My Sociology 10 Experience

During my freshman year, my friends told me to take Sociology 10 under Professor Lanuza. I was thrilled with their stories and so I enlisted the subject during the second semester of my freshman year. I was quite hopeless after seeing that a lot of students aspire to be included in his class. The demand for Sociology 10 under Professor Lanuza shoot up to 1000+ students. 

Semester after semester, I tried enlisting the subject. Unfortunately, I was never chosen by our CRS. Because I am already on my third year in UP, I am almost done taking my RGEP courses. Before the start of the semester, I needed two SSP subjects and one MST subject for the complete fulfillment of the required RGEP units. Since it was impossible for me to get an MST this time of the year, I decided to take my remaining two SSP subjects instead. I decided to take Kas 1 or Philo 11 and Sociology 10 under any professor.

I got lucky I was enlisted in Kas 1 during the first batch run. Again, I was not able to get Sociology 10. I have to go through the e-prerog to get it. I was hopeless though. I was sure that there would be no slots left for me. I was constantly checking the CRS when I saw that there were three classes opened and surprisingly, there were slots available. Me and my friend, Mia, rushed to the Faculty Center and stayed in front of the Sociology Department. We were waiting for the announcement. It was close to lunch time when we got there. People were buzzing something about the petition list the day before. I was worried that we might lose the chance to get the course. I rushed inside and the student assistant gave me the petition list. After I came in, they already closed the door because it was already lunch time. The SA told me that there's no assurance that we'll get the slot, but I was feeling lucky that day. We went back during the afternoon. I was jumping with joy when I learned that we got the slot. My friend, a Sociology major,  told me that the Sociology 10 that I would be taking would be handled by Sir Cardenas. She also gave me the assurance that I will never regret taking the course.

What happened in my Sociology 10 this semester? It was awesome. I find the first meetings heavy because I really didn't have the slightest idea of what's in store for us. With regard to our class discussion, sometimes I find it hard to absorb everything in. I was too overwhelmed with the bunch of information I am receiving from my classmates and from our professor. Since I am from Engineering, we don't normally discuss these kind of things. The last time I had this feeling was during my Philosophy 10 under Sir Reyes, which was also awesome. I was not that participative in class since I am not really that aware of the issues our country is facing right now. Being a dormer, I am not able to watch the news on the television. I can only get updates from those articles circulating around Facebook. 

It doesn't necessarily mean that me being unable to share my thoughts and opinions equates to me being absent-minded in class. I'm just the kind of person who tends to absorb all the concepts first and hear out all the possible opinions that can be raised. When I get home, I usually research on the topic that was discussed and connect those points that we're raised. I was particularly interested in the concept of pushing forward the national interest and the current system of the international trade. Because my roommate is a Sociology major, I usually share to her the mind-blowing lessons (for me) we have in class and also listen to her ideas on mind. We formulate some thoughts and share it twith each other. In other words, we usually have these intellectual talks at night.

I realized that what we have in class is the understanding of things in a much deeper sense and analyzing them according to the different factors that may affect it. We are not after the absolute truth or the only solution. Even the definition of terms are not fixed. Who is the real Filipino? What does it really mean to be free? From the understandings and analysis we had, the individual would then think of the possible explanations why things or why people behave in such manner or the solutions to the problems that we are faced with. When attempting to create these solutions, we try to make them as tangible, as visible, and as clear as possible.

Sociology 10 made me thirst for more knowledge about so many things, especially those that are relevant in our society. I love the idea of learning new things. I learned that we tend to make decisions or follow the norms because we are dictated by the society. If we look closer, this society was also made by the people. Our actions are also constrained by the resources and the set of rules we have in our society. We are operating within this system that we also created. This is the structure-agency relationship. Therefore, it is not enough for us to say that we'll just stay this way since the society dictates us to be this way. We have the power to change our society.

I became more aware of the social issues and because of this, I am starting to care. Before, I was contented with knowing what the problems were. But because of Sociology 10, I am eager to find out what are the reasons behind the problems and what can we do or what are the alternative solutions that we can present. Before, I didn't really know anything about how the capitalists works or what is lacking in our country or what it really means to be a Filipino. Until now, I don't have all the answers to my questions. Continuous research is needed plus observations and opinions from the people involved or affected.

I was totally satisfied with how the course was handled by Sir Cardenas. It was an honor to be part of such great class. I was given the opportunity to understand things. I am starting to give importance to the things that I neglected like how research and development can push our country forward and why UP students are outrageous about the budget cuts in education and the low priority given to the basic social services. I also started to appreciate the kind of education that UP provides for its students. I am always thrilled to share my experiences with my other friends and highly encouraged them to also take Sociology 10.

Most students take those RGEP courses that are easy to pass, lesser work load, and those subjects that would guarantee them with high grades. It is better if we consider those subjects that can help our personal growth and can also contribute to the knowledge that we have of this world, which we could later share with others too.

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