[1.1] Importance of Studying Contemporary Issues

• From the word contemporarius, con means "together with".
• From the word contemporarius, tempus or tempor means "time".
• The word exitus, the past participle of exire, means "go out".
• Combined together, contemporary issues refer to the problems that the present generation faces today.
• dimensions of social imagination

  • personal
  • social
• perspectives of studying contemporary issues

  • functionalist
  • conflict
  • interactionist
• functionalist


  Looks at society as a complex whole in which each part contributes to promoting solidarity and stability.
• conflict


  Argues that social problems occur when the dominant ones mistreat the subordinates in an asymmetrical relationship, hence the call for balance of power.
• interactionist


  Believes that the meaning is produced through human interactions, hence scholars of interactionism pay attention to how individuals act within a society.
• importance of studying contemporary issues

  • eye-opener
  • being part of the global village
  • cultural relativism
• eye-opener


  Widens one’s perspective and understanding of various matters concerning society.
• being part of the global village


  According to Marshall McLuhan, the global village is a phenomenon in which culture shrinks while expanding at the same time due to technological advancements.
• cultural relativism


  Developing and showing appreciation toward differences.