SOC344 2020 Final Blog (Re. Films) – Friday 12.30pm

Week 2 - Mind/Body Split They approached the topic of mind/body split in a creative way. The scenario of a girl crying and how others would respond differently showcases clearly the variation between emotion and bodily response in a real-life setting. Perhaps they can explore more on the connection between rationality and emotion as well by examining Barbalet’s three approaches to the mind/body influence since the mind/body split isn’t always clear in real life situations. Week 4 - Civilised Bodies/ Complex Emotions The setting and interview questions explored deeply how we interpret manners in various social situations. I enjoyed how the interviews point out that etiquette can vary across cultures and does not necessarily conform to one standard in today’s society. This could be a good leverage for them to discuss further into how our emotions and response to social situations have changed throughout history, to the current late modernity with distinguishable features of individualisation and reflexivity. Week 5 - Love, intimacy in Late Modernity The questions and the responses were incredibly insightful and provide societal accounts on how theoretical concepts such as pure relationships and transformation of intimacy are reflected in our modern everyday life. They also touched on the gendered differences in emotional availability which serves really well for the upcoming week’s topics. Week 6 - Disconnection, Loneliness and Medicalisation As a group member for week 6’s presentation, we tried to incorporate the previous week’s idea of gendered norms and carried it through our discussion of loneliness and medicalisation. We showcased quite well how different genders experience disconnection and mental health differently as a result of social expectations, which in turn affect their attitude towards loneliness especially during our contemporary setting of COVID-19. In hindsight, we could put more emphasis on stigmas and associated emotions (especially with embarrassment, shame and guilt), and how current practices of mass and social media affect these emotions. Week 7 - Managed Heart at Work and Home The interview in this week again sparks some interesting insights into the gender norms surrounding emotion management and how females are usually more susceptible to emotional labour because of their image as the ‘care-giver’. A fascinating point was briefly mentioned regarding social class and how a person’s SES background can also impact their emotion work and eventually their mental health, however this insight can be explored deeper especially in reference to Gross’s process model of emotion regulation. Week 9 - Emotional Extraction, Modified Bodies, Aesthetic Industry A case study on tattoos and piercing is an apt example on how differently we are expressing our emotions and personalities as compared to previous generations. The topic can be explored deeper in terms of how these forms of expressions relate to emotions of admiration, envy or jealousy: is the growing popularity of tattoos and piercings solely based on our needs for authenticity? Or are there other factors such as elevated social status, or the needs to belong to a certain group? Week 10 - Politics, Shame and Anger The interview with a professional in the older age group brings diversity into our class’s presentation with his background and experience of a different age cohort. The questions and answers draw compelling relations between the emotions and shame and anger with current social media and politics, pointing at how these seemingly individualistic feelings can be impactful in a social setting. It also points out the need for regulations to control excessive, harmful emotions expressed online which is highly relevant in today’s context. Week 11 - Happiness, Hope and Empathy The photo essay with accompanying case study of tsunamis media coverage raises questions about our empathy being shaped by the media and through condescending pity. It ties in with the previous week’s theme of how our emotions are somewhat manipulated by mass media and requires individuals to be emotionally reflexive (which is a particular characteristic of Late Modernity). However, the presentation can also explore the themes of happiness and optimism: how such subjective emotions are measured and affected by external conditions, whether we can ever correctly measure happiness, etc.

Across a variety of presentations, overarching themes including social constructionism, gender, conformity and norms were mentions. However, more specific and important themes were missed. Tutorial 2 (Mind/Body Split) did an adequate job on the explanation of emotional responses that people experience in their everyday life. A theme that was missed was the reconnect of the mind-body split, and providing a clear distinction between what happens when the mind and body think in separate ways compared to when they work together. It could also have included stronger examples of people experiencing emotions through their mind. Tutorial 3 (Civilised Bodies, Complex Emotions) exhibits strong examples of the way people perform and conform to be civilised beings through socialisation in their video presentation. However, their ability to synthesize their knowledge and record on complex emotions was a vital theme that was missed. Tutorial 4 (Love and intimacy) engaged their interviewees with complex questions that stimulated important thoughts and explored the themes of relationships, gender and love in contemporary times. However, mention on the theme of jealousy and loneliness could have aided the discussion. Tutorial 5 (Disconnection, loneliness and medicalisation) there was mention of the themes of medicalisation and pharmaceutical culture which bought up good discussion from a variety of people, as well as conversation about gender and masculinity regarding mental health and emotions. The group did not make mention about the commodification of emotions however, and that therapy culture is now a huge earner in Western societies. Tutorial 7 (Managed Heart at Work and Home) connected the week’s theme with performativity of emotions, creating discussion with the interviewees about how they perform their behaviour and emotions at work. There was also sufficient conversation made around gender and the differences between expected gender performativity. However, there was little discussion stimulated around the theme of commercialisation of emotions, where people are obliged to manage their emotions correctly with the intentions for financial gain. Tutorial 8 (Emotional Extraction, Modified Bodies & Aesthetics Industry) discussion covered themes of social constructionism, age and gender, however missed an opportunity to discuss a range of different cultural phenomenons when it comes to aesthetics and emotions. They also did not explore how if aesthetic modifications can make someone feel like their ‘true selves’. Tutorial 9 (Politics, Shame and Anger) covers the themes of anger and shame in politics and society with the rise of technology correctly and concisely in the mock interview. However, discussion about themes of gender and social constructions around anger and shame through late modernity could have made the interview stronger and more interesting. I think Tutorial 10 (Happiness, hope and mindfulness) group could have taken the opportunity to discuss how happiness and hope manifests different cross-culturally and how the West’s understanding differs. While the montage was strong when supporting the reading, it missed the critical themes of the week, being mindfulness and happiness. While strong themes were present across the presentations, exploration of specific emotions would be a critique of the works.

