Session Six Assignment

SOCL 411W

Version of 10-19-21

The minimum word count for this assignment is 500 words. That is, 500 words for the entire assignment, not for each individual question.

Exercise 1Goffman’s dramaturgical theory draws on symbolic interactionism to argue that human beings are symbol users who cooperatively construct shared meanings, and continually struggle to display idealized self-images to valued others. Coleman’s rational choice theory draws on neoclassical economics to argue that human beings are rational individuals who seek to maximize personal interest and gain. These two theories hold very different assumptions about human nature. Discuss these different assumptions and the implications that these differences have for the way that we understand each other and treat each other in everyday life. Which of these two theories best reflects your own experience and assumptions about human nature?

Exercise 2

What is a breaching experiment, and what is such an experiment supposed to reveal to researchers? Invent and describe a breaching experiment of your own.

Exercise 3

Analyze the current popularity of Donald Trump in the Republican Party using George Homans’ exchange theory as an analytical tool. For Republicans, what does Donald Trump bring to the table in this social exchange? For Trump, what is the allure of the Republican Party? What kinds of cost-benefit calculations might each side be making as they approach this relationship?

Send your answers to me on Moodle.