Education and Industrialization
-as industrialization progressed education came to be regarded as essential to the well-being of society
-education would produce more educated workers and "Americanize immigrants
Education in Japan (Most Industrialized Nation)
-highly standardized and competitive education system
-group work reinforces solidarity(core value)
-a nations education reflects its culture
-social capital->privileges gained from being born into a richer family
Education in Russia (Industrializing Nation)
-soviet communist party limited education to elite children but soon encompassed to all children
-taught that capitalism was evil and communism was the salvation of the world
-education was free
-stressed math and natural sciences but banned critical thin
Education in Egypt( Least Industrialized Nations)
-most citizens work land or care for families
-high iliteracy rates (men<women)
-citizens are tracked after 6 years of grad school and then they either attend tech school for 3 years after that or nothing
-emphasis on memorization to pass national tests
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Functionalist Perspective
knowledge and skills teach next generation
cultural transmission of values
a process by which schools pass on a societies core values from one generation to the next
-all countries teach patriotism(core value)
Social integration
-Promote national identity
-Stabilize political system
-Reduce chances of rebellion
Gatekeeping( Social Placement)
sort students by abilities and ambitions
Tracking
sort students into different educational "tracks" or programs on the basis of their perceived abilities
Hidden Curriculum(Conflict Perspective)
refers to the attitudes and the unwritten rules of behaviors that schools teach in addition to the formal curriculum
-conflict theorists stress that the hidden curriculum helps to perpetuate social inequalities
-each type of school is helping to reproduce
IQ Tests(Conflict Perspective)
-middle class cultural bias assumed to reflect intelligence differences
-maintains social class strutter across the generations
-high IQ->tracking college prep->higher paying jobs
-low IQ->tracking college prep->lower paying jobs
Unequal Funding(Conflict Perspective)
-public schools are mostly funded by local property taxes
-Areas with less money are going to have less resources to spend on schools
-stacked against the poor
Family background
-more important in predicting who attends college than test scores
-African Americans and Latinos are less likely to complete high school and go to college as compared to Asians and whites
-Asians>Whites>Blacks>Latinos
Rist Research( Symbolic Interactionist Perspective)
-Kindergarten teacher grouped students by "abilities" after 8 days of class without testing them
-Table 1: fast learners, middle class
-Perceived to be treated better ? consider themselves smarter ? lead class activities & call others dumb
-Table 2: avera
Teacher Expectations
-girls and boys perform equally on standardized tests but girls get higher grades than boys
-Asian Americans get the same test scores as other groups but average higher grades
Problems in U.S. Education
-tests have been simplified and the amount of A's has risen(grade inflation)
-social promotion
-catholic schools score better than public schools not because of of better students but higher standards.
-cheating->teachers change test scores and falsify gr
social promotion
passing students from one grade to the next even though they have not learned the basic materials
Religion
1. Beliefs that some things are sacred
2. Practices(rituals) centering on the things considered sacred
3. A moral community (a church) resulting from a group's beliefs and practices
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Functions of Religion( Functionalist Perspective)
-Question ultimate meaning - life framework: purpose, afterlife
-Emotional comfort - purpose even in suffering
-Social solidarity - community of believers that share values and perspectives
-Everyday guidelines - churchgoers live longer and healthier live
Dysfunction's of Religion(Functionalist Perspective)
-justify persecution
-war
-terrorism
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
-religious symbols help provide identity and help communicate
-rituals
-beliefs
-religious experiences
rituals
-ceremonies or repetitive practices, are also symbols that help to unite people into a moral community
Beliefs
-values about what is considered good and desirable in life and how we ought to live
cosmology
-unified picture of the world
religious experiences
-sudden awareness of the supernatural or a feeling of coming into contact with God
Opium of the People( Conflict Perspective)
-for oppressed workers religion is like a drug that helps addicts forget their misery
-reduces chance of rebellion
-religion teaches that existing social arrangements represent what god desires
Religion and Spirit of Capitalism(Max Weber)
religion changed from catholic to protestant->thought and behavior change->spirit of capitalism
-Protestant ethic was no longer confined to a specific religion or part of the world b/c of the globalization of capitalism
spirit of capitalism
-the desire to accumulate capital and not to spend it but to constantly reinvest in it
Protestant Ethic
idea of a self-denying, highly moral life accompanied by hard work and frugality
Cult
a new or different religion whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion
-originate with a charismatic leader
-most fail
Charismatic Leader
-an individual who inspires people because he or she seems to have extraordinary gifts, qualities, or abilities.
Sect
-larger than a cult but its members still feel tension between their views and the prevailing beliefs and values of the broader society
ex->Amish
Church
-religious group is highly bureaucratized
-formal sermons and written prayers read before the congregation
-most new members come from within
Ecclesia
-state religion
-government and religion work together to try and shape society
-God is impersonal and remote
denominations
brand names" within a major religion
-not all groups go through the stages of religion
Religion in the United States
-jews rank the highest on education, income, and occupational prestige while Jehovah's Witnesses ranks the lowest on all three members of social class
-Irish->Roman Catholic
-Greek-> Greek Orthodox
-Black->Protestants(baptist)
Characteristics of Religious Groups
-no dominant religion in U.S.
-it is the U.S.'s governments policy not to interfere with religion
-all religions have the right to exist as long as they don't brainwash or hurt anyone