Week 3 was our group so I won’t comment. Week 4 was enjoyable as it showed a range of responses to the questions. As noted by Alyssa, all of the respondents were female, comparing the acceptability of certain behaviours across genders as well as contexts would have been an interesting exploration. As noted by Amelia, complex emotions weren’t really touched on either. Perhaps the feelings of embarrassment which come from transgressing these rules of etiquette. Week 5 Love, intimacy and late modernity. It would have been nice to see a comparison of people within a variety of relationships in the interviews. It was good to see an older voice, and to hear views on perceived across generations. I’m not sure they the term pure was defined before that question was asked which led to somewhat empty answers. The different interpretations of freedom of choice, autonomy and freedom of self expression across gender and age brackets was interesting. There was no mention of trauma or mental health issues, which was listed in the readins as an impediment to pure relationships. Neither was there any mention of fiscal hardship. The different views toward familial and religious guidelines were very interesting. found the response to the ‘gender roles’ question entertaining. That a woman asking a man on a date is an example of gender roles made me laugh because I forgot this was considered against gender roles. I’ve asked out guys and girls as a guy and a girl, and been asked out by guys and girls as a guy and a girl. It really shouldn’t matter, but the point raised about how hard it is to uncode these things is true, because it did matter to me once. week 6 Disconnection Loneliness and Medicalisation. There wasn’t much focus on medical treatments for mental health issues, and there was a strong ‘last resort’ mindset. Toxic masculinity was frequently raised and broadly defined as guardedness, less emotional communication and a desire to avoid being a burden (or troublesome). There was some really lovely editing in this. No views on mental illness preventing reaching out, or making people avoid friends because they are either too emotional, or too repressed. This intersection of mental illness and medicalisation is hugely important but felt quite neglected. It would have been good to look at the stigma of men communicating their emotions to women and how their lack of emotional intelligence causes them to be manipulative in these attempts. week 7 Managed Heart. I’m interested in how stigma and harassment wasn’t represented in this. How behaviour was managed at work and other contexts is covered extensively. Some of the responses felt like they lacked direction. The ‘gendered differences are all societal norms’ point doesn’t have any dissenting views and is reiterated many times and seems to diminish the increased difficulties women face in terms of sexism and improved emotional awareness in women (P. A. Bos et al, 2016). Insisting upon homogeneity leads to misunderstandings and unfair expectations. I also wish there was more in terms of individualised responsibility for emotional management and the implications of this. week 9 Emotional extraction, modified bodies, aesthetic industries. Age was seen as the dominant factor in deciding upon the stigmatisation of piercings and tattoos. Stigma is focused on aesthetic choices, rather than fatphobia, racialised prejudices, misogyny and queerphobia, which narrows the analysis. The place of scorn and envy and the valuation of bodies and how this is utilised by the aesthetic industry was not explored. The role of individual agency against societally induced shame in choices to undergo cosmetic surgery was also largely unexplored. week 10 Politics shame and anger. I really enjoyed this individual perspective, and found his views on support groups for shame ridden individuals well expressed. week 11 Happiness hope and empathy. The utilisation of empathy and pity in order to mobilise national action was well explored. Emotions as they are used in world politics. Netasha Lennard criticises the fact that corpses of children are only displayed when the victims are black or brown. There is a respect afforded to white people not present in these photographic ethics. This has longer term political and cultural implications connected to racialised othering. I wish further attention was given to how the trauma is capitalised upon by outside actors, as this presentation felt largely in favour of the practice. .

The videos each week hit on a lot of interesting themes within late modern society. The mind/body split in week 3 hit on mainly the split between emotional and logical responses. The video could have included more, and some of the skits weren’t as socially based as they could have been due to the fact that Covid restrictions were rapidly increasing while it was being filmed. The video for week 4 shows an interesting split between peoples manners in regard to food and greetings followed by an interview afterward about how people perceive those manners in social situations. Interesting questions were asked, and manners in different settings were addressed, as well as the social class distinctions that can form in regards to manners. Week 5’s video also uses interviews to address pure relationships and the themes surrounding those, looking at different hypotheses to bring out a better idea of what a pure relationship looks like and means and the impact of social or external factors on those relationships. This video had a wide range of interviewees with different perspectives which worked well to address and bring out the themes in their questions while giving a wider view. Week 6 looked at loneliness and mental illnesses by interviewing people who have been in quarantine. They looked at the link between medication and mental illnesses, the stigma of gender when confronted with mental illnesses. They look at the presence of social media and how that affects loneliness and again they address the different experiences of loneliness between different genders. Week 7’s video once again uses the interview format to look at firstly the difference in our behaviour at work, as compared to outside of work circumstances as well as the impact on gender in regard to emotional labour and the impact of our social lives on how we manage our emotions. Again the variety of interviewees meant that they were able to address many themes that are hit on by this topic. Week 9 looked at the social implications and stigmas around tattoos and piercings, they had a limited number of interviewees, most of which were in a similar age range which would have limited the responses given while trying to explore these topics. The video from week 10 was an interesting change to the interviews we’ve seen previously, hearing from a renowned doctor and his experiences with shame and anger within his personal and professional life. This was new and interesting to see an interview from a professional and anger and shame were well explored. Lastly, the video in week 11 used a montage of images from the 2004 tsunami to explore the effect disaster imagery has on happiness, hope and empathy and how these can lead to solidarity in a social sense.

