St. Francis Xavier University
Department of Sociology
Sociology 302: Topics in Contemporary Theory
Dr. John Phyne
Annex 110A
Office Hours: Tuesday: 12:30 to 2:00 PM; Thursday: 12:30 to 2:00 PM; Friday: 10:30
AM to 12 Noon, or by appointment.
Test One: Tuesday, March 6 (25% of your final grade).
Format: Three questions worth 50 marks each. You must answer question 1 and either
question 2 or question 3.
Required Materials: Class lectures and the following readings in Kivisto (2011):
Symbolic Interactionism: Blumer (pp. 242-248) and Goffman (pp. 249-254); Feminist
Theory: West and Zimmerman (pp. 318-325), Collins (pp. 334-343) and Smith (pp. 344354); Contemporary Theories of Modernity: Giddens (pp. 461-464) and Beck (465-471).
Issues you need to consider:
1) Blumer outlines the theory of symbolic interactionism and the ways in which this
theory differs from behavioural psychology and macrosociology. What is the
basis of the theory and how does it differ from these other approaches?
2) What is Goffman’s approach to the presentation of the self in everyday life? Here,
you also need to know the differences between front and backstage behavior, and
the use of impression management.
3) West and Zimmerman’s approach to ‘doing gender’ is based upon the social
construction of gender identity? How does this correspond to and differ from
Goffman’s approach?
4) You need to know the differences between the first and second waves of
feminism as a social movement. In addition, you need to know how the issues in
the second wave of feminism correspond to the linkages between feminism and
conflict theory.
5) Smith and Collins articulate a feminist approach that critiques the ways in which
knowledge is produced and how this production excludes the experiences of
women. You also need to know the approach that they favour as a means for
including such experiences.
6) Giddens argues that reflexivity in modernity means that the relationship of
members of society towards the production of knowledge has changed. What is
this change? How does this relate to the work produced by social scientists?
7) Beck argues that we are living in risk society, and that the conflicts and issues in
risk society differ from those in a class society. Outline this argument.