1. Education and Religion

2. Questions to think about:
How do the views of functionalist, conflict, and interactionist sociologists differ concerning education?
What are some of the current issues in American education?

3. Education
A society’s survival and future greatly depends on the socialization of new members.
Education consists of the roles and norms that ensure the transmission of knowledge, values, and patterns of behavior from one generation to the next.

4. Education
Preindustrial societies education is informal and occurs mainly in the family-children learn values and norms as well as basic skills-cooking, pottery making, food gathering, hunting
As societies have become more complex, the process of education involves formal education called schooling.

5. Functionalist Perspective
Functions performed by education work to maintain stability and smooth operation of society.
Includes:
teaching knowledge and skills
transmission of culture
social integration
occupational placement.

6. Teaching knowledge and skills
Education provides the means through which individuals can develop approaches and solutions to new problems
Involves developing critical thinking skills
Knowledge and ability to access technology.

7. Transmission of culture
(After families) Schools provide means through which children learn social norms, values and beliefs.
School also teaches:
Patriotism-(pledge, patriotic songs-standing when the national anthem is played)
Loyalty (Japan-group conformity, respect for elders, and cooperation)
Socially accepted forms of behavior-”expectations,” (taught to be punctual, obey rules, respect authority.

8. Social integration
School helps produce a society of individuals who share a common national identity.
Modern multicultural societies: melting pot versus tossed salad or mosaic picture.

9. Occupational Placement
Education serves to screen select members of society to for work they will do as adults.
Some societies assign positions on the basis of ascribed status.
US – “tracking”
Japan – entrance exams

10. Conflict Perspective
Education system serves to limit the potential of certain individuals and groups to gain power and social rewards.
Two factors that maintain inequality:
Social Control
Tracking

11. Social Control
Functionalists see the purpose of social control in education to create citizens who share a common set of values.
Conflict theorists believe that social control is to produce unquestioning citizens who accept the basic inequalities of the social system.

12. Social Control
Hidden curriculum- term used by sociologists to describe schools’ transmission of cultural goals that are not openly acknowledged.
Involves teaching obedience to authority.
Serves dominant group by helping maintain position of power in society.
Produces cooperative adults who willingly accept the demands of those in power.

13. Tracking
Tracking-involves the assignment of students to different types of educational programs, such as general studies, vocational training, and college preparatory classes.
Functionalists view tracking as a way of fulfilling the occupational placement of education.
Conflict theorists view tracking as a means by which the wealthy and powerful maintain position in society.

14. Tracking continued
Conflict sociologists point out that members of the lower classes and minority groups are typically assigned to the lower, or less demanding and less advantageous tracks (geared towards blue-collar of vocational jobs in which salary and prestige are low).

15. Tracking cont.
It has been found that teachers working with the higher tracks have higher expectations, encourage and develop students, while teachers teaching the lower tracks tend to focus on classroom drills, conforming behavior, cooperation, memorization (in addition to lower expectations of those students in lower tracks)
What impact does this have and does it still exist today?

16. Conflict theory: Outcome of tracking
Students in higher tracks learn creativity, independence, and self motivation (qualities desirable in management and professional jobs)
Students in lower tracks learn to work under supervision, follow routine, obey instructions-typically traits of lower paying, or vocational jobs.

17. Education and Socioeconomic Status
Strong relationship between education and income.
Higher status students are generally more likely to attend college and graduate from college.

18. EDUC and SES Samuel Bowles study found:
Among highest-achieving HS students from wealthy families, 90% attended college.
College attendance among high achieving, lower-income families: 50%.

20. Ways socioeconomic status affects educational achievement:
Family expectations (higher vs. lower classes)
Higher status families are better able than lower status to provide home environment to enrich learning (books, toys that stimulate thought and creativity).
Higher-status families are better able to pay the expenses to put their children through college.
Conflict theorists hold that these factors perpetuates the access of higher-status people to well-paying and prestigious jobs.

