MDSA02H3 Chapter Notes -Roland Barthes, Semiotics

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scarletwasp801

9 Jan 2012

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Aesthetics the meaningfulness of art (and life) as apprehended through the senses; the beauty of art and the sensual enjoyment it engenders. Affects the feelings, moods, emotions or passions that arise in relation to direct sensory data. Cluster the way individual signs are associated with and dissociated from one another. Form the creation and satisfaction of desire. Genre a type, kind or class of messages that share distinctive and identifiable aesthetic, stylistic, substantive, and/or ideological conventions. Iconic signs a sign that structurally resembles the object in which it stands. Indexical signs a sign that conveys meaning through cause or association. Narrative the visual or verbal retelling of a series of events, real or fictitious, that occur in (often chronological) succession. Rhetoric the ancient art of persuasion; the use of symbols by humans to influence and move other humans. Semiology ferdinand de saussure s approach to the study of signs.

Related Questions

1. Which of the following is true about close relationships? a. they are important. b. they are always emotionally intimate. c. both of the above choices. 2. Proximity refers to geographic and other forms of spatial closeness. a. true. b. false. 3. Which of the following refers to the fact that we tend to like others who like us? a. reciprocity. b. opposites attract theory. c. none of the above choices. 4. In married couples, the relationship between personality similarity and marital happiness is negative. a. true. b. false. 5. Social exchange theory seems to be less applicable in individualistic cultures. a. true. b. false. 6. Most homosexual women prefer to call themselves: a. lesbians. b. bisexuals. c. none of the above choices. 7. In addition to sexual desire, passion may include needs for: a. financial security only. b. self-esteem. c. none of the above choices. 8. Researchers have found that attachment styles are correlated with intelligence. a. true. b. false. 9. ______ occurs when one has fewer relationships than desired. a. shyness. b. loneliness. c. moodiness. 10. Low self-esteem is considered a personal quality associated with loneliness. a. true. b. false. 11. Which of the following statements is true regarding the commonly held stereotype of single people? a) The previously negative stereotype is vanishing. b) The previously positive stereotype is vanishing. c) None of the above choices. 12. Which of the following is associated with a higher probability or marital success? a) Having happily married parents. b) Shorter courtship. c) None of the above choices. 13. An orderly sequence of stages through which families progress is called a) Family development. b) The family life cycle. c) Serial monogamy.

amaranthhornet85

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ABSTRACT
Feminist theories in sociology reflect the rich diversity of general theoretical
orientations in our discipline; there is no one form of feminist theory. The development
of these theories over the last 25 years has only recently begun to
influence the mainstream theory canon, which has much to learn from their insights.
This chapter demonstrates why feminist versions of the following theory
types should be more fully integrated into mainstream sociological theory:
neo-Marxist, macro-structural, exchange, rational choice, network, status expectations,
symbolic interactionist, ethnomethodological, neo-Freudian, and social
role. Feminist standpoint theory, an epistemological critique of mainstream sociology,
is discussed at the beginning, and the chapter concludes with a brief
account of the newly developing effort to theorize the intersection of race, class,
and gender.
INTRODUCTION
The term âfeminist theoryâ is used to refer to a myriad of kinds of works, produced
by movement activists and scholars in a variety of disciplines; these are
not mutually exclusive and include: (a) normative discussions of how societies
and relationships ought to be structured, their current inequities, and strategies to
achieve equity; (b) critiques of androcentric classical theories, concepts, epistemologies,
and assumptions; (c) epistemological discussions of what constitute
appropriate forms, subject matters, and techniques of theorizing from a feminist
perspective; and (d ) explanatory theories of the relationship between gender and

various social, cultural, economic, psychological, and political structures and
processes. Much of this work is explicitly interdisciplinary in inspiration and
intended audience. To complicate matters further, there is no consensus on the
exact meaning of the word âfeminist,â which makes it difficult to distinguish
with precision between theoretical material that pertains to gender (e.g. Parsons
1949, 1955, which no one would label feminist) and gender-related theory that
is specifically âfeminist.â Finally, there is little consensus among feminist sociologists
about the basic theoretical questions that require an answer, resulting
in the proliferation of theories at a low level of abstraction that explain specific
phenomena (e.g. pay inequity), in addition to more abstract, general works.
To remain within the limits of one chapter, I confine this review in several
ways, beginning by excluding feminist theory that has not been produced or used
extensively by sociologists. While feminist theory is often defined as âwomencenteredâ
(e.g. Lengermann & Niebrugge 1996:436; Smith 1979, 1987; Alway
1995), I use a definition that focuses more broadly on gender, yet maintains the
normative emphasis implied by all definitions of the term feminist, which thus
enables one to distinguish feminist from other gender-relevant theory.

