Sociology 3701: Study Guide 2

I. Concepts, theories, videos.
symbolic interactionism, social construction of reality, labeling theory, extended primary group, interaction rituals.cognitive dissonance, justification of effort, justification of cruelty, Pygmalion effect, Thomas theorem, self-fulfilling prophecy, dramaturgy impression management, Blumstein: identity vs. self, ossification, common sense, breaching experiments, front, idealization, negative idealization, mystification, improvisation, front and back region, disruptions, embarrassment, tact, "giving off" an impression, social establishment, stigma, discredited vs. discreditable, mixed situations, moral career, primary and secondary deviance, social implosion, Pollner and McDonald Winkler: framing, postscripting, puppeteering, semantic crediting, folie a deux, Existential accounts (Snow and Anderson): distancing, embracement, and fictive story-telling, Erving Goffman. Video: "I Heard the Owl Call My Name," "Mask," "Being There," "Anybody's Son Will Do"

II. Essay Questions. Essay questions on the exam will be chosen from the following questions. Your essays will be evaluated based on the the strength of your arguments, but also on the appropriateness and breadth of your supporting examples. In other words, show me that you are very familiar with the readings and other course materials, including videos.

1. Using the perspective of symbolic interaction (and of dramaturgy, which I see as a subvariety of symbolic interactionism), describe the ways in which people create, maintain, and defend an identity. Show how they rely on cooperation from other people and how they try to deal with potential disruptions and challenges. Give examples from readings, lecture, or video.

2.Analyze the ways in which our images of other people may shape our subsequent interactions and impressions of them, such that in some cases we help to create the kind of people we initially perceive (self fulfilling prophecy); in other cases, we maintain a false impression against all contrary evidence.

3. What are some of the ways in which people manage situations in which there is great potential for being discredited, for being viewed as deviant? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various strategies people adopt? Give examples.

4. What is Blumstein's complaint about dramaturgical analysis when it comes to understanding the self? Do you think it is justified? How does his analysis of identity work within couples propose to remedy this shortcoming?

5. In his essay, "Shooting an Elephant," Orwell says of the sahib: "He wears and mask and his face grows to fit it." Contrast Orwell's approach with that of Goffman. Give examples.

6. Analyze, with examples, the social dynamics of the situations and organizations that produce dramatic personal change. Use theory to illuminate your discussion.

7. Analyze the ways in which selves are created, maintained, and/or changed in the context of what Cooley called "primary groups." Draw on Anderson ("A Place on the Corner") and Blumstein.