Timothy Take hurried from his new apartment in Yuto, Near Texaz, racing against time to reach the bus stop. With a pounding heart and quickened breath, he barely managed to catch the bus that would ferry him to where he needed to be in an hour. On the train, amidst the rumble of the carriage, he pulled out his phone and consulted Google Maps to navigate his way to his destination afterwards. After stepping off the train and following precise route of Maps, a sense of relief washed over him as he finally set foot on the university grounds, only to remember of a more daunting task ahead – finding his classroom amidst the labyrinthine halls and corridors of the campus.
[Timothy]
" Oh God, who knows how long it will take me to find this class! " Tim said to himself as he eagerly looked around searching for some kind of hint that would at least give him a valid sense of direction to where he was supposed to be. He turned around repeatedly and walked around as a newbie, with such a look that one must only need to ask him if he is lost, however, such never came. 'I have to get to this class before it's too late', as Timothy turned again he noticed a familiar face, Professor Hilary- who he had seen during the Lokenbrim's inauguration ceremony online. He rushed towards the seasoned educator with a no-nonsense demeanor.
'Professor Hilary g-g-g-good morning, sir', Timothy stammered, 'I was ho- ha- hoping if you could guide me to where I am supposed to be'.
"What's your course fine lad?", he asked in a reassuring tone.
'Soci-social-sociology sir!'
'Well are you in luck, I was about to head towards the lecture hall for that class right now, would you care to join me?'
'Yh-Yes sir, Thank you so much'.
Together they walked to the hall that they needed to be at and in due time as well.
'Settle down everyone', Professor Hilary said aloud.
'I am Professor Hilary Yate, and welcome to this class on sociology.'
'How many are you, 1, 2, 3, 4, ...., 18, okay only eighteen are in my class this semester'
'Excuse me professor', a lady from the back row called out, 'None of my friends who are supposed to be taking this course are here yet, so I don't think 18 students are the total for this semester.'
'I am quite aware of that!', Professor Hilary said in a harsh yet blatant manner.
Timothy was in shock, not just Timothy the lady who just spoke had the same facial expression as a child who had just been reprimanded.
'Is this the same man I was walking into the classroom with?', Timothy thought.
'Now where was I?', Professor Hilary said with a smirk on his face that makes anyone feel uneasy.
'I never got to finish what I wanted to say'.
'Welcome to my sociology course, with me bear a different set of rules.'
'Henceforth, whoever is not present will lose 20% of their grades unless they can provide plausible excuses for their reasons for being absent with proof! So Miss-My-Friends-Aren't-Here, go tell your friends that unless they want to face debarment'
'Now for our first order of business, I will lay out all my regulations for you to pass this course..', Prof. Hilary said, 'First and fur-most, attendance is a regular act and will be ten percent of your annual grades. Secondly, at the end of every semester, I will appoint five students from this class, based on merits of certain criteria, would have the privilege of an early internship with a letter of recommendation from me as well as from the institute we would be working with, [pause] Stark Industries'
[Every student in that class gasped on hearing that second rule.]
'Stark Industries!!, I heard it's even hard for engineer diplomats to get in, how much less first years from a sociology course, now that is something!', Timothy said to himself.
'Finally, those five students will be the only students I will be having at the end of this semester', the professor said, 'In other words, the remaining will be eliminated!'
"Am I at a freaking Squid Game? What the heck is this? The remaining students, Eliminated! He probably means they'll still come back by the next semester!"
Then Professor Hil dropped the bombshell.
'By eliminate I mean expelled!'
'WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!', some girl said, then everybody shouted and wailed for some time. 'How can you just expel students!!!'
'How can you teach only five students sir?', one student said very loudly.
'I have the right to expel students at will, so are there any questions?'
'Yes sir!', one student at the front row said confidently as he stood up to give his query. 'Can you at least tell us what to expect sir.'
'Well then, we have a contender, I hope you are as good as your questions.', Professor Hilary replied, 'To commence who can tell me what they know about sociology? Probably six answers would be okay.'
The girl who shouted was pointed at by the professor replied, "Sociology is the study of society and human behavior, right? Like how people interact with each other in different groups and communities?"
"I think sociology also looks at social structures and institutions, like families, education, and government, and how they shape individuals and society as a whole", another random guy who was also pointed at replied.
"Isn't it about understanding social inequalities and issues like poverty, racism, and gender discrimination?", another pointed boy answered.
"I remember reading about sociology in high school. It's also about analyzing patterns and trends in society, like demographics, cultural norms, and social movements, I think sociology uses research methods to gather data and test theories about society, like surveys, interviews, and observations", some other person answered.
Unluckily Timothy didn't get to prove himself.
"As intriguing as your responses are, let's distill the essence of sociology to its core. Sociology indeed examines society and human behavior, but it goes beyond mere observation. It's about understanding how social structures, institutions, and inequalities shape our lives. It's about analyzing patterns and trends, yes, but with a critical eye toward social justice. And while research methods are crucial, they're tools we use to uncover the deeper truths about the human experience. In essence, sociology is the study of how society molds us, and how we, in turn, shape society.", the Professor replied.
Timothy decided that if he was going to get what he need he had to do the same things he didn't like doing.
Timothy raised his hand shakily up until the Professor gave him a sign of permission to speak freely.
"Um, excuse me, Professor. I-I-I think what you're saying is really fascinating. It's like, um, sociology is about, uh, understanding how society influences us, and, um, how we, um, influence society back? And, um, it's not just about, um, studying people, but, uh, it's also about, like, um, making a difference and, uh, challenging inequalities? Sorry, if that, um, didn't quite capture it...", Timothy replied.
Some people snickered at all sides.
'Thank you for for that feedback', the Professor replied, 'We'll uncover more about how society functions and how we as individuals contribute to its dynamics. Now, let's move forward'.
The professor continues to give the full on lecture on sociology basics. It turns out the students are in for a bumpy semester as Mr Hilary says that they get to work with engineers, lawyers, teachers, scientists, activists, psychologists, mathematicians, historians, archaeologists and loads more other important professionals. He left with saying a course is only as good as it's user. He said they should prepare for the next time they'll meet with him and as soon as he said those parting words, the class was over.