Some feminists focus on those contemporary theories and texts that ignore
the contributions of feminist theories and the topic of gender and conclude that
feminist contributions remain largely ghettoized within our discipline (e.g.Ward
& Grant 1991, Alway 1995). My view is that, while progress has been made
in integrating feminist concerns and insights into the disciplineâs theoretical
discourse, much work remains to be done. This chapter demonstrates the
abundance and variety of feminist theoretical insights that can and already have
to some extent contributed to a more robust theoretical understanding of social
life, one which reflects the centrality of gender in virtually all sociocultural
contexts. It also demonstrates that feminist theories emanate from, critique, and
revise the rich array of theoretical traditions that define our discipline. Space
limitations preclude much discussion of precisely how feminist theories can be
better integrated with mainstream ones. Rather, I focus attention primarily on
reviewing the central insights of feminist theories in order to better inform those
sociologists who may be unfamiliar with much of this body of work about the
rich array of theoretical ideas that are at their disposal.

EPISTEMOLOGICAL ISSUES
Much of the literature that is labeled âfeminist theoryâ consists of epistemology
and epistemological critiques of âmalestreamâ sociology. Its foundations reflect
several nonfeminist traditions, especially Marxâs and Mannheimâs discussions
of ideology, Foucaultâs work on knowledge and power, and phenomenological
and ethnomethodological approaches, the exact mix of influences varying by
author. While this work makes important contributions to these traditions, for
two reasons I believe that it is a misnomer to call thiswork feminist epistemology
(or theory). First, the issues raised are not in any fundamental way different
from those raised by many scholars who haveworked in these traditions but have
not been interested specifically in women or committed to feminism. Feminists
extend their insights in important ways, but this does not constitute a uniquely feminist approach to sociology. Second, many women in sociology, whose
scholarship they and others consider as well within the feminist tradition, do
not agree with this perspective.
Feminist scholars in a number of disciplines critique what they define as
mainstream, âmasculinist,â âobjectivist,â and âpositivistâ social science, and
develop a âfeministâ alternative called standpoint theory. In sociology, the
two most widely cited are Dorothy Smith (especially 1987, 1990, also 1979,
1989) and Patricia Hill Collins (especially 1990, also 1986, 1989), whose basic
ideas constitute the focus of this section (see also Harding 1986, 1991). Where
Smith focuses on developing a âwomanâs standpoint,â Collinsâ work is directed
at an Afrocentric feminist standpoint epistemology. The Issue of Essentialism
Feminist standpoint theory, which is highly attuned to reification committed by
mainstream sociologists, cannot avoid reifying the genders. While Smith and
Collins explicitly recognize considerable variation among women (and presumably
men) in their experiences and consciousness, their own logics, and
many times wording, make it clear that they assume that there are overarching,
gender-specific standpoints; they could not otherwise talk about a âmasculineâ
form of discourse. In addition, Collins explicitly cites such feminist theorists
as Gilligan (1982) and Chodorow (1978, also 1974), who argue that the
genders are fundamentally different in their moral reasoning and capacities
for/commitments to interpersonal relationships.
Positing dichotomous gender differences that are treated as transcultural and
transhistorical is termed âessentialism,â a view that has substantial currency
among feminists in a variety of disciplines but is hotly contested in our own
(e.g. Lorber et al 1981, Coser 1989, Epstein 1988). The empirical evidence for
it is flawed, often based on small, nonrandom, American samples, and typically
finds only modest differences, along with extensive overlap, between the sexes.
Essentialist thinking converts differences of degree into differences of kind. The
presumed but often unstated origin of essential differences includes psychodynamics
rooted in the parental division of labor (Chodorow 1978) and biological
sex (Rossi 1977, 1984). It has become common for feminist scholars to recognize
within-gender categorical differences (e.g. race, class), but this awareness
of difference has often failed to preclude essentialist thinking about basic personality
and value orientations (e.g. the assumption that, regardless of other
differences, women are nurturant and oriented toward personal relationships,
while men are individuating and oriented toward abstract moral principles).
Given that the evidence suggests modest between-sex and considerable withinsex
differences on virtually all individual-level traits, a dichotomous gender
variable is theoretically useless when speaking of individual-level phenomena.
Explanations that begin by categorically attributing different characteristics
to women and menâcognitive, emotional, relational, and/or behavioralânot
only exaggerate differences in the distribution of such traits by gender, they also
implicitly treat these variables as dichotomous rather than continuous.

