Week 1 SIE

There have been many instances when I encountered cognitive dissonance, two of which were over the Big Bang Theory and abortion. I had similar experiences with both of these topics in overcoming them.

Growing up in a Christian household, I have always struggled with the concept of evolution in school. I was raised with the belief that the world was created by God. That clashed with the theory that the universe was created by a singularity, called “the Big Bang.” There is a multitude of people in the world that share my viewpoint but some refuse to consider learning of a different reasoning.

Then there are people on the opposite end that will not believe anything less than the scientific explanation. They require actual physical evidence to believe in an idea. This is a big issue in the academia. Many people will agree that the church and state are separate and in turn, this should be reflected in the educational system. I had to learn to accept the theory while holding true to my beliefs. Understanding and learning this theory stemmed from the concept, stated by Raskoff (Raskoff 2009),of cognitive dissonance in the educational process. In order to further my academic studies, I had to learn to process and think critically of subjects that I would normally reject.

Through our learning, we have to open our mind to foreign topics so that we can understand them. It took a while for me to consider that the Big Bang theory was the scientific reasoning of how the universe came to be. I eventually learned to assent to ideas that could clash with mine. Now, I can differentiate between what I learn in school to my own opinions.

Another concept that sheds light on cognitive dissonance is my standpoint on the topic of abortion. I am against the notion of terminating a pregnancy, regardless of the circumstances. I understand that there are some unfortunate situations to where abortion seems like the correct course of action, but abortion contradicts my ethics. There are people in society that believe that we are entitled to our own choice and have the freedom to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. I can understand their perspective on the issue but I had trouble discussing whether or not it is ethical. An argument was the most likely ending to any conversation I would have about abortion. In order to understand the sociological view on the subject, I had to dismiss my personal bias.

Much like my situation with considering evolution, I had to learn to open my mind to what abortion is beyond the description of terminating a pregnancy. I had to put aside my personal beliefs and look at different standpoints in the subject. Because of this, I was able to understand the sociological structure of abortion as Newman (Newman 2016) stated in our text. I was able to see a connection between an individual’s decision and how it affects society as a whole.

Week 1 Individual Assessment

0 points / 1 point / 2 points
Two sources (text + 1
supplemental material) / No sources used / Two sources used, but not properly cited. It is not clear, or not specific, or, incorrectly attributed which source the author is referring to. / Two sources used specifically, correctly, and properly cited.
Two concepts/theories. / Less than two distinct concepts or theories used. / Two concepts/theories/public issues used, but not explained in student’s own words. / Both concepts/theories/public issues are explained in student’s own words.
Links to course material / Does not link to course material. No concept/theory/public issue. / Answer links course material, but only vaguely (without a specific concept/theory/public issue). / Answer links to course material specifically (Specific concept/theory/public issue utilized in the answer of the prompt).
Includes personal experience / Does not include any specific personal experience. / Answer includes personal experience, but with only enough detail that a vague link can be made between it and a theory/concept/social issue. (i.e. not specific enough to make a specific and direct link to a concept/theory/public issue). / Answer includes specific personal experience, and enough details that the author can and does specifically link it to a theory/concept/public issue.
Sociological Imagination. Makes the connection between a personal trouble and a public issue. / No evidence of sociological imagination.
No connection made between a personal trouble and a sociological concept/theory/public issue. / Unclear framing of personal experience within a specific larger sociological concept/theory/public issue. (i.e. states as much, but does not answer how or why). / Clearly frames personal experience within the context of a specific sociological concept/theory/public issue. Answers how or why it is such.
Length / Less than 400 or more than 800 words. / Less than 450 or more than 750 words. / Between 500-700 words.

1.) Something you did well (all sources, made a great connection between a personal trouble and a public issue, well written).

I believe I did well in connecting my personal troubles with popular public issues,

2.) Something else that you had not considered in your initial submission (another concept/theory or another personal event that ties in with this week’s topic).

Reviewing my submission,

I believe I covered everything. 

3.) Do you find any evidence of cognitive dissonance in your submission? If so, where and explain? How will you combat this in your “real” life?

In my submission, I did not find any evidence of cognitive dissonance.

4.) Something you could improve upon for your next Sociological Imagination Exercise.

I could improve on the length of my submission. I barely reached the optimum requirement.