Week 3 video montage of mind/body split depicted for me in some cases emotional responses are suitable compared to logical responses, for example, talking to someone who is crying, the emotional response was nicer because they seemed to care a lot more for the person and how they felt, whereas logical was kind of just get over it. Week 4, civilised bodies, complex emotions, the interviews focused on etiquette manners when using a fork and knife or hands for eating and it was said mostly dependent on the situation you are in and that it is more so a cultural differentiation, than a class one. I think this is true and it is more of a how you’re brought up and a respect thing, you aren’t going to go to a country and their traditional meals that are eaten with their hands, you’re going to respect that and do the same but if a 5-star restaurant, like said, you’d eat with a knife and fork. Week 5, Love, intimacy late modernity spoke on the pure relationship and how they are realistic because people nowadays are goal driven and know when they want to be in a relationship, it is what they want, also how freedom was a major point for a pure relationship, it was said for a pure relationship there has to be that sense of connection with one another and the sense of freedom, working with one another and having that freedom will cause a happy, pure relationship due to you being able to be yourself. Week 6, disconnection, loneliness and medicalisation, what intrigued me was the mental health of males, there use to be this stigma that men are weak if they show emotion or ask for help, there still is but feel as if society is becoming accepting and supportive towards males mental health and this topic aided in showing this. week 7, managed heart at work and home, the interview portrayed how your personal life can come into your work life with your emotions and that majority of the time your emotions have to be managed and be different at work, rather than home. It also showed how people expect or generally think emotional labour is done by females majorly because females are the more emotional gender. Week 9, emotional extraction, modified bodies, aesthetic industries showed how body modifications are seen negatively, mainly by older generations and that there will always be a stigma around people who have them but as society becomes more accepting of it, these stigmas may cease. Week 10, politics, shame and anger, what intrigued me in the interview was how anger can be a emotion of connection, it was said that anger is an emotion that people want to be heard and tell others in order to connect with people that are angry about that topic too and have that sense of validation for that anger. Finally, week 11, happiness, hope and empathy, they had the 2004 tsunami as an example of how empathy can be shown through the media, it was effective, maybe some mock interviews could’ve been added but overall, it still explained the concept well. #S344UOW20 #TutFilm #Fri1230

Week 3 video montage of mind/body split depicted for me in some cases emotional responses are suitable compared to logical responses, for example, talking to someone who is crying, the emotional response was nicer because they seemed to care a lot more for the person and how they felt, whereas logical was kind of just get over it. Week 4, civilised bodies, complex emotions, the interviews focused on etiquette manners when using a fork and knife or hands for eating and it was said mostly dependent on the situation you are in and that it is more so a cultural differentiation, than a class one. I think this is true and it is more of a how you’re brought up and a respect thing, you aren’t going to go to a country and their traditional meals that are eaten with their hands, you’re going to respect that and do the same but if a 5-star restaurant, like said, you’d eat with a knife and fork. Week 5, Love, intimacy late modernity spoke on the pure relationship and how they are realistic because people nowadays are goal driven and know when they want to be in a relationship, it is what they want, also how freedom was a major point for a pure relationship, it was said for a pure relationship there has to be that sense of connection with one another and the sense of freedom, working with one another and having that freedom will cause a happy, pure relationship due to you being able to be yourself. Week 6, disconnection, loneliness and medicalisation, what intrigued me was the mental health of males, there use to be this stigma that men are weak if they show emotion or ask for help, there still is but feel as if society is becoming accepting and supportive towards males mental health and this topic aided in showing this. week 7, managed heart at work and home, the interview portrayed how your personal life can come into your work life with your emotions and that majority of the time your emotions have to be managed and be different at work, rather than home. It also showed how people expect or generally think emotional labour is done by females majorly because females are the more emotional gender. Week 9, emotional extraction, modified bodies, aesthetic industries showed how body modifications are seen negatively, mainly by older generations and that there will always be a stigma around people who have them but as society becomes more accepting of it, these stigmas may cease. Week 10, politics, shame and anger, what intrigued me in the interview was how anger can be a emotion of connection, it was said that anger is an emotion that people want to be heard and tell others in order to connect with people that are angry about that topic too and have that sense of validation for that anger. Finally, week 11, happiness, hope and empathy, they had the 2004 tsunami as an example of how empathy can be shown through the media, it was effective, maybe some mock interviews could’ve been added but overall, it still explained the concept well. #S344UOW20 #TutFilm #Fri1230

Reviewing and critiquing the combined films and montages was very intriguing. To first appreciate that the aim was to show how bodies and emotions differ in society, but as students were not allowed to physically interact in social situations, they had to produce and convey bodies in societies through Zoom calls. Each montage consisted of video interviews, with a range of participants answering set questions. The questions covered different aspects within each topic and prompt personal experiences for each respondent. There was a consistent theme throughout each montage of the connection of the topic with bodies in society, whether it was a personal experience or a personal belief. One theme that wasn’t identifiable throughout the films was Late Modernity. Late modernity is one of the essential factors relating to bodies in societies, it provides a basis for the changing in emotions and bodies over time, the complexities that may not have been apparent in the past but have been crucial in today’s society. Whilst the mock interviews were in-depth and conveyed perspectives of the different topics over the weeks, an understanding for the themes surrounding emotions and bodies could’ve been portrayed through filming someone doing something, then interviewing individuals’ thoughts on those actions. Overall, considering the circumstances of social distancing, the student films provided a greater understanding of each weeks’ topic, incorporating a range of mock interviews and questions that allowed an insight into individuals’ experiences and perspectives when looking into various themes of emotions and bodies in societies.

