Theory EXAM 2

Which of the following best characterizes radical feminism? -A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordinate positions of women based on practicality -A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordination of women based on male dominance in society -A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordinate positions of women based on perceived natural differences between the sexes - A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordination of women based on patriarchy and institutionalized discrimination

- A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordination of women based on patriarchy and institutionalized discrimination

Which of the following is characteristic of modern art? -A focus on integrating art and everyday life -A presentation that subverts linear forms -An artistic expression that favors irony - A legitimation for upper class domination

- A legitimation for upper class domination

Which of the following answer (s) best describes discourse -An integration of language and practice that does not influence what we think or do - An instance of situated language - A set of meanings that draw a particular version of a truth -A system of signs that dictate human experience

- An instance of situated language - A set of meanings that draw a particular version of a truth

Which of the following answer (s) best describes a critical approach to positivism? - Critical theorists reject positivistic notions of objectivity and determinism -Critical theorists reject positivistic notions that analyze how society is shaped by human behavior -Critical theorists reject positivistic notions that challenge hegemonic narratives - Critical theorists reject positivistic notions about human nature

- Critical theorists reject positivistic notions of objectivity and determinism - Critical theorists reject positivistic notions about human nature

Which of the following best describes the focus of Habermas' theory of communicative action? - Social Solidarity -Emancipatory Interests - Effective Communication -Instrumental Interests

- Effective Communication

Which of the following is not an example of applying a constructionist lens? -Exploring how hegemonic conceptions of gender influence the production of homophobia -Examining the influence of heterosexual families on same-sex marriage laws - Exploring how individual meanings of gender influence people's perception of marriage -To what extent does the American Dream influence people's perception of their successs

- Exploring how individual meanings of gender influence people's perception of marriage

Which of the following answer(s) best describes the main critiques of Foucauldian theory? (Check ALL that apply) - He treats power as an anonymous source, disconnected from human subjects - His critique of modernity focuses more on the repressive elements rather than the progressive aspects -His archaeological work privileges practice over discourse - His work focuses too much on the role of macro-powers and the state

- He treats power as an anonymous source, disconnected from human subjects - His critique of modernity focuses more on the repressive elements rather than the progressive aspects

Which of the following answer(s) best describes the key contributions of feminist theory? (Check ALL that apply) -Creating a social movement that focuses on women's oppression in society - Illuminating the existence and reproduction of gendered hierarchies - Establishing a connection between gender and the roles that men and women hold in society - Bringing to light the importance of understanding and describing women's positions in society

- Illuminating the existence and reproduction of gendered hierarchies - Establishing a connection between gender and the roles that men and women hold in society - Bringing to light the importance of understanding and describing women's positions in society

Which of the following answer (s) best describes postmodern critiques to modernism? - Postmodernists reject the idea that science can produce universal bodies of knowledge - Postmodernists discredit privileged forms of knowledge in favor of localized discourse -Postmodernists renounce ambiguity in favor of plurality -Postmodernists abandon relativism and simulation to focus on realism

- Postmodernists reject the idea that science can produce universal bodies of knowledge - Postmodernists discredit privileged forms of knowledge in favor of localized discourse

Which of the following best describes Derrida's theory of deconstruction? -The idea that society has created a system of consumption through media and varying forms of reality -The idea that theory should focus on pragmatic, contextualized research - The idea that privileged forms of knowledge cannot without stand scrutiny due to the open interpretation of texts -The belief that objectivity is a mask for oppression and power

- The idea that privileged forms of knowledge cannot without stand scrutiny due to the open interpretation of texts

Which of the following best characterizes liberal feminism? -A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordination of women based on male dominance in society -A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordinate positions of women based on perceived natural differences between the sexes - A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordination of women based on capitalism -A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordinate positions of women based on practicality

-A feminist lens that attempts to explain the subordinate positions of women based on perceived natural differences between the sexes

Which of the following answer (s) best describes heteronormativity? -An ideological code that challenges heterosexism and homosexuality simultaneously -An ideological code that challenges traditional gender roles and family traditions -An ideological code that promotes traditional gender roles -An ideological code that argues heterosexuality is an organizing principle in society

-An ideological code that promotes traditional gender roles -An ideological code that argues heterosexuality is an organizing principle in society

Which of the following is not a central concern of queer politics? -Exploring how hegemonic conceptions of sexuality have become individual identities -Exploring the influence that sexuality and the body has on inequalities -Exploring how meanings of gender regulate human behavior -Exploring ways to build communities that support sexual minorities

