be able to distinguish between "nature" and "nurture."
understand the different theories of socialization: functionalist and conflict approaches, social learning theory, cognitive developmental theory, and symbolic interactionism.
be able to identify the primary agents of socialization: the family, peers, schools, and the mass media.
be familiar with the process of communication, including the different verbal and nonverbal processes involved: body language, paralanguage, proxemics, touch, and artifacts.
understand the significance of the definition of the situation.
understand the process of the formation of the self.
be familiar with Charles Horton Cooley's looking-glass self.
be familiar with George Herbert Mead's stages in the development of self, including the notions of significant other and generalized other.
be familiar with Erving Goffman's conception of impression management and his dramaturgical approach.
understand socialization as a continuing process through the life course.
be familiar with the components of the life course: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, later adulthood, and death.