The mind/body split presentation was interesting in its approach to emotions and rationality and I think the mock-play was very clear in demonstrating the difference between the two. The footage of the bodily response and the thoughtful response to live music was very creative and something I had not thought about prior to the presentation, however I felt there was some disconnection between the first and second half of the film. The civilised bodies, complex emotions presentation looked at manners in different circumstances. I thought this presentation was very interesting particularly seeing the different manners e.g. formal language and colloquial language and then seeing the individual responses to those behaviours. The presentation linked each set of manners to class differentiation and I thought that was a good way to link the presentation together. The love and intimacy in late modernity presentation asked thought-provoking questions that clearly demonstrated love and intimacy in this period by asking a range of people their opinions. The questions were very useful in understanding the topic that week particularly understanding the ‘pure relationship’. For the disconnection, loneliness and medicalisation presentation, my group and I focused our question on all three elements of the topic but paid close attention to disconnection and loneliness particularly in the time of COVID-19. The managed heart at home and work presentation highlighted the ways that different individuals alter their behaviour between work and home, demonstrating how issues in our personal lives often have to be put aside when in a work environment despite the severity. This presentation clearly identified the themes of emotional labour through the mock interviews and expanded on the content for that week. The emotional extraction, modified bodies and aesthetic industries presentation highlighted how body modifications are viewed today with a particular focus on views from a younger generation. I think it would have expanded further on the topic if the interviewees were a range of ages, but the responses were interesting particularly in relation to stigma. The politics, shame and anger presentation was very informative and the thoughtful choice of interviewee with a unique perspective elevated the presentation and highlighted the themes of that week including shame and its position in politics. The final presentation on happiness, hope and empathy used the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia to highlight empathy and how it was conveyed at the time. Further discussion could have been useful for the topic, but their presentation was interesting regardless. Overall, I think each presentation clearly identified the relevant themes and each group presented a valuable perspective in relation to their topics. These presentations further explained the lecture material and increased my knowledge as the audience. #Fri1230 #SOC344

Week 3’s mind/body split presentation explored emotion driven and throught driven responses. I enjoyed seeing the difference in expression captured with the use of live music. Although a number of the images used in the photo essay prompted me to make connections with emotion and thought responses, the memes did throw me off. The week 4 (Civilised bodies, complex emotions) presentation explored manners and etiquette resulting in great responses from interviewees. The in depth questions linked well together with responses exploring the importance of social contexts and how it effects what people find acceptable. As a co-presenter for week 5 (Love and intimacy in late modernity), we saw diverse opinions from interviewees, which highlighted the complexity of society. A number of cultural and societal factors were discussed when considering love and intimacy in late modernity. Perhaps we could have explored the reflexive narrative of self in connection to late modernity within the interview questions. The topic for week 6 (Disconnection, loneliness and medicalization) was positioned well with video respondents answering questions alone during quarantine. There were diverse responses to medicalization with points being made relating to stigma and environmental factors. A key theme that came up was the acknowledgement of the influence social pressures have, specifically on men resulting in loneliness. In week 7’s presentation (A managed heart at work and home), we saw a number of great examples from interviewees of how they managed their emotions at work – many I can relate to myself personally. There was a strong discussion around feeling rules and how the interviewees interpreted this personally whilst also considering the role of societal influences on the expression of emotions. Week 8 (Emotional extraction, modified bodies and aesthetic industries) discussed people’s thoughts on body modification, specifically tattoos and piercings. Reference was made to stigma and the difference in opinions between generations. Perhaps it would have been good to have questions about other forms of modification, such as plastic surgery or weight loss, and aesthetic industries. Week 9’s (Politics, shame and anger) interview with Dr Blair Mudford discussing was interesting to watch with questions seeking to understand emotions and how they may be manipulated by various external factors (eg. Social media). Great discussion around the role emotions play in politics and how we as part of society can be misled and manipulated by those in power within the political sphere. Week 10 (Happiness, hope and empathy) discussed how the media uses disaster imagery to evoke emotions of empathy from viewers in the hope that they may take action toward the cause. The visual representations of suffering were quite disturbing but it was interesting to understand the mechanics behind how and why it is used. The commentary that accompanied the images was great as it provided detailed explanations around the role of social compassion which made me consider its contribution to engagement with activism. All presentations contributed to solidifying my learning relative to emotions and specifically how they operate and are manipulated within society. Key themes that appeared to appear across many presentations were stigma and the diverse role that societal and cultural impacts play on our emotions. It has been interesting to see the contrast between socially acceptable attitudes and emotions in the 19th century and now and the adaptation to late modernity.

