Abandon Ship!

In class this week, we had a very exciting schedule. Earlier in the week, we did an activity called, Abandon Ship, which helped us see the different ways sociologists study in small groups and larger groups. The smaller scale is called the micro level. On this level, the sociologists study the ways people act within a small group and how people act in face-to-face situations. The larger scale is called the macro level and on this level, sociologists study and look at the larger groups that influence an individual. While doing our Abandon Ship activity, it was easy to see how our macro and micro levels come into play. When deciding who to kick off the boat, it was obvious there were some people who knew that they were one of the people who weren't healthy. They either sat in the back and tried to go unnoticed, or when their name came up, they immediately tried to shift the topic of conversation to someone else. The people who knew that they were safe, like myself, began to talk and help out without worry of being noticed and kicked out. I was the Peace Corps Volunteer and someone had said, "We need to keep the Peace Corps Volunteer, because they are always nice people." After I heard that, I felt like it was easier for me to be more vocal, knowing I wasn't going to be kicked off. I tried to become more of a leader, while others decided to sit back and try not to be seen. It is the way our group interacted with each other which was the micro level of sociology seen in this activity. Later in the week, we got to experience Odyssey, which also showed the different levels of sociology. When I got to go and see the Faculty Rock Band, I noticed that all of the students were sitting in their seats, not really enjoying the performance. No matter how many times the band members said that we should stand up and dance, no one would do it. Us, as the group labeled Teenagers, decided that it wasn't the "cool" thing to do. The macro level of sociology showed because it is all of the other teenager's opinions, and ways that we have decided what is cool and what is not, that kept us in our seats the entire show. This whole week, it has been easy to see the macro and micro levels that sociologists study and how the large groups we are apart of, as well as the small groups we are apart of, affect us.