Format and Requirements for paper: Minimum 650-700 words (2 - 2 ½ pages, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font. Make a separate title page with Title, course, date, your name (APA format).

Begin each section of your paper with the following headings (in bold) or points will be deducted:

What Does Mills Mean by the Sociological Imagination? (Summarize your reading when answering this question. Use citations. (½ pg).

What were Several social forces that author Minxing Zheng identified in his paper ? ("Measures of personal success and failure: a self-assessment, applying the sociological imagination.")

Select at least 3 social forces from this list, that you have had little or no control over that you would like to discuss, regarding: How these forces have shaped you- your values, beliefs, behaviors?( you are using your sociological imagination!). Do not spend time arguing that you are totally free. We do not grow up in a vacuum. Use your sociological imagination for this assignment!

Be sure to use the 3 that you select as headings in the body of your paper:

• The Social class that you were born in- how did it affect the neighborhood you lived in, school you went to, activities you may or may not have participated in, who you dated/friends with, clothes that you wore, food that you ate, etc.
• Your Race/ethnicity - How did your race/ethnicity affect you (how others treated you? How would your life be different if you were of a different race/ethnicity?
• Your Gender - How did your gender shape you and how would your life be different if you were born the other sex?
• The Economy - affects if you'll work, what kind of work, where you might live, etc.
• Politics -examples: taxes; unemployment insurance; social security; who you can marry; college loan monies that are available; immigration issues; laws, etc.
• School Experiences -Peer group influences? Bullied by peers? How teachers and coaches may have shaped your values, beliefs, behaviors?
• Family Experiences - Birth order? Siblings influence? Grandparents/Parents influences? Divorce?
• Region of the country that you grew up in? (ie: the South, rural, urban, different country?).
• Religion that you may have grown up with? Did this experience shape your values, beliefs, behaviors? Decisions that you make?
• Military Experiences - how did this experience shape your values, beliefs, behavior?
• American Culture/ a subculture you may have been raised in (Italian, Japanese, Mexican, etc.)- how culture has shaped our values, beliefs, norms, traditions, holidays, etc.

Include a Conclusion regarding the role that society has played in shaping your life.