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CSOC 202 Module 1 Flashcards

Introduction to Sociology of Popular Culture

  • CSOC 202 facilitates a sociological perspective for examining popular culture.
  • Popular culture is a starting point for studying complex issues in contemporary society.
  • Module 1 introduces key concepts and theories: ideology, hegemony, social conflict, mode of production, power, and consumerism.
  • Focus on sociology as a discipline and the sociology of popular culture.
  • Examines mainstream television, cinema, and music as reflections of social issues like gender, race, sexuality, social class, and power.

Module 1 Topics and Learning Objectives

  • Topics include:
    • Introductory Concepts and Theories
    • Socialization, Self, Sociological Imagination
    • Culture(s):
      • Canadian culture
      • Low and High culture
      • Popular culture
    • The Culture Industry
    • Sociological concepts and theories
  • Ideology, Hegemony
  • Structural Functionalism, Social Conflict theory
  • Symbolic Interaction, Looking Glass theory
  • Learning Objectives:
    • Describe the sociology of popular culture.
    • Recognize the roles of ideology and hegemony in the production of popular culture.
    • Identify the role of corporate Canadian brands in maintaining ideology.
    • Identify the historical binary setting of high and low culture in opposition to one another.
    • Apply the broad ideas identified in The Culture Industry to contemporary popular culture such as Hollywood and/or social media such as Instagram or TikTok
    • Compare the sociological concepts and theories

Required Readings

  • Grindstaff, L. (2008). “Culture and popular culture: A case for sociology.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 619, 206–222.
  • Storey, J. (2009). “What is popular culture?” in Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction (5th Edition) (pp. 1–14).

Socialization

  • Socialization is the process through which we learn social cultural characteristics defining us as members of society.
  • It is a lifelong experience shaping our daily routines and fostering recognition of self and others.
  • Social identities and roles contribute to individual biographies within a larger cultural system.
  • Individuals participate in their own socialization through communication, learning, social interactions, and familiarization with norms and values.

The Concept of Self

  • Sociology emphasizes how selves are socially shaped and managed through socialization, interaction, and biographical identity work.
  • The self is socially constructed, with individuals actively participating in their own socialization and identity construction.
  • Erving Goffman's theory: the construction of self involves presentation and performance.
  • The social world is similar to a theatrical production.
  • Individuals move between frontstage (public performance) and backstage (private, relaxed) regions.

Sociological Imagination

  • C. Wright Mills introduced the term in the 1950s.
  • It enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two in society.
  • Social study should address problems of biography, history, and their intersections within a society.
  • A sociological imagination permits an individual to:
    • Draw connections between the social world and how society works in terms of their own personal life as well as those of others
    • See their life in the lives of others in terms of privilege, marginalization, (in)equality, power, shared experience and difference(s)
    • Recognizing the personal is also the political: a personal issue that is a social issue may also have political implications attached to it.
    • Seeing past histories in present experiences and social structures; for example, understanding a society’s history in terms of power, privilege, (in)equality, legacies, successes and failures

Activity: Digital Scrapbook

  • Explore your relationship to socialization, self, and sociological imagination in terms of your private and public selves.
  • Consider your social identity in relation to family, friends, romantic partners, celebrities, and social media.
  • Review the CSOC 202 course outline for instructions and examples.

Culture

  • Culture reflects the social and cultural practices of specific groups or societies.