Example of
A Few Student Journals:
Some students have requested an actual example of a journal entry for my classes.
I want you to think freely about things related to the course. You need to start putting academic
experiences into your regular thoughts. It is great to just write about what you read or learned, but
best to integrate what you learn into your own life.
If group work is involved, you may talk about what your are doing with the group. This is private,
so you can gripe a bit. But keep it cool.
JOURNAL ENTRY SOC 1 Name Withheld
July 14th
In Class on Monday we spoke of Intersectionality; forms of intersecting systems of oppression and
discrimination. Things such as Age, disability, race, gender, and class are all examples of reasons to
justify mistreatment of people with different backgrounds and even gender stratification. The focus
of the day was based on the inequalities of gender.An examples that was given to us were the glass
ceiling which represents how women are able to make it so far until they reach the invisible ceiling
or barrier to which they can overturn the male in charge. Where no matter the qualifications and
achievements still cannot move them past the ranks above other men in charge. Although it is not
exclusive to women, most of the time it is used as an explanation for lack of women in positions of
power, well as minority groups. We saw how the notion of gender roles are promoted by labeling
colors to genders as well as toys i.e. the Barbie dolls. We began to see a documentary called Miss
Representation . It focused mainly on what we talked about with gender inequality and how females
are depicted in the mass media and through politics and really all across mainstream medias in the
U.S. Views y women and men who see that females are objectified if they attempt to rise into
positions of power. Leadership positions depict females aas emotional and unstable for decision
making.
July 15th
We finished watching the rest of the documentary Miss Representation. We learned more of how the
mass media of the U.S. would make it seem as though it was wrong for women to seek power or to
better themselves. Since there was no regulation on television during the 1980's, the majr networks
got away with many sexist programming that would depict females as a damsel in distress and
helpless. There was an image being created that women's place to dream to be was with a nice home
and husband to maintain them in their lifestyle of being the perfect mother and wife to a husband
that keeps her living with the finest appliances. Having no regulation on the media allows stories
that would not have been front line stories to be the main headlining story for the news report.
Celebrity nonsense appears to be the story to cover leaving no actual journalistic work being done
just to pander to gossip news and cheap reporting. This allows the media to portray men to be better
than women and to treat them less equally. We then began to focus our attention on schooling. The
question was asked of why do we attend school. I said it was because people genuinely want to
learn. Social promotion is being passed in school simply because of starting schooling at a certain
age so they are passed anyways. Merit promotion is that you are only allowed to pass into the next
grade based on what you learned and accomplished. We were taught to believe that through the
system of higher education we will earn a certain amount of income regardless of lack there of jobs.
However the country's standards have gotten to where even having a bachelor's degree doesn't
guarantee any job security anymore.
EXAMPLE FROM A SOCIAL PROBLEMS CLASS:
(These are a bit short. Should be more like 150 words.)
2/21
Heard about major oil chemical spill on radio. Looked it up on web. Found several articles. See link
or look at saved PDF. Note that this article relates to both environment and poverty so I am sharing
it with the poverty group.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/22/3176161/west-virginia-poverty-pollution/
The class assignment was useful in that sociology is a "perspective" as much as a science. Reading
Mills helped as well as reading the Alessio chapter.
2/25
Found some great pictures and put them on a Drive powerpoint for the group assignment. We might
want to use them in the final presentation. My subtopic for Environment is pollution, but there are so
many examples I am not sure which to include and which to leave out.
2/30
Just looking up stuff on Monsanto I found a wild article from Vanity Fair about a guy who
Monsanto harassed over soy bean seeds. Monsanto seeds blew into his fields and now the company
want's to make him pay for them.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805
etc. etc. etc.