-Exploring how meanings of gender regulate human behavior

Which of the following answer(s) best describes poststructural critiques to modernism? (Check ALL that apply) -Poststructuralists reject modernist's understanding of discourse and language and advocate for a return to dominant ideologies -Poststructuralists reject essentialist ideas in favor of socially constructed bodies of knowledge -Poststructuralists renounce the plurality of knowledge in favor of grand narratives -Poststructuralists reject modernist claims that science can produce universal bodies of knowledge

-Poststructuralists reject essentialist ideas in favor of socially constructed bodies of knowledge -Poststructuralists reject modernist claims that science can produce universal bodies of knowledge

Which of the following is not an important component of Habermas' theory of communicative action? -That capitalism distorts our methods of communications -That rationality can influence our ability to discover truth -That all citizens should be free to express and hear other people's points of views -That effective communication is best disseminated through media and politics.

-That effective communication is best disseminated through media and politics

According to Foucault how does discourse operate in a society?

According to Focoult discourse operated in society by Shaping perceptions and creating associations between words and meanings, generating knowledge and "truth", making ideas speakable and that it is tied to power.

In your own words, please describe bell hooks' critique of mainstream feminist thought.

Bell Hooks criticized main stream feminism because it did not include intersectionality, focusing mostly on white, college-educated, middle- and upper-class women. Specifically she was disturbed by the absence of colored women in women's studies.

Please discuss what might be a strength and weakness of a social constructionist approach.

Constructionist has been criticized for ignoring biological determinants of human behavior, boarding on the line of relativism, ignoring social environments, and using academic jargon. Strengths include the ability to deconstruct knowledge, illuminate the limitations of language, identifying social constructs, expose power dynamics, and trace historical and social changes.

In your own words, please explain the role of language and binary knowledge in Jacques Derrida's theory of deconstruction. Be sure to provide examples to support your answer.

Derrida believed language had several meanings and was derived from text. He believed that binary knowledge created oppression. Example of binary knowledge is black vs. white, old vs. young, Etc. According to Derrida, language creates binary knowledge. In other words, as ideas become iterated and dominant in society, certain ideas become privileged. Once those ideas are privileged, any deviation from the norm is considered subordinate. Therefore, he argues that the role of social science is to deconstruct dominant narratives and privilege the voices of those that are marginalized.

Dorothy Smith argues that knowledge is interpretive. Please explain what she means by this and how this influences her contribution to feminist thought.

Dorothy Smith claims that our knowledge of the world is dependent on our particular social location or standpoint in the world. So basically your particular social location influences your taken-for-granted knowledge of the social world. Which is part of her standpoint theory. Smith argues that human thought and knowledge is permeable to an interpretive process, whereby each individual interprets information differently. Part of her critique of mainstream feminism was that research was approached objectively, which ignores the personal and interpretive nature of everyday life.

Best & Kellner argue that more comprehensive multiperspective theory would include both the ideas of Foucault and Baudrillard, which would allow for it to better address connections between economy, the state, culture, and everyday life.

False

Queer theorists believe in a full abolition of all identity construction. True False

False

Constructionists believe that institutionalized order exists beyond individual action.

False (Constructionist believe that institutionalized order is only real insofar as it is performed)

Foucault believes that language is not constitutive of our experience but rather can be a tool used to constrain human action.

False (Foucault believes that language is used to create and convey experiences and therefore is integral to our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.)

Habermas agreed with Weber's argument that rationality creates an iron cage of civilization.

False (While Habermas agreed that rationality can be problematic he also argued that if used effectively rationality can promote democratic, productive communication.)

Critical theorists reject Marx for being too deterministic and advocate that theory focuses too much on the cultural aspects of human behavior.

False (While critical theorists do believe that Marx was too deterministic they also argue that his work relies too much on the economic structure and ignores the cultural aspects of human behavior.)

___________ refers to a social movement that combats women's systematic oppression in modern society.

Feminism

In your own words, please describe Foucault's concept of docile bodies and how it relates to disciplinary power and the panopticon.

Focault believed the docile body is one that can be manipulated by dominant powers to behave in a certain way. This manipulation creates a form of self-monitoring. Foucault argued that in a disciplinary society, we become docile bodies that are regulated by self-regulating agents. In his discussion of the panopticon, he demonstrates how our society has become disciplinary as we regulate our actions and behaviors based on the idea that we are constantly under surveillance. Therefore, our bodies become controlled internally and externally.