21. Interactionist Perspective
(Explains social phenomenon by examining individuals involved – students and teachers.

22. Ray Rist’s study: student teacher interaction in grade school:
Teachers assigned 3 groups: fast average and slow learners.
Assignment was NOT based on tests, but by social class (middle-upper were in fast group)
“Slow learner” group received little attention (they were also the group placed furthest from her desk!)
Higher learning group performed much better than the slow learner group.
IS THIS AN ISSUE TODAY?

23. Pedersen and Faucher: the power of teacher expectations.
Found that teachers who stressed the value of education, and had high expectations for all resulted in higher learning outcomes for students.

24. Rosenthal and Jacobsen also studied expectations:
Administered a test to students and told some students they were expected to succeed, and those student did.
ALL three studies provide examples of self-fulfilling prophecy-prediction that leads to behaviors that come true.

25. Educational attainment: Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree, 2000

26. Issues in Education
Reforms
2001 No Child Left Behind Law (NCLB)

27. Educational Alternatives
Charter schools-funded with public money, but privately operated.
Popular alternative to public school
More freedom with curriculum, educational plans, philosophy, staffing, student goals.

28. School choice-parents receive voucher equal to the amount their state spends on their child. (Parents are then free to send student to private, public, charter, religious school of their choice)

29. Homeschooling-child’s main education is undertaken by the parents at home.
Alternative to public education
Pros and cons

30. Violence in schools 1999 Columbine
Zero tolerance-set of punishments-often expulsion-for serious offenses such as carrying a weapon.

31. ESL or ELL
Bilingual Education-system by which non-English speaking students are taught in their native language until proficient enough in English to attend regular classes.

32. Sociology of Religion Human quest for the answers to two questions:
Why do we live?
Why do we die?
All societies struggle with the need to give meaning to our existence and to provide with motivation for survival.

33. Durkheim: Sacred vs. Profane
All societies make a distinction between what is sacred and profane.
Sacred-anything that is a part of the supernatural world and that inspires awe, respect and reverence.
Profane-anything considered to be part of the ordinary world – commonplace and familiar.

34. Religion
A system of roles and norms that is organized around the sacred realm and that binds people together in social groups.

35. Sociological Definition of Religion
Religion is a social creation.
Sacred is “socially defined” by a group of believers.
Things that are sacred in one society may be profane in another.
EXAMPLE-Hinduism sacred cow
Religion id based on belief and faith rather than science.
Sociologists are not concerned with truth or falseness of religion, but rather the consequences that religion has for a society.

36. FUNCTIONS of Religion
Social Cohesion-strengthens the bonds between people. Ceremonies and sharing beliefs creates a sense of belonging, which makes people feel less alone in the world.
(Conflict theorists note that social cohesion based on religion can create problems in societies where more than one religion is practiced)

37. FUNCTIONS of Religion
Social Control- encourages conformity to the norms of society. In some societies, norms and values are formalized into laws.
(Conflict theorists would argue that religion’s emphasis on conformity inhibit innovation, freedom of thought, etc.)

38. Emotional Support
Religion provides emotional support for people during difficult times.
Motivates people to survive when happiness appears to be out of reach.
Comfort in harsh circumstances.
Answers to ultimate questions about life and death.
(Conflict theorists would argue that religion allows people to accept their conditions and prohibits social change.)

39. Ritual
An established pattern of behavior through which believers experience the sacred.
EX-Birth, Marriage, Death
Also unite members to reinforce faith.
Rituals often include sacred symbols of the specific religion (clothing, herbs, chalices, crosses, books, etc).

40. Belief systems
Animism- belief that spirits influence human life (animals, rivers, mountains, wind, etc. contain spirits).
Shamanism- belief that spirits only communicate with one member of the group (the shaman).

41. Totemism-involves the belief in kinship between humans and animals or natural objects. The animal or object is called a totem, and is considered sacred and is thought to represent the family or clan.

42. Theism-the belief in a god or gods (believed to be a divine power worthy of worship).
Monotheism-belief in one god. (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
Polytheism-belief in a number of gods. (Hinduism)

43. Ethicalism-based on the idea that moral principals have a sacred quality (truth, honor, tolerance=righteous life) EX- Buddhism, Confucianism