SOCY 64 The Sociology of Emotion
Most people think of emotions as a purely internal experience, composed solely of physiological elements. Recently, however, sociologists have begun to emphasize and explore the social side of emotion-for example, how emotions are shaped socially and culturally, how emotions are socially controlled, and the consequences of emotion for social life. We will examine these and other sociological aspects of emotional experience in this course, including exploring current debates about the social functions of emotions, especially as they pertain to the substantive areas of work and family. Topics include the social causes of emotion; cultural variations in feeling and expression norms (especially in regard to love and anger); changes in American norms over time; the shaping of children's emotions through socialization; individual and social techniques of emotion management; the social distribution of emotional experience; the social functions of emotion; emotional deviance; and the individual and social consequences of emotional display.
Instructor
Lively