociology department, have focused on the systemic issues that exist within society and have allowed me to gain more lenses to look at these issues through. Since taking classes that deal with issues of sexuality, race, gender, etc., I am much more aware of the prejudices that exists and the discrimination that is present. I went from knowing very little before college to becoming very educated on the issues that still may not be affecting me personally, but they are affecting the society that I live in and the people whom I love.
I came into my college career being completely unaware of what I wanted to study, let alone pursue a career in. I was interested in the criminal justice field but not aware of exactly I wanted to do within. Since focusing on systemic issues that exist within society, I have become very interested in the issues of race that exist within society today. The classes that I have taken in my time here at Longwood have guided me into a career that I had not thought about before. Not only have these classes helped me narrow down my career options, I will also be more aware of the issues that exist, especially within the work place. I am now able to identify when someone is not right and am able to call out discrimination, now that I know what it is.