Everyone this semester did an excellent job in their videos whether it be mock interviews or photo/video montages, every week had their strengths and weakness. Starting with week 3, I enjoyed this week's video as it compares the physical and emotional responses to different situations as it was engaging to see the comparison side by side. However, it could be strengthened by focusing deeper into the topic as the end part slightly trailed off. Week 4, highlighted the themes of ‘Civilised bodies, Complex emotions’, through mock interviews they were able to emphasise the way that we perceive and interpret behaviour in what we deem to be acceptable or “civilised”. They showed a detailed knowledge of civilised bodies, however, they lacked the connection to complex emotions. What I found particularly interesting within this week, was other people’s perspectives on what they deem to be civilised as I was then able to self reflect and pull from personal experiences on the matter. (Which I was able to use to contribute in the week’s pallet questions). Both weeks 5 & 6 I found showed excellent amounts of detail and thought into making the videos. They demonstrated the week’s content well and easily able to digest and be understood, which I found is a very important characteristic in these weeks. Week 6 in particular though, I found that their video was very nicely laid out and flowed. Week 7, highlighted emotional management emphasising that we all practise managing how behaviours according to the scenarios that we are in, whether we realise it or not. Especially for those who work settings where customer service and their “satisfaction” are incredibly important such as retail or hospitality. Week 9, was my week, and through re-watching and reading other critiques of our week, there was a lot of content that was missed and could be improved on through a longer video. An interesting topic that would have tied in closer to the week’s topics would be ‘whether or not these stigmas shift between genders’ or interestedly “would tattoo artistes need to be tattooed themselves concerning aesthetic labour”. Week 10 demonstrated a high level of understanding and provided very valuable information within their video especially through their interview of the doctor/professional. Week 11 effectively incorporated the themes of happiness, hope, and empathy within their video, however, they lacked further discussion on the topic. Overall, everyone did well.

The photo montages and mock interviews presented throughout the semester provided further insight and different perspectives on the content presented each week. There were common themes throughout them, with notions of the influence of social norms, stereotypes and expectations, differences between settings, social groups and across generations. Interviewees showed impressive self-reflexivity in their answers, examining their behaviours and emotions in relation to their physical, social and emotional environments. One of the interviewees in ‘A managed heart at work and home’ noted that self-reflexivity is important in managing our emotions in different environments and social situations, whilst interviewees in ‘Civilised bodies, complex emotions’ mentioned multiple times how the setting of an interaction significantly influences how they act. Cultural differences, class differences and generational differences were mentioned in many responses throughout the interviews, however they were not discussed in detail nor were those communities appropriately represented. The majority of the interviewees were young adults and thus the ideas, expectations and behaviours of older generations were not thoroughly discussed or represented. There was extensive discussion of gender differences, norms and expectations around male and female emotions and behaviours. Answers in the mock interviews for ‘Love and intimacy’, ‘Disconnection, loneliness and medicalisation’ and ‘A managed heart at work and home’ all referred in depth to the norms of the woman as the caregiver and men as the wage earner, as well as expectations of women to be caring, loving and emotional, whilst men are stronger and more guarded in expressing their emotions. Interestingly, there were more female interviewees than male throughout the presentations and I would question if we subconsciously choose female interviewees as we thought they would be better able to answer the questions? Would inclusion of more male perspectives have reinforced or challenged norms of male emotional reflexivity? The interview for ‘Politics, shame and anger’ and the photo montage for ‘Happiness, hope and empathy’ both thoroughly highlighted the idea that our emotions are manipulated by external sources; politicians, traditional and social media. The photo montage clearly showed how the media uses imagery to evoke certain emotions, like pity, shock and empathy. The photos clearly show the victims emotional and bodily responses to their suffering, however the montage cannot wholly convey the response of the viewers, the extent to which they felt the emotions, how far reaching their empathy was or their bodily response to those emotions and more. Overall, the photo montages and mock interviews covered a broad range of themes related to emotions and bodies in society, but could have been improved by covering a wider range of perspectives, like that of gender and age. #S344UOW20 #TutFilm #Fri1230

The first presentation on the mind body split showed an interesting media montage expressing differences between emotional and ‘rational’ responses. The contrast was well shown through the video of someone trying to console a person using either approach. I feel this presentation didn’t deeply address the mind body split in the context of modernity. The civilised bodies presentation effectively compared different opinions on certain behaviours in a current, modern context. Themes such as class and embarrassment were included in questions and discussed which was very insightful. It was interesting to see many people discuss the importance on context. The love and intimacy presentation explored contemporary views on sociological ideas such as the pure relationship. The various perspectives gave an insightful look into the thoughts about love and intimacy today. The disconnection and loneliness presentation most effectively displayed the differences of felt loneliness between demographics. It was very interesting to see the contrasting responses from males and females of different backgrounds when asked if they felt lonely. I think these interviews really added to the lecture content that week. The managed heart presentation explored themes of emotional labour in the workplace. Mock interviews effectively showed the high demand of emotional labour, with many people describing expectations to behave a certain way at work. The emotional extraction presentation looked at contemporary views on modified bodies in modern society. It was interesting to see views on stigma and in them changing. It would have been better if there were more questions on themes such as aesthetic industries and emotional extraction. The presentation on politics, shame and anger provided an incredible mock interview discussing several important themes. It effectively linked discussion over shame, anger and politics and how these interact in our society. The presentation on happiness, hope and empathy delved deeply into empathy through disaster imagery. It effectively discussed how this imagery is used to evoke feelings of empathy and sympathy through conveying helplessness of victims.