In your own words, explain the relevance of Foucauldian theory to the development of queer theory.

Foucault's works viewed sexuality as a social construction rather than an innate part of a human being. Queer theory views sexuality in the same way . Another influence is Foucault's focus on power and how labels are used to exclude or oppress which is important to queer theory because of the focus on inequalities for sexual minorities. Relying on Foucauldian theory, queer theorists believe that the use of language and binary knowledge contributes to the sexual dichotomy in our society. Queer theorists argue that the use of power to legitimize heterosexuality has created inequalities for those who do not adhere to the traditional, heterosexual lifestyle or traditional gender roles. However, queer theorists reject Foucault's notions of the self as internalized discourse and argue that the self is a false notion that only exists to the extent that it is performed as a social script.

Please describe Habermas' view of modernity. How does he incorporate this into his theory of communicative action?

Habermas's theory preserves modern values consensus and solidarity and he attempt to reconstruct rather then deconstruct. This can be seen in his theory that he reconstructs rationality. While many postmodern theorists tend to reject any notion or theoretical framework of modernity or rationality, Habermas believed that rather than abandon modernity, we should reconstruct it to help us understand our current society. Therefore, he believes we should incorporate the values of integration and solidarity that are representative of modernity with the critical and postmodern critiques to engage in a critical yet constructive theory.

According to social constructionist theory, multiple versions of truth exist but only one becomes dominant. Please explain what this means and provide an example

I think I read that facts do not exist only interpretations. To mean that reminds me of the saying, "There are three realities, mine, your and the truth." So for example, we may witness the same event but my account of what we saw would vary based on the definitions and knowledge I possess, the same would go for your truth about the situation, then there would be the actual event that happened without the spin of either of our definitions or knowledge . I think the dominant truth in social constructionist theory isn't the actual events but the truth that is most plausible..

What does Jean Baudrillard mean when he states that signs have become a way to organize society?

I think that Jean Baudrillard meant that signs of differentiation by means of which social standing is established and personalization accomplished were used to integrate consumers into a system. Thus making the "organized". In this system, the more prestigious one's commodities (houses, cars, clothes, and so on), the higher one's standing in the realm of sign value. Baudrillard argues that we live in a world where signs organize society. In other words, objects and materialism that confer prestige and power drive our economy. As our world becomes more focused on signs and symbols, we see a blurring between reality and models of reality. As a result, we live in a hyperreality where constructions of objects, lifestyles, and ideas become more real than the reality we are currently living in.

In your own words, please describe what Kellner refers to as "Techno-Capitalism." Provide an example to support your argument.

Kellner is referring to technology and its power over individual minds and societies. He believed that technology played a role in production and that social organization was based on technology and the economy. This is another example in which the media and its control of our realty and economy can be seen. Our choice for what we buy and how we lived are influenced by what we see and are told we want through those sources. Commercials According to Kellner, we have not moved into a postmodern world and are still governed by capitalism. However, he believes we have moved into a techno-capitalistic society where both technology and science play a role in social organization. In this society, creativity and knowledge are exploited by an increase in technological advances that tend to create inequalities at the hands of big corporations.

In your own words, explain how a social constructionist sees the connections between discourse, language, and knowledge.

Language is how humans communicate meanings and what we think. Discourse is a part of language that sets the limits and creates/defines how and why. Legitimation uses both language and discourse to make the reasons for actions plausible/how and why.

In your own words, please explain the difference between modernity and postmodern theory. Give one example to support your argument.

One big difference is that modernist believed in one universal truth while post-modernist believe in multiple truths/realities. Modernism is based on scientific information while post-modern does not recognize scientific logical thinking. Example of this can be seen in Feminism. Modernist ideas, Women are oppressed by patriarchy and can use reason to achieve both independence and regain their "authentic selves". Postmodern, the categories male/female, masculine/feminine are themselves culturally constructed and/or Ideology. Gender roles are culturally relative in all cultures and context.

___________ is a metaphor used to describe to the constant surveillance of individuals in a disciplinary society.

Panopticism

According to Seidman, _____ refers to a positioning that is oppositional to both heterosexual and homosexual mainstream culture.

Queer

Please explain the relevance of the "deviant other" to queer theory.

Queer theory seeks to deconstruct binary identities. This is important to the deconstruction of identity. Any attempt to classify or identify automatically creates expectations and a deviant 'other' According to queer theory, any attempt to categorize an identity results in a deviant other. Once a specific form of knowledge becomes privileged (in this case heterosexuality) all other forms of knowing and being become marginalized or "other." In our society other ways of being inherently are deviant and therefore queer theorists argue against categorization or identity construction for this reason.

