Sociology 110 Professor Aldrich & Ms. Davis
September 29th1998, Summary
1. Remember -- you are writing about Hollywood's views, not your own! You can comment on Hollywood, but be sure to keep your own views distinct.
2. You should AVOID having too many themes -- your paper will be only 2 pages, about 7 or 8 paragraphs, and they should be tied together with a few common threads. AVOID the syndrome of one theme per paragraph.
3. Use Kanter & Jackall, if you wish, to emphasize the similarity or differences between Hollywood's views & the views of two social scientists who've actually studied careers in large organizations.
1. Cognitive heuristics are particularly useful for people under conditions of uncertainty & ignorance. Why? (You should be able to answer this).
2. Example of an organizational heuristic: Question: "who's good?" Answer "people similar to me." Organizations foster person, role, and event heuristics.
3. Organizations as opportunity structures (useful vocabulary for analyzing the videos):
a. entry ports
b. promotion chains/job ladders (same thing)
c. mobility barriers/wrong routes
4. What are the consequences of the system described by Jackall and
Kanter for the people who lose out? (Every competitive system has
winners AND losers.)
a. embitterment
b. social avoidance/isolation
c. stress & problems in mental health