Starting off with the tutorial discussions of the mind/body split, the presentation portrayed the contrast between emotion driven responses and thought driven responses very well with their enactment of a personal situation and also the way a crowd may respond to live music (either physically with their body and how they feel the music vs. standing still and responding to the music in a moment of contemplation). The memes and sporting images I thought distracted a bit from the concepts being explored a bit but were still relevant. Following on, the concepts of civilised bodies and complex emotions was represented through mock interviews, where the group gained responses from different people in regards to manners when eating and greeting others. I loved the way the questions were set out and the respondents were made to really think about etiquette, social expectation and class (in which they tended to answer with ‘it depends on the cultural context’, which I agree with). Ideas of love and intimacy in late modernity were also explored through interview format from the group, where the respondents expressed their opinions on such topics as pure relationships, external factors to relationships and gendered roles in relationships. The questions all linked in well with the sociological theories being discussed. The topic of disconnection, loneliness and medicalisation was really good to unpack in an interview style due to COVID-19, as it was good to have the interviewees respond to the topic in regards to social media. The interview covered a lot of the topic from stigma surrounding mental illnesses to opinions and effects of medication and the feeling of loneliness, especially in men. The responses from the interviewees on a managed heart at work and home were really interesting to hear, as they all included stories of the way they have utilised emotion management and deep acting in their jobs, usually to satisfy their boss and customers. The inclusion of questions on gender in relation to emotional labour jobs was also good to hear opinions on. The interview conducted by the group who did emotional extraction, modified bodies and aesthetic industries asked some good questions about the stigmatisation of body modification and the responses spoke about the way different generations respond to it. I would’ve liked a couple more fleshed out questions however they still covered the ideas in the topic. The next interview was different to the others in that it was an interview with Dr. Blair Munford. It was interesting hearing his thoughts on the topic of politics, shame and anger, especially where he explains that “the same rules need to apply to social media as they should everywhere else”, when asked about anger being amplified online, which I agree with. However, I would have liked to have heard from a range of responses to these questions to get some variety. To reflect on my own group’s work on happiness, hope and empathy, we did something different by incorporating an image collage within our presentation to explore how media broadcasts imagery following disasters to evoke empathy from global, especially Western, audiences. As an example we used the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami video and image coverage. I think it would’ve been more effective if we’d have also included interviews where we showed people these images to record their responses and be able to use a real life example of how the imagery evokes empathetic responses. To conclude, all of the presentations successfully portrayed the theories/concepts/ideas from the readings and it is clear that each group had a developed understanding of the topics explored each week. #S344UOW20 #TutFilm #Fri1230

Themes of the Mind/body split topic in week 3 was shown through a mock-played scene and photographic montage, with the scenes illustrating the difference between emotion/bodily driven responses and thought driven responses in different scenarios, and the montage demonstrating examples of emotional fatigue, feelings of isolation, and beauty expectations of the body. However, the connection to the topic was a bit hard to discern in the montage. Week 4’s video looked at ‘Civilised bodies, Complex emotions’, and it utilised a mock interview format to illustrate the significance of context and perspective in both performing behaviour and interpreting behaviour. There was not much regarding emotions however in this video, with most of the questions focusing upon behaviours and bodies. In week 5, mock interviews helped show themes relating to different perspectives on the nature of the pure relationship, looking at aspects such as whether its realistic, the influence of external factors, and the possibility of gendered roles in relationships. A theme/topic that was not addressed in the video was a feminist critique on the pure relationship. Mock interviews were used in week 6’s video which helped illustrate themes of appropriateness of pharmaceuticals in addressing loneliness and disconnection, stigmatisation surrounding loneliness and pharmaceutical treatment, and gender differences in loneliness. However, a summary of how mateship has changed throughout history would have been beneficial, particularly in looking at how previous ideas surrounding mateship affect and influence the disconnectedness and loneliness in men. In week 7, mock interviews helped illustrate themes revolving around how behaviour and emotions are managed according to social scenario, social constructs, and own individual upbringing. Week 9 included a mock interview that helped illustrate differing positions on body modifications and discussions on the nature of stigma. This presentation was relatively short in comparison to other presentations, and as such, it there is a noticeable amount of content missed or not touched upon in extensive detail, including themes regarding emotional extraction or aesthetic industries. The week 10 mock interview showed discussion on the difference of rules and etiquette between the real world and on online platforms and helped illustrate some interesting points regarding shame, anger, and politics. Finally in week 11, a photographic montage was utilised to examine how emotions are expressed through the media, looking specifically at how empathy can be inspired by the media through the use of different techniques and imagery, looking at the example of tsunami event in 2004 in Indonesia.

The week three video on the mind/body spilt did an alright job at showcasing the difference between emotion and logic through the first half of the video but was lacking slightly towards the end because there was no clear connection to the topic. Similarly, the week four video did a good job explaining civilised bodies but did not touch on complex emotions. Had this video covered both elements of the topic it would have been good, but there was a lot about emotions that was missing and therefore it failed to showcase the full topic. The videos on love and intimacy in week five and loneliness and medicalisation in week six were excellent in thoroughly exploring the topics. There were appropriate, thought-invoking questions and detailed responses that directly related to the topic. The week five video could have touched upon the role of jealousy more directly, but it was brought up in answer to some of the questions. The week seven video on emotional management was well thought out and covered the topic accurately, covering workplace, societal and gendered emotion management. The video on emotional extraction, modified bodies and aesthetic industries was lacking in content. While it touched on societal perceptions of modified bodies there was nothing deeper about body modification and nothing concerning emotional extraction or the rise of aesthetic industries. On the opposite, the mock interview for politics, shame and anger was incredible. Not only did the presenters go the extra step and find an expert in the field, but the questions asked were well suited and brought forth very relevant and intriguing conversation points about the link between shame, anger and politics. The week eleven video did a good job at covering the topic and presenting the link between happiness, hope and empathy through the example of the 2004 tsunami, but could have probed deeper into the topic through further discussion.

