One of the main goals of sociology is to identify and evaluate institutional changes in society. The concept of the sociological imagination has gained wide use as a means of observing how personal issues are affected by social arrangements. This article critically examines how many contemporary sociologists, particularly in the area of teaching and learning, are using their sociological imaginations to observe and evaluate the changes taking place in higher education due to a paradigm shift that emphasizes occupational-professional programs at the expense of the arts and sciences. It is argued that this shift toward neoliberal principles is so pervasive that social scientists tend to think and speak in neoliberal terms even when expressing the importance of maintaining a sociological imagination. While some educators celebrate this trend in higher education, C. Wright Mills, the sociologist who coined the term, “sociological imagination,” believed (like John Dewey) that a well-rounded education is vital to preserving a democracy.

中文翻译：

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社会学想象力，新自由主义和高等教育

社会学的主要目标之一是识别和评估社会中的制度变迁。社会学想象力的概念已被广泛用作观察个人问题如何受到社会安排影响的一种手段。本文批判性地考察了有多少当代社会学家，特别是在教学领域，正在利用他们的社会学想象力来观察和评估由于范式转变而引起的高等教育变革，这种转变强调以职业为基础的职业计划，却以牺牲职业为代价。艺术和科学。有人认为，这种向新自由主义原则的转变是如此普遍，以至于社会科学家即使表达了保持社会学想象力的重要性，也倾向于以新自由主义的方式思考和说话。