Practicing Possibilism

All semester, we’ve been practicing how to look at social problems with sharper eyes. I’ve pushed you to ground your thinking in data so we don’t get swept away by sensational headlines or fall into oversimplifying messy realities. We’ve also seen how the same issue can mean very different things depending on who’s looking at it. And we’ve reflected on how personal experiences are connected to bigger social, political, and economic forces that shape the opportunities and limits we live with.

Put together, these habits of measuring carefully, listening for multiple perspectives, and putting individual stories in wider context are at the heart of critical thinking in sociology. So, what does that actually look like outside of a classroom essay? Let me now introduce you to Aimee Mullins, who turned the problem of “what’s missing” into twelve pairs of extraordinary new legs.

In her TED Talk, My 12 Pairs of Legs (2009), Mullins – an athlete, actress, and activist – shares how prosthetic technology expanded rather than restricted her identity. Instead of seeing disability as a loss to be fixed, she redefined the problem itself. Rather than asking how technology could make her appear “normal,” she asked how it might expand what was possible. This reframing opened the door to creativity, and her legs became more than tools for walking or running. They became artistic statements, athletic advantages, and symbols of empowerment.

Her story is a vivid example of the kind of thinking we’ve practiced. Mullins challenged assumptions about what counts as “able” or “beautiful,” modeled problem solving by working with designers, and – most importantly – showed how constraints can become platforms for invention. Beyond inspiration, her story illustrates the approach you’ve been practicing as you wrestled with some of society’s most persistent problems. Poverty, homelessness, hunger, or healthcare access may feel too entrenched to budge. But like Mullins, you’ve been learning to uncover possibilities in the face of challenges. This approach is essential for the work ahead: not only repairing what is broken, but reimagining what could be built.

And here is where I’ll once again insist on optimism! Just as no great story ever started with someone eating a salad, no great solution ever started with an overwhelming sense of despair. While today’s problems are huge and serious, it serves us to remember that humans have tackled enormous challenges before and made undeniable progress. So, the next time you’re refilling your toilet paper roll, let it remind you: humans have solved harder problems than this. Keeping this perspective doesn’t mean ignoring human suffering or pretending that everything is fine, but it does fuel the kind of hope that’s needed to imagine better solutions and drive positive change.

Letters 2 Lakers

We sure have covered a lot of ground this semester and wrestled with some of society’s most complicated problems. If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably got some valuable advice to pass along to a future Laker.

Your final assignment is to capture that advice in a letter to an imaginary SOC 105 student. In your letter, you’ll not only share practical tips for surviving this class but also reflect on what you’ve learned about critical thinking and problem solving in sociology. At minimum, you’ll address advice for success, an analysis of a social problem, and how your thinking has changed over time.

Don’t treat it like just another essay. Think of it as your chance to leave a trail marker for a lost and wandering Laker. What did you discover that surprised you? What strategies or perspectives shifted the way you see the world? And what words of encouragement would you pass along to someone who hasn’t yet done the hard work of looking at progress and problems this closely?

My hope is that you’ll be honest, practical, and a little bold. The next student won’t be looking for platitudes; they’ll be looking for real insight into how to thrive in this class. Show them what’s possible when we learn to see the world as both bad and better at the same time. Thanks for a great semester!