Question 1

Which of the following approaches to understanding and predicting consumer behavior depends primarily on the knowledge and experience of a firm's employees and its suppliers?

		Test marketing and price experiments
		Analysis of historical data.
		Direct consumer surveys.
		Expert opinion.

Question 2

In which of the following situations would reliance on expert opinion as a basis for a managerial decision be most preferred?

		When the product being marketed is relatively new.
		When the level of economic activity can have a significant effect on the demand for the firm's output.
		When the product can be packaged with a variety of price and quality combinations.
		When the business in question serves as a supplier of inputs to other businesses, especially in multi-product situations where other strategies may be prohibitively expensive.

Question 3

The approach to analyzing consumer behavior that asks consumers to rank and choose among different product attributes to reveal their relative valuation of different characteristics is called:

		conjoint analysis.
		contingent valuation.
		the hedonic estimation technique.
		a direct consumer survey.

Question 4

All of the following are limitations of direct consumer surveys except:

		the possibility of response biases because survey respondents may not want to reveal their true preferences.
		the possibility that the type of questions asked may unintentionally bias the respondent's answers.
		the likelihood that respondents will deliberately and systematically mislead interviewers.
		the possibility that consumers' responses may not reflect their actual behavior in the market place.

Question 5

Which of the following approaches to understanding and predicting consumer behavior does not actually solicit any information from potential customers?

		Expert opinion.
		Test marketing.
		Analysis of historical data.
		Conjoint analysis.

Question 6

Data collected on a sample of individuals with different characteristics at a specific point in time are called:

		panel data.
		cross-section data.
		time series data.
		none of the above.

Question 7

Which of the following approaches to understanding and predicting consumer behavior provides the most insight into how consumers can be expected to respond in an actual market setting?

		Test marketing.
		Conjoint analysis.
		Expert opinion.
		Analysis of historical data.

Question 8

An approach to analyzing consumer behavior in which consumer reaction to different prices is analyzed in a laboratory situation or a test market is called:

		non-price experiments.
		focus groups.
		price experiments.
		none of the above.

Question 9

Data collected on the same observation unit at a number of points in time are called:

		panel data.
		time series data.
		cross-section data.
		none of the above.

Question 10

A measure of how much the coefficient would vary in regressions based on different samples is called:

		F-statistic.
		standard error of the estimated coefficient.
		t-statistic.
		partial F-statistic.

Question 11

The test statistic used to test the hypothesis of whether a regression coefficient is significantly different from zero, holding all other independent variables constant, is called a(n):

		t-test.
		F-test.
		multicollinearity test.
		autocorrelation test.

Question 12

Regression analysis that analyzes the relationship between one dependent variable and several independent variables is called:

		cluster analysis.
		correlation analysis.
		multiple regression analysis.
		simple regression analysis.

Question 13

The ratio of the regression coefficient to its standard error is called:

		F-statistic.
		t-statistic.
		coefficient of determination.
		partial F-statistic.

Question 14

The coefficient of determination will range between what values?

		-1 and +1
		0 and 1
		-3 and +3
		none of the above

Question 15

The range of values in which we can be confident that the true regression coefficient lies within a given degree of probability is called a:

		confidence interval.
		logistic regression.
		prediction interval.
		none of the above.

Question 16

The estimated regression equation is Y = 10 + 2.5X, if X =0 than the predicted value of Y is equal to

		2.5
		7.5
		12.5
		10

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MDSA02H3 Chapter Notes -Roland Barthes, Semiotics

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