Edgar Degas,
Portrait de M. Durante

Summary - Response & Discussion Topics

Unit 5: The Socialization Process

Summary - Response Papers:

You will complete four (4) brief summary-response papers during the semester – due dates are listed on the course calendar. Your paper should be roughly 750-1,000 words – three typed double-spaced pages (12 point font). You may only choose 1 assignment from each "batch/block of units" of the class: one SR paper from units 1 through 3; one SR paper from units 4 through 6; one SR paper from units 7 through 10; one SR paper from units 11 through 14.

These writing assignments are to be submitted through Canvas. Click on "Assignments" located in the left hand panel on the course page. Next, click on the appropriate Unit - i.e., if you are choosing to submit a paper from this unit - click on unit 5 under Assignments. After clicking on Unit 5 you will see a Turnitin Assignment Inbox where you will submit/upload your paper.

Discussion Topics

Taking part in class discussions, though not mandatory, will let you earn "bonus points" that can add up to a full letter grade to your final grade for the course.

To contribute, click on "Discussions" located in the left hand panel on Canvas. Next, choose a discussion topic for this unit, click on it, read the prompt, and click on "Reply." Be sure that you add your name. For more sinformation on how to submit your comments and/or engage in the online class discussion, go to the "Frequently Asked Questions" page.

 

Unit 5: The Socialization Process

You may choose one of these options as one of your four required summary-response papers:

A. If you did not see "Death in Gaza" in class, have missed certain parts of it or would like to view it again, it is posted on the internet. Click on this link to view the film.

Summarize and respond to the video "Death in Gaza." Pay particular attention to the processes of socialization and, using examples from the film, discuss how Ahmed's and/or Najla's experiences were both similar and different from your own as you were growing up. Use the sociological concepts of looking-glass self, role-models, significant/generalized others,and primary/secondary/reference groups, to guide and frame your analysis. Be certain to provide definitions of the key concepts that you use in your analysis.

Look at the sample essay answer (click here) for tips on how to write this essay.

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B. Interview one of your parents or grandparents and write a biographical essay that focuses on their life.  You will apply at least ten sociological concepts (for example, socialization, looking-glass self, significant others, generalized others, role-model, subculture, primary group, secondary group. reference group, prejudice, racism, deviance, status-set, master status, status inconsistency, role-conflict) – to be defined and included in a glossary at the end of the essay – in a discussion about how your subject has been shaped by the social world(s) he or she inhabits. You will discuss their early and later socialization experiences, the various social positions they presently occupy, and how they navigate through the maze of social expectations, responsibilities and obligations that are attached to these positions. Be sure to include the impact of social groups and the mass media.

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C. Jean Kilbourne (Still Killing Us Softly) argues that:

  • Women’s bodies are turned into objects in order to sell products,
  • Women’s bodies are dismembered in order to sell products; just one part of the body is used to sell products,
  • Women are portrayed in advertisements in ways that subtly trivialize women’s power; i.e., there are many images in advertising that silence women – images that show women with their hands over their mouths and other visuals, as well as copy, that strip women of their voices
  • The body language of young women and girls in advertising is usually passive and vulnerable. Conversely, the body language of men and boys is usually powerful, active and aggressive.
  • In recent years, advertisements have increasingly portrayed young girls and teenagers as sexual objects; teen models are often shown in seductive poses that draw attention to their bodies.

Examine the advertisements in three popular magazines (InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Mademoiselle, Elle, Marie Claire, RedBook, Jane, Seventeen, Shape, SELF, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Maxim, etc.).

For each magazine, report the percentage of ads in which women are portrayed in the categories Kilbourne uses. Are there differences among the magazines you have chosen? How do you interpret your results? What effects, if any, do you think these portrayals of women have on their self-image and the way that they are perceived by others? What factors - i.e., age, sex, social class, cultural background - might mediate (amplify and/or dampen) the perception and impact of these messages?

 

 

Discussion Topics
These are posted in the "Discussions" Section in Canvas

1. In “Children’s Books and Segregation in the Workplace,” Steven Vallas reports that sociologist John Levi Martin’s analysis analysis of nearly 300 children’s books finds that there is a marked tendency for these texts to portray certain animals in particular kinds of jobs. For example, jobs that allow the occupant to exercise authority over others tend to be held by predatory animals (especially foxes), but never by “lower” animals (mice or pigs). Moreover, Martin suggests that these children’s books teaches young children to view inequalities within the division of labor as a “natural” fact of life  – that is, as a reflection of the inherent characteristics of the workers themselves. As a result, Martin argues that people are predisposed to accept the hierarchical, caste-based system of labor that characterizes the American workplace. What do you think?

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2. According to Lisa Wade (“TV vs. The Movies: Which Does Better By Women"), a content analysis of 11,927 speaking characters in “family films” (G, PG, and PG-13) and prime-time and children’s TV shows conducted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media reveals that women are portrayed more favorably in prime-time television shows than in either children’s shows of family films. How, in your view, are women portrayed in the television programs and films that you watch? What impact do you think these portrayals might have?

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3. Based on the material in the chapter of the text on socialization, address the issue of human freedom in a socially structured world.  That is, to what extent do you think people are free to think and act as they wish?  In answering this question, consider the theories presented in the chapter—for example, why does Mead’s theory point to greater human freedom than Freud’s theory?