Review
for Exam #3: Social Theory (Spring 2007)
A. Readings: In Ritzer & Goodman: pp. 195-206: “Conflict Theory”; complete chapter on “Symbolic Interactionism”; Lorber and Martin (in Kivisto), “The Socially Constructed Body”
B.
Conflict Theory
1. The societal, cultural, and historical
context in which conflict theory emerged
a. Why did it emerge when it
did?
2. The roots of conflict theory (this
will require you to make connections with the original premises of this theoretical approach)
3. On what grounds does conflict
theory reject functionalism
4. C. Wright Mills’ The Power Elite
a) Be able to summarize and
explain the key premises in Mills’s analysis
b) who are the power elite?
Why does this matter?
5. Critical Theory
a) What are the key questions
that all neo-Marxist theories are trying to explain?
b) How do they
explain?
C.
Symbolic Interaction Theory
1. The societal,
cultural, and historical context in which symbolic interaction theory emerged
a. Why did it emerge when it
did?
b. On what grounds does
symbolic interaction theory reject functionalism?
2. The roots of symbolic interaction
theory (this will require you to make connections with the original premises of this
theoretical approach)
a. Roots in Weber (be able to
explain the connections here)
i) Definitions for
social action and social interaction
ii) What is the
role of symbols?
3. George Herbert Mead
a. The socialization process
(know the stages and what occurs at each stage)
4. Herbert Blumer
a. Know the essential
premises of symbolic interactionism and its theoretical orientation
b. Objects to ourselves;
indications; etc.
D.
Phenomenology (and The Social Construction of Reality by Berger and Luckmann)
1.
Instinctual Deprivation and Extended Dependency: What are these and what is
their significance?
2.
Externalization, Objectification, Internalization: Know and be able to describe
each of these
3.
Mechanisms for Reality-Maintenance: both objective and subjective reality (know
these)
E.
Post-Industrial Society Theory (Not covered, Fall 2008 semester, so you’re not responsible for this
info for final exam)
1. The main institutional-organizational
actors driving the rise of Post-Industrial Society Theory
a. What specific features and
developments make up the P-I Society?
b. What data led
2. What kinds of jobs and productive
activity will constitute work in P-I Society?
a. What are the main types of
jobs, according to
3. How and why does the rise of the
computer figure into P-I Society theory?
a. What, specifically, is
important about these new technologies?
4. What is technology? And why
does that question matter?
5. How is #4 important for
understanding criticisms of P-I theory?
a. What is the most important
criticism of P-I theory?
F.
Feminist Theory
1. What are the
stages of feminist theory, as Dr. Levy discussed?
2. What are the main types of feminist
theory?
3. How do these (in #2) connect with
Lober’s piece of the socially constructed body?
As
with the first two exams, this test will consist primarily of short essay
questions. The best way to prepare is to write out, in your own words (and
drawing on lecture and reading notes), answers to the items on this review
sheet. This will give you practice at expressing complex ideas clearly, and
writing it out in this way helps you to remember the information better than
simply staring at text pages or reading/lecture notes.
