Reflection Paper On Social Change

I was tasked with interviewing the oldest person I know about the social changes they have witnessed in their lifetime to gain a better perspective about the ideas and theories presented in class. It is important to read books and watch videos about social changes, but, getting a first-hand account from someone who has seen, and lived through, changes over time is invaluable. It is imperative that we learn from those who are older and wiser than us. They have the experience to view changes and events from a historical perspective which creates the opportunity to for us, the younger generations, to take advantage of their successes and failures.
I spent the better part of a dreary January afternoon on the phone with my grandfather, Thomas

I first asked my grandfather how he would describe social change. He asserted, “social change is the way our government and society changes over time”. I agreed with that description but, wanted to give him my description for the context of the interview, from what I have learned this semester thus far. I described social change as “the inevitable, planned and inadvertent, alterations of significance over time in behavior patterns, cultural values, and norms”. I also emphasized that social change occurs on macro and micro levels. I attempted to provide a description that was accurate, brief, and straight forward to avoid confusion. I described the assignment and informed him that I wanted to know five positive and negative social changes he has witnessed in his lifetime. He would elaborate about what was occurring at different times as we discussed his life through the decades and identify the changes that he felt were negative and positive. I would ask questions, encouraging him to expand on a topic or

Hi, has shared anecdotes about the past with me for as long as I can remember. Reflecting, my views have evolved from our conversations. I value many of the changes he likes. For example, I have close friends of different races and sexualities and appreciate the social changes that have been made in their struggle. I agree with his stance on Marijuana and am an advocate for legalization. I also feel that corruption, the heroin epidemic, lack of respect and healthcare are issues of today however, I grew up with it and hi has seen the change over time. I enjoyed this experience and I know hi did as well. I never knew that my grandfather was an orphan or that his mother died of Tuberculosis. He never talked about his family so this was a great opportunity for me to learn about them. This project has really helped me put the things we have learned about social change into