In week 3 we discussed the Mind/body split and the group creatively used the Live Music scene (in a pre covid-19 world) to display the body and mind divergence. We were presented with two different response to the music, the bodily response, which saw people jumping and dancing to the beat and the thoughtful response, where people stood and listened to the song, presumably thinking over the lyrics. Here, we were able to understand the difference between bodily displays of emotion and mindful ones and form a picture of when an emotional display is socially acceptable although we are limited by the context of video, a few other scenarios would have made the point clearer. The following week we talked about the social and everchanging aspects of manners and etiquette and I found it interesting that the interviewees suggested that manners are all about context, what is acceptable in one setting might not be in another. However, I would be interested to see if gender had an influence on these answers, as all interviewees were female. Next we talked about love and intimacy in Late Modernity and discussed the pure relationship in detail. I would have liked to know more about the effects that the pure relationship has on society and I believe that the group could have related their discussion to feminism and relationships as well. In week 6 we discussed themes of loneliness disconnection and medicalization, a topic which I found fascinating and it was interesting to see how this issue affects men, I found the interviews quite insightful. However, discussion could have included more detail on the history of mateship in Australia and how the idea influences men’s social habits and potentially leads to loneliness. The discussion for week 7 was focused on managing emotions at work and in the home and I found it interesting that the group used personal experiences of their interviewees to display which emotions are most commonly found in the workplace and how they took a gendered approach to emotions in the home. Some discussion on the commodification of emotions in late modernity would have been useful when discussing the workplace. In Week 9 we discussed body modification and emotions and drew parallels between stigma and autonomy in relation to social media influencers and their use of their bodies and emotions to sell products. More discussion surrounding body modification and gender would have been valued in the video. Week 10 discussion surrounded politics and shame and the interview focused on the difference between social media rules and etiquette in the real world arguing that they are different and this needs to change. I found discussions on shame in politics enlightening as this is somethings I have never considered before now. Finally, in week 11 we discussed happiness, hope and empathy and the group used the example of the 2004 tsunami to show how emotions such as empathy were expressed through the media. The group also effectively outlined studies on happiness but could have included more on this by interviewing their peers at the end.

Week 3 themes discussed were as follows; emotional pain and lack of understanding from others explored within the dimension of thought driven responses. This was achieved by reenactment performed by the group. Bodily response to live music (jumping around - potentially a heavy metal band) was compared to thoughtful response to live music (standing around and listening thoughtfully) demonstrating the significance of body and mind divergence. Lastly, emotional fatigue and misrepresentation, isolation of feelings and beauty/expectations of the body. Themes not covered well included a broader reference to the underpinning cultural influences and social structure that impacts emotion. The only cultural reference made was the live music industry culture. Fear as a reaction and the emotional climate of fear in society was not covered nor was Descartes passion of the soul ideology. Week 4 themes discussed were as follows; eating etiquettes and how this behaviour is perceived by others, situation and setting causing shame/embarrassment, influence of upbringing/early years of development, class differentiation and language appropriation in different settings. Themes not covered well included reference to the comparison of manners and behavioural changes, no note of 5 key emotional changes, focused more on cultural difference with little recognition of social changes and only comparison made to America was the hamburger reference for cutlery usage. Week 5 themes discussed were as follows; pure relationship and what is involved relative to individuals, equality, communication, trust, social structure, five hypotheses, highest autonomy and ability to make informed relationship, external factors; religion, culture and societal structure, gendered roles/expectations and ambivalence between men and women. Themes not covered well included challenges for overcoming pure relationship and the application in late modernity, narrative discourse on love and feminists critique. Week 6 themes covered; emotional and psychological disorder, pharmaceutical treatment, stigma, psychodynamic approach impact on men, loneliness, social media and disengagment and gender differences in loneliness. Themes not covered well included; changes in mateship, medical responses to stress (only mentioned pharmaceuticals), little mention of previous treatment methods prior to anti-psychotics, enlightening and liberation period, 1970s toxic cocktails, care vs control and imbalances instead of disorders. Week 7 themes covered; behaviour at work and the motives for it, gendered emotional labour, environment and social relations influences, biologically suited roles stigma, class differentiation, societal influence and mannerisms in different settings. Themes not covered well included; idealism of emotions, worker solidarity, emotional management shift from individualistic perspective to a relational and social perspective, unequal power dynamics and attempts of women to fill the emotional distance. Week 9 examined body modification and emotional comportment as an individualised choice. The group summarised three readings making reference to the themes of stigma, generational norms, acceptance at work and the idea of autonomy. This group however did not cover the following themes well; knowledge and manageability, cultural implication of emotional extraction, self identity as reflexive project, consumerism cycle and the notion of a pure relationship - no permanence. I expected a lot more from this week's presentation given the prevalence within society, more could have been asked about comparison, admiration, anxiety and envy. There was also constant mouse clicking throughout the entire presentation. Week 11 explored the notions of happiness, lifestyle, and subjective well being. We will critically examine ‘healthy lifestyles’, pharmacology, cognitive therapies; philosophical/mindfulness solutions to the problem of ‘unhappiness’; and being emotionally reflexive. Themes covered were prospects for broader social change, including activism, hope and empathy, and the potential for social compassion that these qualities and emotions depend upon. The example utilised was the 2004 tsunami which impacted Indonesia and surrounding areas. Emotions expressed through media and how it shaped politics and actions conveying the above prospects was explored. This presentation was well presented. I would have liked to have seen a mock interview at the end to further cover the subject. Particularly for the themes of cognitive therapies and pharmacology. #Fri1230 #SOC344

