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.
Abigail Adams believed women should be educated and be recognized for their intellectual capabilities, so they could guide and influence the lives of their children and husband instead of being companions. Three reasons why men shouldn’t be given unlimited power are because women and men should have equal powers, education and property rights. Would you want to live a life where the husband treats you as a slave and he’s the master? Or where women are ignored and do not have any property rights? While John Adams was attending the Continental Congress to support American independence, Abigail Adam asked her husband to “remember the ladies” (pg.
Education can equip individuals with the specialist skills and knowledge they will need to join the workforce because it ‘sifts and sorts’ students according to their own ability. The sociologists believe that the most important roles in the society should be filled by the most talented. For example, it would be inefficient and dangerous to have less able people performing roles such as a surgeon or airline pilot. The reward offered to people at different jobs encourages everyone to compete for them, leading to the selection of the best people for these positions in the society. Additionally, Peter Blau and Otis Duncan agree that a meritocratic education system enables each person to be allocated the jobs best suited to their abilities.
Many sociologists have given alternate views about the main function of education. Functionalists argue that the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus – agreed social values – whereas Marxists argue that education transmits values that benefit the ruling class. Durkheim (1903), a functionalist, argues that society needs a sense of social solidarity because without it, social life and cooperation would be impossible as individuals would pursue their own selfish desires. The education system helps create social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture from one generation to the next so the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society. However, Marxists criticise this and argue that education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of the ruling class and not the shared values of society.
Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the contribution of feminist sociologists to an understanding of family roles and relationships (24 marks) Feminists have helped change the tradition view of the family. There are two types of feminists; liberal and radical. As shown in the item they take a ‘critical view’ of the family arguing that it is patriarchal and focus on the ‘gender inequalities’ in housework and violence against women. They believe gender inequality is created by society and is not natural. Functionalist Murdock suggested as children we are socialised into societies shared norms and values and he believed that males provide the economic roles and females provided the expressive role.
Assess the claim that ‘the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society’. The claim that the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society is portrayed by different sociologists in different ways e.g. feminists believe that to maintain a value consensus in society, patriarchy needs to be abolished. Different theorists believe in different functions of the education system. Some think it as promoting value consensus and some see otherwise.
Being an immigrant in the United State of America, there are advantages and disadvantages in everyday life. There are many things one must adapt to and to do away with. However, there are many opportunities in United State of America, which can help an individual to successful in life. Education is one of the best means of becoming successful in life, as there is a saying “Education is the key to success”. Every immigrant in united state needs a better education to be able to succeed in life.
Those parents have to stay vigorously involved in schooling their kids. Surely the obligation to ensure our nation’s future must be shared also by those who don’t have children in the public schools. Those people who should take an interest in the students that will eventually be stepping into the workforce. They should be developing work-study groups, internships and job placement banks that they can recruit and develop to be successful. Evidently, the tasks of educating our children nowadays are a lot more difficult than simple examinations and easy solutions.
Eventually, the biggest problem will be to find a balance between making the much-needed progress and to try not to overwhelm everyone else involved such as teachers, parents and especially the students. There is much debate in the United States over the implementation of no child left behind, as well as its goals and methods. Teachers, administrators, parents and concerned citizens nationwide have a wide range of strong opinions about the effectiveness of this law. Many believe that no child left behind is a constructive law that will help to develop equal education for all students (NYSUT, 10S). Others completely disagree with no child left behind, feeling that such a strong focus on standardized testing is not effectively assessing what students can actually do.
Knoblauch admits that literacy is a necessary aspect to modern society, but warns the reader how educators and other citizens must be aware of the power literacy holds and not to be “blinded by the the light of their own benevolence”, (Knoblauch 452). Tannen also believes that power lies in the educational system itself, but focuses on the style of learning being taught to the students. Tannen discusses the style of education that teaches students that power lies in debate and arguments. For example, “”students are taught that they must disprove others’ arguments in order to be original, make a contribution, and demonstrate their intellectual ability”, (Tannen 546). Unlike Knoblauch and Tannen, Barber believes that the power of education does not lie inside the educational system itself, but by the society