Portfolio assignment:
Your sociological imagination
, First impression
I personally think sociology studies society and human interaction. So, I think we are going to
focus on a person’s behavior and traits this could be as an individual and when that person is
in a group. I’m writing this after the first class and I really liked it. Sociology helps you
understand not only the behavior of others but also your own. I think it is very useful to
study sociology because I study law and in the future I will get in touch with many different
kinds of people. I might not understand the way of somebody’s thinking, but sociology can
help me understand that person more. I expect to learn a lot and to have many insightful
discussions,
Case one1 (private trouble vs public issue)
An Irish 17-year-old got raped by a 27-year-old in a park, she could not fight him off because
of a back condition. The girl took the boy to court. The girl was then questioned about her
choice of underwear that day. In court, the girl was forced to hold up the G-string she was
wearing that night. The reasoning behind this was that her choice of underwear could be the
cause of the rape. The girl was fully clothed so the G-string in question was not seen. After
this court hearing the girl took her own life with an overdose of antidepressants. After
hearing about this case there have been many protests by Irish women. The woman walked
with banners and with many different types of underwear in their hands. Their main focus is
that the underwear is not a way of consent.
There is a private trouble. The girl wore provocative underwear, and this ‘caused' the rape.
Wearing the provocative underwear was the girls own individual shortcoming, It is a
shortcoming in her attitude. The guy would not have raped her if she wore something else,
but she didn't and that's the reason why you can't blame him. The court made the girls
underwear a piece of piece evidence for a reason, to see if that was the cause of the rape.
Private trouble is something that only reaches one person individually and it is caused by
their own doing. This can be resolved by changing the individual.
There is also a public issue. After this case got public there was a lot of backlash. Women
that got raped let their own story's out. Women that were not wearing a G-string when they
got raped let their voice know. There were public protest marches with the motto
#thisisnotconsent. By this protest we could see that clothing was not the cause of this issue.
There were many women that were raped without wearing anything ‘provocative’, there
was no correlation with a private trouble. A public issue is something that affects more
people and it is caused by social factors. The fact that rape is part of a big shame culture and
knowing that you can get away with rape by blaming the person you raped is one of those
social factors.
1
BBC News. (2019, January 11). US vote to remove Muslim Republican fails. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46841814
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Rechtenhsleiden. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.96. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.