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Name Ziying Wei

Professor Katie Lookholder

Course Soc01

Date 6/8

Assignment Reflection

Introduction

My previous assignment took a deep approach in understanding the institution of religion.

Religion is one of the core institutions that actively interact with other institutions, such as family

and education to shape society (Smith et al.432). The previously completed assignment gave a

comprehensive perspective about Buddhism as a religion. It investigated the history,

components, and perceptions among other features of Buddhism in the American society.

Numerous lessons were derived from the previous assignment.

The assignment enhanced my skills for sociological imagination. Sociology as a

discipline inculcates fundamental insights in analyzing the nature of society. For instance,

Buddhism is portrayed as a component of a complex interaction between diverse institutions of

the American society (Smith et al. 434). In this regard, it has a definite impact on other

institutions, whereas they have a direct or indirect impact on Buddhism as a religion. This

perspective could only be attained after conducting a research on Buddhism as a religious

institution.
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Conclusion

I acquired the skill of theoretical analysis after completing my previous assignment. Sociology as

a field majorly relies on theories and schools of thought that harness scholarly prediction of

human behavior (Smith et al. 432). The Functionalism theory is tantamount in bringing out the

image of the society made of actively interactive institutions. This theoretical perspective defines

the mutual and complementary relationship that different institutions have in order to compose a

functional society. Understanding the premises of this theory instills the perspective of

Buddhism, which has a mutual association with other institutions such as the economy. For

instance, the economy led to the increased popularity of Buddhism due to the mass immigration

of the Asians to the USA (Smith et al. 434). Therefore, my previous assignment enhanced my

capability for analyzing and applying sociological theories.

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Works Cited

Smith, Jeffrey A., Miller McPherson, and Lynn Smith-Lovin. "Social Distance in the United

States: Sex, Race, Religion, Age, and Education Homophily among Confidants, 1985 to

2004." American Sociological Review, vol. 79, no. 3, 2014, pp. 432-56.