1. Read the ‘Educated” summary/overview linked below, it will help if you understand what the entire book is about 2. Draft a 4-6 page essay that summarizes the memoir and then examines Tara’s story from a sociological perspective. This essay is organized into 2 parts: Summary (no longer than 2 pages double spaced) and Sociological Examination (at least 2 pages double spaced) After you succinctly summarize the memoir in two pages or less, examine Tara’s story from a sociological perspective. To examine Tara’s story from a sociological perspective, focus your analysis on the following questions: ?How does Tara’s story demonstrate an interplay between individual agency and societal constraint? ?What cultural socialization did Tara experience? ?How did Tara’s experiences come to form her sense of self? A sociological examination means that you are defining and applying sociological theories and concepts from the module lectures to examples from the memoir. Powerpoint citation example: Agency is ‘the ability to make choices and exercise a measure of control over one’sactions’ (Module 1 ‘Symbolic Interaction’ PowerPoint). “Educated” citation example: DESCRIBE EXAMPLE (Westover 2018, p. 42-43). **In order to get full credit for your sociological analysis, you must use full definitions of course concepts from the powerpoints and detailed examples from Educated with page numbers showing where the examples came from in the text. **https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/educated/summary/ Self & Society Symbolic Interaction What is symbolic interactionism? • A theoretical perspective that emphasizes how people interpret, act toward, and thereby give meaning to objects, events, and situations around them. • This perspective highlights how human meanings and actions arise out of the social processes of interpretation, communication, and role taking. Symbolic Interactionism • Herbert Blumer • Key founder of the symbolic interactionist perspective • Outlined core tenets of symbolic interactionism: The 3 Premises Symbolic Interaction Premise 1 • The first premise is that human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings those things have for them Symbolic Interaction Premise 2 • The second premise is that the meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, interaction that one has with one’s fellows. Symbolic Interaction Premise 3 • The third premise is that these meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretive process used by the person in dealing with the things he or she encounters. Symbolic Interaction Human beings are unique creatures because of their ability to use symbols. Language: a system of symbols shared by members of a social world and used for the purposes of communication and representation. Symbolic Interaction • People become distinctively human through interaction. Symbolic Interaction • People are conscious, self-reflexive beings who shape their own behavior. Symbolic Interaction • People are purposive creatures who act in and toward situations. Symbolic Interaction Society consists of people engaging in symbolic interaction. Role-taking: The process through which we see ourselves (as objects) from the standpoint of others and thereby coordinate our actions with theirs. Symbolic Interaction • Emotions are central to meaning, behavior, and the self. Symbolic Interaction • The ‘social act’ should be a fundamental unit of social psychological analysis. • Social Act: Behavior that in some way takes account of others and is guided by what they do; it is formulated so that it fits together with the behavior of another person, group, or social organization. It depends on and emerges through processes of communication and interpretation. Symbolic Interaction • Sociological methods should enable researchers to grasp people’s meanings. Symbolic Interaction and You • Understanding Yourself and Your Choices • Agency: The ability to make choices and exercise a measure of control over one’s actions Summary • • • • • • Key Concepts Symbolic Interactionism Language Social Act Role Taking Agency Self & Society Socialization Socialization An ongoing process of interaction through which we develop identities and acquire culture. *Socialization is dynamic, reciprocal, and somewhat unpredictable. Primary Socialization The process by which we learn to become mature, responsible members of society. This learning takes place through the core social institutions, most particularly the family. Secondary Socialization • The more specific, formal training that we experience throughout the course of our lives, such as learning an occupation. • Through this training we become inducted into specific social groups or worlds and acquire selves within them. Childhood Socialization • Primary socialization shapes the development of children • (1) They learn the culture — ways of thinking, feeling, and acting — of their society • (2) Children learn who they are — they develop a sense of self Agents of Socialization • Groups that are most influential in the process of teaching children the norms and values of a particular culture Agents of Socialization • Family — Changes in family structure — Class differences among families Agents of Socialization • Schools — The Pygmalion Effect Peer Culture • Peer Culture — A culture created by children that both reflects and resists the values and practices of mainstream adult culture. Reference Groups • A group whose perspective serves as our frame of reference in organizing our thoughts, actions, and self-images in a given context. Socialization as an ongoing process • Status passages: The movement of individuals in and out of particular statuses • Rites of passage: Rituals and ceremonies that accompany and help us to handle the changes in status we experience over the course of our lives Self & Society Theories of the Self Overview • 1. What is the self? • 2. How do we get a self? What is a self? • The self is a process of reflexive activity that includes our subjective stream of consciousness (perceptions, thoughts, feelings, plans, and choices) as well as our conception of self as a physical, social, and moral being. • In essence, the self is a reflexive process that enables us to formulate, monitor, control, and react to our own behavior. George Herbert Mead The ‘I’ • The aspect of the self that is the source of our spontaneous, impulsive, and initiating tendencies. • The self as subject is the initiator and formulator of action • It engages in ongoing dialogue with the me The ‘Me’ • The internalized attitudes of others through which we view ourselves and our actions. • This aspect of the self develops through the processes of socialization and role taking. • It responds to the impulsive and initiating tendencies of the ‘I’ Charles Horton Cooley • Early 20th century sociologist • Observed his own daughter • Looking Glass Self Looking Glass Self • The notion that the self reflects the responses of others • The self develops through a 3-step process The Looking Glass Self — Step 1 Step One We imagine our appearance in the eyes of others Looking Glass Self — Step 2 Step Two We imagine their judgment of that appearance Looking Glass Self — Step 3 Step 3 We internalize their perspectives and developing a corresponding self-image and self-feeling. The Looking Glass Self • Does not depend on accurate evaluations • It is an ongoing lifelong process • We selectively interpret and respond to feedback from others. The Looking Glass Self • Limitation • The looking glass self theory did not explain how we develop the ability to know others or take their perspectives. George Herbert Mead • Mead’s theory accounts for how individuals learn to take the perspective of others • Children acquire capacity for role taking through primary socialization • 3 stages The Preparatory Stage The phase of socialization in which we lack a developed sense of self and have difficulty distinguishing our roles from the roles of others. The Play Stage • The phase of socialization in which we learn to take the role of specific others, such as parents, teachers, or superheroes, by playing at these roles The Game Stage • The phase of socialization in which we learn to take the role of a network of others, or the ‘generalized other.’ In so doing, we learn to look at ourselves and our behavior from the standpoint of a number of other perspectives or roles. We thereby acquire a sense of society and its moral standards. The Generalized Other • The perspective and expectations of a network of others or of the community as a while. The generalized other is reflected in the social standards we internalize and subsequently use to evaluate our own behavior. Purchase answer to see full attachment Explanation & Answer: 4 pages Tags: homeschooling Tara Westover Mormon survivalist family in depth description conventional families User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool’s honor code & terms of service.