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¶ … SOCIOLOGICAL TERMS (Terms in Italics)
Varsity Jackets, Subcultures, and the Function of Sports in Society The girl who continuously checked her cell phone was probably texting messages to friends. That activity would now be considered part of popular culture because it is relatively pervasive throughout contemporary American society, especially among this age group. A decade (or a decade and a half) ago, cell phones were somewhat less common and air time was considerably more expensive. At that time, cell phones had not yet become widespread enough to be considered part of popular culture; however, because of the connotations associated with them when they were less widely available, they would have been considered elements of high culture by virtue of their relative exclusivity and connotations of privilege or wealth associated with their use. That would have been even more true a few years earlier when cell phones were only available in cars and generally only owned by the wealthy and powerful.
In sociological terms, the varsity letter jackets worn by the students would be considered status symbols because they have specific social connotations that correspond to achievements that are valued by the group. They represent group identity in high school based on membership in sports teams. In many cases, sports teams also feature subcultures in which group norms and values are used by members of the group to maintain a degree of exclusivity to membership in their group as well; in the high school setting, these would typically be referred to as cliques.
In general, competitive sports can be viewed from the structural-functional sociological approach or from the symbolic-interaction approach. In the former, sports would be viewed primarily in connection with their functions, such as a means through which participants maintain physical fitness or pursue enjoyment; in the latter, sports would be viewed more for their use as a means of establishing the identity of individuals within groups and as a means of establishing social relationships and social hierarchies associated with specific achievements. In that context, varsity letter jackets serve an important symbolic purpose for group identity, membership, and exclusivity.
Social Norms, High Culture, and Popular Culture
Gender Roles and Social Constructs of Reality
There were several specific representations of gender roles. The fact that the high school girls only drank while the boys ate heartily is at least partly a function of the fact that women are socialized to be more discrete about their consumption of food as well as by the fact that in…
Ballet NYC - History and Mission The History and Mission of the New York City Ballet Edgar Degas's painting, entitled Dance Class at the Opera, shows four women dressed in beautiful, almost ethereal looking ballet dresses, complete with sashes at the waist and perfect buns. Some of the women are waiting and others are preparing for what the viewer believes, will be a fantastic program. Degas was able to portray movement, passion, and
American-born choreographers and dancers also added to the development of American ballet. "Choreographers such as Ruth Page, Agnes de Mille, and Jerome Robbins created dances to specifically American themes. American dancers who have gained fame in the 1900's include Maria Tallchief, Suzanne Farrell, Cynthia Gregory, Edward Villella, and Arthur Mitchell" (Ballet History, 2006). Ballet became firmly established in Australia in the early 1900's soon after visits by the ballerinas Adeline
By being able to do so -- by actually doing so -- he also changed the role of ballet in society and the role of classical male dancers in society. This change was certainly not an enormous one, but in the context of gender relations and the role of high art in society during his lifetime, it was startling (Ramsay, 1995). Audiences in Nijinsky's era rejected the legitimacy of masculinity
Ballet Russe and Nijinsky influence the gendering of ballet? Consider both repertories and choreography. Today, when the average individual thinks of dance, they quite often think of ballet. But if ballet itself is a cultural stereotype of what 'dance is,' the specific art form of ballet itself has a legion of cultural stereotypes attached to it. Legendary choreographic interpreters past and present have attempted to break such ballet cliches and
Ballet George Balanchine and Serge Diaghilev were similar and yet different in various ways. For instance, both were prominent figures in the 20th century: they worked together in the Ballets Russes for five years in the latter half of the 1920s; Balanchine was the choreographer and ballet master, Diaghilev the promoter. Diaghilev had staged works, too, and is regarded as a pioneer in the field -- uniting new music and modernist
In the flower-drum dance, they performers used drums as they danced. Most Chinese dances derived from "folks" or people who danced during celebrations in communities until the Han dynasty (WorkArtsWest 2005). In the Han era, a musical entertainment court would be established for the imperial court, documented and enhanced folk songs and dances. The political stability and economic prosperity that followed during the Tang dynasty allowed the growth and flourishing