Vushaj SOC 150-05 September 6, 2013 Writing assignment #1 Sociology is the study of society and social interaction. Sociology takes a broad approach at helping one understand how people interact in different societies. On the contrary, other social sciences look deeper into specific areas of society, rather than society as a whole. Classical sociologists Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber, each contributed to the scientific study of sociology. Marx believed that societies grew and changed due to struggles of different social classes.
For example, achievement is greatly influenced by class background rather than ability. Furthermore, interactionist Dennis Wrong(1961) argues that functionalists have an ‘over-socialised view’ of people as mere puppets of society. Functionalists wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all they are taught and never reject the school’s values. Marxists, on the other hand, argues that education is mainly there to serve the needs of capitalism. Althusser, sees education as an ideological state apparatus that reproduces and legitimates class inequality, ensuring working-class pupils end up in working-class jobs, and that they accept their exploited role.
Sociology examines how our behavior individually and in groups is influenced by social processes and what that means. In fact once you start seeing things with a sociological perspective – things will never be the same. It’s knowing how and why we do what we do that engages us with the world around us and makes us more effective agents for social change. However, sociologist C. Wright Mills describes sociology as “the intersection of biography and history?” A lot of you may wonder what he mean: well from my studying and perspectives; The reason why he say sociology is the interception of biography and history is because, Biography: happens to individuals and History: happens to society. For example, every
Importantly functionalists see education based on meritocratic principles which is a big difference to the point of view that Marxists have. Marxists view the state as the means by which the capitalist ruling class maintains their dominant positions. Althusser believes that education justifies class inequalities by producing beliefs that teaches us that inequality is unavoidable and we deserve our subordinate positions so we are less likely to threaten capitalism. Bowles and Gintis believe there is close links to school and the capitalist society through the ‘hidden curriculum’ this means lessons that are learnt in school without being directly taught it. Through this hidden curriculum pupils become familiar with accepting hierarchy for example in school we view teachers essentially as our bosses as pupils are taught by teachers to interact with others according to a set of rules that apply to everyone.
Karl Marx was a late 19th Century thinker. He saw class as being the central category for analysing social relation and social struggles. This is because he believed that class struggles drive the social changes in our societies ‘The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles’. (Marx, Engels, 1848, pg.8) He viewed class objectively, defining it by the ownership of property. The class struggle’s which Marx refers to above is that of the Bourgeoisie, who own the means of production and the proletariat, who sell their labour.
The difficulty with this approach, as it later became clear, was that the problems identified by liberal sociologists set many educators to work in opposition to working class cultural practices. What happened with the liberal view of education is that culture is seen as a cause of inequality rather than as one of the effects. However, an advantage that liberal sociology did had was governmental confidence, as is often the case with quantitative research, and as a result, it enjoyed the freedom to engage in empirical research and had a chance to influence educational reform. The origins of the sociology of education in England grew directly out of the research interests of a number of sociologists who were primarily interested in social mobility, and in particular, with the way that arrangement of inequality persisted in education. Many studies where carried out that concentrated on the relationship between class and educational opportunity.
It wasn’t until shortly after his death that Karl Marx’s ideology began to significantly influence socialist movements. Although relatively unknown during his lifetime he has become one of the fundamental economic and sociological figures of the modern era. Many of his theories and insights into the way society functions are still relevant in the expanding capitalist society that exists today. Marx was very critical of capitalism and the division in society between the bourgeoisie and proletariat classes, attempting to highlight the injustice and exploitation of the working class by the wealthy upper and middle class. Marx predicted that capitalism within a socioeconomic system would inevitably create internal tensions between social classes leading to its demise and replacement by a new system, communism.
Worsley also said that a sociological problem id and pattern of relationships that calls for explanation. This might be something that society regards as a social problem, for example, why some people are poor, commit crime, or fail in school. It can also include behaviour that society doesn’t normally regard as a problem, for example, why people are prosperous and law-abiding, or succeed at school or remain happily married. Most sociologists are interested in ‘normal’ behaviour and not just behaviour seen as a social problem. Simmel was interested in revealing the universal characteristics present in all social relationships, whether in an office, a family or a bus queue.
Outline the postmodernist view of the role of Education Postmodernists take a diversity approach when considering the role of education. They argue that the Marxist view is outdated and that society has entered a new postmodern phase. Marxists believe that capitalism cannot function without a workforce that is willing to accept exploitation. They also see education as reproducing and legitimating class inequality. Postmodernists reject this view of Marxism, that we still live in a two-class society and the claim that education reproduces class inequality.
Critically examine the view that the provision of education helps to reinforce class inequalities. In this essay I will be critically examining how social class reproduces inequalities in education. I will look at the ways in which the 1944 Butler’s act produced inequalities without having the intention in doing so and follow up to the enhancement of the 1988 act of parental choice. I will briefly state Bourdieu’s cultural theory; and give a brief account of a Marxist and functionalist view of education. The current debate is that the provision of education is helping in reinforcing class inequalities, by which social class is the key that reproduces inequalities within education.