Transcript May 18

COMM 3180-01
Communication& Social Behavior
May 18, 2005
Social Construction: The Basics
To Begin: A Few Examples
Balls and Strikes: The Social Construction
of Baseball
Daisies or Dandelions: The Social
Construction of Weeds
Firewood or Band-aid?: The Social
Construction of Science
What Is Real? How Do We Know?
Ontology
Epistemology
 The study of reality
 What exists, independent
of:
 The study of knowledge
 How we come to know
what exists (positivism),
or:
 What exists, as “created”
through:
 How we come to know
about it
 How we think, feel, or talk
about it
 How we come to know
about it
 How we think, feel, or talk
about it
Social Construction: Two Views
A “Hard” Version
 An ontological view of
social construction
 “Reality” is created
through communication
 There is no “reality”
independent of
communication
 Example: Baudrillard’s
claim that there “was
no Gulf War”
A “Soft” Version
 An epistemological view
of social construction
 “Reality” is understood
through communication
 “Reality” is only
meaningful through
communication
 Example: Berger and
Luckman’s The Social
Construction of
Knowledge
What They Share In Common:
A “Family Resemblance” (Burr, Ch. 1)
A critical stance to taken-for-granted
knowledge: Questioning categories
Historical and cultural specificity
Knowledge is sustained by social
processes
Knowledge and action are inextricably
linked
Three Important Themes:
Anti-Essentialism, Relativity, Language
Essentialism and Anti-Essentialism
Truth and Relativity
Language: Two Notes
Language is a precondition for thought
Language is a form of action
Why Social Construction?
Burr, Chapter Two
What is Burr’s argument for the social
construction of personality? What it your
reaction?
What is Burr’s argument for the social
construction of health/illness? What it your
reaction?
What is Burr’s argument for the social
construction of sexuality? What it your
reaction?
Allen, “Social Constructionism”
Questions
What does Allen identify as some critiques
of the social construction perspective?
How does Allen see her identity and
career as shaped by the process of social
construction?
Do you see similarities between Allen’s
narrative and the process by which your
identity/career have developed?
For Monday:
Groups will be assigned: You’ll need to
begin working on group contract
immediately!
Read Burr, Chapters 3 & 4