In “The Promise,” C. Wright Mills described one’s sociological imagination as being the ability to examine “the intersection between biography and history.” Select a famous figure from contemporary society (actor, musician, athlete, author, politician, etc.) and, using your own sociological imagination, imagine how different his or her life would have been if he or she were living 50 or 100 years earlier. Describe what those differences might be, paying particular attention to societal expectations (e.g., would a female primarily do domestic work in the home, or would she work in an office?) and characteristics that might be relevant (e.g., race, gender, class, occupation, marital status, etc.).
