Description: Symbolic Interaction in Society provides a systematic application of symbolic interaction to society, including theory and research related to all of the relevant topics in sociology today: race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, social institutions, and social change.
Brief description: David Rohall received his Ph.D. in 2000 from University of Maryland-College Park, and is now Department Head and Professor of Sociology at Missouri State University. In addition to general courses in sociology, Dr. Rohall teaches courses in sociological social psychology, identity, and socialization. His primary research interests lie within the social structure and personality perspective, including the study of how social structural conditions impact individuals' sense of self and their attitudes and beliefs about the world.
Review Quotes:
"Over half a century ago, sociologist Herbert Blumer used the term "symbolic interaction" (SI) to describe a theoretical approach challenging behaviorism, functionalism, and other prevailing orthodoxies in the field. Rooted in the Chicago school of sociology and American pragmatism and bearing the distinctive imprint of George Herbert Mead and Robert E. Park, this school took hold, particularly in the American Midwest. While Rohall (Missouri State Univ.) does not dwell on this history, he offers a far-ranging overview of the various currents of symbolic interaction that have arisen since Blumer. Following introductory chapters on social constructionism and methods, the remaining eight chapters take up substantive topics. As such, the book bears a resemblance to a brief, introductory sociology textbook, framed entirely in terms of one theoretical perspective. There are chapters devoted to culture, the self, socialization, emotions (less covered in introductory texts), deviance and mental health, inequality, institutions, and collective behavior. Rohall writes in an accessible manner and uses a variety of pedagogical tools, including personal notes, excerpts from "original works," and chapter reviews of "SI online." The result is a book professors committed to symbolic interaction will find appealing.
Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates." --Choice Reviews