Macrosociology allows observation of large-scale patterns and trends, but runs the risk of seeing these trends as abstract entities that exist outside of the individuals who enact them on the ground. Microsociology allows for this on-the-ground analysis, but can fail to consider the larger forces that influence individual behavior.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall designer Maya Lin was a 21-year-old Yale student when her proposal for the black stone monument won the largest design competition in American history. While most people know about the Wall, not everyone knows about the architect behind it. Here are five facts about Lin.
First unveiled on November 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial remains an atypical war monument. Its main feature, a V-shaped wall inscribed with the names of over 58,000 U.S. soldiers killed during the Vietnam War, lacks heroic or patriotic symbols, and its polished black granite faÃ§ade contrasts with the white marble statues and structures surrounding it on the National Mall.