Sociology in Stories: A Creative Introduction to a Fascinating Perspective: a Customized Version for The Community College of Baltimore County

If you have ever attended a wedding, sporting event, graduation, birthday party etc., you have undoubtedly seen a professional photographer taking multiple pictures while quickly changing the lens on their camera from shot to shot. Some lenses permit a wide angle in which the photographer is able to capture an expansive view to include a large area in the photo. The wide angle is important as it shows the whole picture. This view frames the background for viewers to understand the where, how, and when of the photo.

Other lenses give the photographer the ability to zoom in and focus on the finer details of the people and objects captured in the picture. This view captures the feelings of people present in the photo. It is through this up close and personal lens that we are able to immerse ourselves into the photo and feel as if we were there in the moment with the people in the picture.

Sociology in Stories: A Creative Introduction to a Fascinating Perspective uses multiple lenses to frame the sociological stories of the authors in this writing. Some of the stories in this book are written from the “wide angle” perspective the broad view of social structure that reflects patterned arrangements that guide social behavior is taken. Other stories “zoom in” and take a more personal perspective that represents the agency people use within their lives to express their independence from social structure.

Every day students share stories as they reflect on their experiences in their family, school, neighborhood, and specific aspects of their culture. It is always amazing when another student says, “I never thought about it that way.” This is where real learning takes place as we expand our view of something that we have always known to be true. We come to understand that our experiences, though real and important, may not be the story of the person sitting next to us in class. It is through sharing stories that students realize that they have more in common than they may have originally thought at first sight. The use of stories allows us to build bridges that connect us as humans instead of walls that divide us as “the other.” We invite you to share your stories in class as we examine the sociological perspective.