Everyone presented some really interesting summarisations of the subject topics this semester. I have some summaries of presentations that I found particularly interesting. In week 3 the discussion of manners in everyday life really struck me, because it is something that would not acknowledge normally. Mostly because acceptable behaviour is drummed into us from a young age, and these behaviours are seen as correct and undisputable in Western culture. The point that I found interesting was how all the interviewees mentioned the importance of context in what is acceptable. For example, the words we use to greet people and how we eat our food changes throughout contexts, and as individuals we are able to navigate these unspoken rules subconsciously. In week 7 the topic of tattoos and piercings came up which interesting to me in particular as I myself have both piercings and tattoo and know many people who also have them. I would agree with the ideas proposed by the interviewees that younger people are more accepting of tattoos and piercings as opposed to older people. I would agree that over time there will be a shift towards being more open to tattoos, mainly in workplaces where currently tattooed people can be discriminated against. In week 9 the topic of ‘Politics, Shame and Anger’ was explained through a mock interview which was great in summarising the issues covered. What I found interesting was the claim that Social Media rules differ social etiquette in person. The interviewee argued that social media rules must be changed to adhere to in person rules and I agree with this. Individuals can say potentially damaging and defamatory things online which would never be said in person. Overall, I would say that all of the presentations were an excellent summary of the topic they covered and honed my understanding of their week’s content.

Mind body split week 2 firstly I thought there was great summarisation of the topic in general the significance on the radical approach was very intriguing especially that high controlled environments = little need for emotions but also Cass mentioning the two year verse two week work environment and how emotions or reasoning are much more measured and effective based on familiarity. In the Ledoux (2000, pp.225) reading the mentioning of emotional arousal organising and coordinating brain activity and that we aren't aware of what we will say but rather the brain in a series if processes does that for us, it was a good immediate follow up from cass's section. The two types of passion could have been acted out or more focused on the really differentiate them and also for a more overall understanding of that concept. I loved how they wrapped up the presentation with modern themes surrounding the mind body split. For civilised bodies, complex emotions week 3 I felt the history of emotions was good for immediate context of topic and the importance pointed out of controlling mind and body based on social context. I like how there was a clear definition of how manners have changed in the 20th century and so setting the tone for the 21st century where manners are both not formal or hierarchical predominantly in relation to Norbert Elias and the civilising process. At times it was hard to hear but slides were informative to counter that I liked in the end how they did open ended interviews specifically the question on cutlery and etiquette and how it very much depends on cultural context. Love, intimacy late modernity week 4 this week generated intense discussion surrounding our own relationships and felt that presentation and it's thoughtful analysis of the topic specifically what defines a pure relationship and whether it needs to be intimate or could be generated from a friendship or family. Disconnection, loneliness and medicalisation I like the initial focus on discussing loneliness of men and specifically because of gender cultures that dictate belongingness and how importantly it can be seen that based on gender differences in loneliness are apparent and are traditional and are leading to rules and so higher loneliness in men. I also like the connection between medication and higher levels of freedom as medication in modernity has had a lot of negativity because of over reliance. I thought the presentation was highly visual and well laid out/ordered, I think the interviews at the end were distracted by the music and lacked focus on one at a time to connect with them. Manage Heart at Work and Home Week 7 I thought this week's topic was highly relatable and this week's presentation gave good understanding especially feeling rules and rules of society in terms of society. Certain situations govern our emotional expressions and length. I liked the focus on new research agenda and what can be done to help people manage emotional needs of specific jobs. I like how there was a detailed focus on how heterosexual relationships and emotion work done more on the part of women or breadwinner of house hold as I discovered in sane sex households. I think the interviews at the end really highlighted how gender roles are associated with societal gender roles and overall gave an effective wrap up of all topics however could have done a role play. Emotional Extraction, Modified Bodies, Aesthetic Industries Week 9 this week was very effective in questioning what can be defined as acceptable and what is not acceptable by different perspectives and points of view. Influence of Artificial intelligence on modernity and the future was also generated by this week's presentation and summarisation of the topics within this week. It lead us to then question workplaces of the future and whether we are replaceable or whether in fact we will compete using different modifications to our bodies for increased chances to get work. I felt the presentation had a good format and flow, the interviews at the end however could have been more imaginative in approach to really especially with the topic area possibly interviewing people with modifications or stories in relation to the topic. Politics, shame and anger week 10 firstly the readings were well summarised and topics generated some good discussions and contrasting views to do with politics and emotions specifically shame and anger. The interview with a trained professional/doctor at the end really allowed for a specialised opinion and was great to wrap up the topics overall, one essential reading was missed and could have helped to contribute overall to this well but thought the topic area and delivery was filled with passion and genuine desire to show how in modernity politics is very much governed by the use or hiding if emotions specifically shame/anger. Happiness, hope and empathy week 11 I found it effective initially where they included Holmes say sociology is sometimes associated with doom and gloom. Being a sociologist it also highlights that yes that does exist within some of my own world views and philosophies. I think the visual and presentation were impactful and effective in showing that visual representations affect people emotionally and strengthen stereotypes as this presentation did walk the talk by doing that e.g tsunami 2004 Indonesia and surrounding areas. I did find it interesting Helliwell found marriage leads to higher levels of happiness but also enjoyment of doing activities together than alone, however found western ideals are more likely to focus on personal achievements than collective. There were no final interviews or demonstrations of topics in motion which could have been effective as a wrap up of this week. #SOC344 #12:30 #friday