COMS 203 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Standpoint Theory, Double Consciousness

• School: University of Calgary
• Department: Communications Studies
• Course: COMS 203
• Professor: Samantha Thrift

Document Summary

As members of society we all participate in common social world. However society is comprised of social groups which occupy different places in the social hierarchy. Therefore a culture is not experienced identically by all of it"s members. Because people see culture from different perspectives we can only have partial understanding of common culture. No one has a complete view/perspective of everyone. The social groups we belong to shape what we know and believe. Social groups are categorized by positions we are born into. Through communication with other social group members, we learn the values, meanings, and ways of interpreting the world that are common to our group . Our social groups also shape communication: a shared vernacular among one social group can be misinterpreted by a different group similarities with mead: role of socialization, particular & generalized others. Cultures are hierarchy ordered and offer dissimilar power opportunities and experiences to its members.