Which of the following is not a key assumption of social constructionism? -The assumption that knowledge and social action are independent from each other -The assumption that knowledge is produced in a specific historical period -The assumption that knowledge is sustained by social process -The assumption that knowledge must be challenged

The assumption that knowledge and social action are independent from each other

Which of the following is not a key assumption of queer theory?

The assumption that our society promotes self-disciplinary behaviors

In your own words, what does the concept of cultural Marxism mean? How is this relevant to critical work?

The concept of cultural Marxism tells us that culture is the main source of oppression. it is important so we can see how our culture is oppressing us through media and commodities. Drawing on Marxist ideas of inequalities, cultural Marxism refers to the idea that not only does class create inequalities, but cultural ideologies do so as well. In other words, things such as gender, race, class, family, sexuality, and religion are all forms of inequality that exploit and create hierarchies between and among people. This concept is relevant to critical work because it perpetuates the idea of mass culture and relies on a critical approach to culture as a means of organizing and regulating society.

Please briefly explain the differences between first, second, and third wave feminism.

The first wave of feminism began in the 1830's-1920 and focused mostly on women's suffrage; political rights/rights to vote and formal equality. The second wave began in was 1960-1990 and was focused on social equality and reconceptualization of relations between men and women and the concept of gender. The third wave grew feminism to include women of color and lesbians. Basically, it began to look at feminist's issues using intersectionality. The first two waves were primarily concerned with white, middle upper class women, and the third included women of color and all socioeconomic status and sexual orientation.

Which of the following best describes Baudrillard's theory of hyperreality? -The idea that difference and plurality should be championed in postmodern thought -The idea that society is now organized by simulacrum instead of production -The idea that power floats through a series of signs in order to produce reality - The idea that we live in a society where the models of the real replace reality

The idea that we live in a society where the models of the real replace reality

What does Lyotard mean when he argues that there is a "grand narrative of modernity"? Why is this important to postmodern thought?

This was Lyotard's way for the totalizing narratives of modernity which have provided ideologies with a legitimating philosophy of history. Lyotard believed that grand narratives are the stories we were told, they are not necessarily true and should make way for more localized narratives. This concept opens the doors for the idea of multiple realities or the subjectiveness of truth/reality. Lyotard rejected totalitarian theories in favor of theories of difference. He argued that the narrative of modernity, rationality, and the reliance on science was simply a discourse used to establish dominance. Therefore, he critiques this narrative and argues that we should abandon universal forms of knowledge and focus on localized discourses.

According to Foucault, the task of genealogy is to recover the autonomous discourses and voices that are suppressed by totalizing narratives.

True

According to queer theory, the self is a false notion that is based on social scripts True False

True

Bell Hooks argued that feminist thought marginalized the voices of nonwhite women in society.

True

Constructionists focus broadly on the connections between knowledge and language.

True

Critical theorists argue that culture has become a way to soothe and control individuals.

True

Dorothy Smith believed that social theory was adequately equipped with the tools to see the subtleties in society.

True

Foucault's main critique of Derrida was his argument that nothing exists outside the text.

True

Lyotard argued that although postmodern thought is not always compatible, it teaches us to be self-aware and tolerable of multiple viewpoints.

True

Many gender theorists believe that gender exists as a structure on the individual, interactional, and institutional level.

True

Postmodernity emphasizes the deconstruction of totalitarian theories in favor of multiple versions of reality.

True

Queer politics advocates for the full social and economic equality of all sexual minorities. True False

True

Social constructionists believe that language is constitutive of experience.

True

Please explain the relationship between heterosexuality, gender, and family, according to queer theory.

heterosexuality become the norm as a way to enforce binary gender roles. Heteronormativity made the most sense for procreation/family. Believes these are interrelated. According to queer theorists, heterosexuality is a normalized, regulating agent in our society. As a result, privilege goes to those who adhere to heterosexual practices, which in turn promote traditional gender roles within the family. These three things are interrelated and create hierarchies based on family type, gender expression, and sexuality. As a result, queer theorists argue against heteronormativity as a way to organize and privilege certain groups of people.

According to critical theorists, a means to an end way of living and thinking is known as

instrumental rationality

The process by which individuals are informed how they should perform certain actions s known as

legitimation

Postmodern politics is divided into a ___________that aims to build new political groupings and a ______________that aims to mobilize politics based on cultural identities

politics of difference, identity politics