Download Course: Principles of Sociology

Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 3, Lecture 1
Topic: Course Overview
Overview
In Week 3 we explore three sociological issues very close to each one of us –
education, religion, and family. First, we attempt to define the family by
comparing the ideas of kinship systems, extended and nuclear families. Through
an exploration of the functionalist, conflict/feminist, and symbolic interactionist
sociological theories of the family and snapshots of diversity among
contemporary American families, marriage and divorce, and family violence, a
deeper understanding of the changing family in a changing society emerges.
Sociologist Emile Durkheim puts forth his theories of the functions of religion and
other sociological theorists do the same but, as expected, from entirely different
points of view, but not before we ask and attempt to answer the crucial question,
“What is religion in and to society?” We explore an understanding of religion and
holding a religious worldview in terms of its sociological meaning to the individual
and to the individual in society.
We then move on to education. We ask if education really matters. In the big
scheme of things, does our social origin effect the type of occupation we will
pursue and eventually inhabit? Are ethnic and gender inequality non-issues in
regard to a person’s educational and social mobility in the 21st century? Our
exploration of education in society, through a closer look at sociological theories
and an attempt to debunk several of society’s myths regarding education, brings
us full circle to face the disturbing realities found in the answers to such
questions.
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Families, Education, and
Religion
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 3, Lecture 2
Topic: Families and Intimate Relationships
Families (1 of 3)
What is the traditional family? Of course, the nuclear family of dad, mom, baby,
and dog, comes to mind, but so does the reality that for as many examples of the
ideal family we all hope for there are as many examples of the types of
dysfunctional families we struggle in and with.
Suppose you were to ask a room full of people from various walks of life to tell you
about their family experiences growing up? One of them might tell you how they
were lucky to have a mother and father who cared about them, who nourished
them, and who saw to all of their personal and social needs and, because of this,
they realize the importance of the family helping them along the road of life.
Another might tell you how hard it was for them as a child, because they never
knew her dad (her mother became pregnant in high school and her boyfriend
wanted no part of it). She only remembers how hard her mother struggled to make
ends meet and how much she missed having a father growing up. Another might
say how difficult it was to grow up with parents who didn’t get along well and how
he was both relieved and devastated when they finally split up and went their
separate ways — how difficult it could be to spend your childhood going from
mom’s place to dad’s and never knowing when the next move would be.
At the same time, parents in the room might speak of the joys and tremors of
raising children in a family or someone in the room might speak of the difficulties of
marriage and how challenging it is to get along with the spouse’s immediate family
through many valiant efforts to do so.
Families define an individual, who in turn defines the society. It is the family that we
learn how to love, how to hate, how to express our joys and sorrows, and most
importantly how to survive in a society. And we learn all these through our
interactions with the other members of the family, our kins.
To be able to understand the family, and its position in the greater microcosm of
society, we must try and understand how families were formed and how individual
relationships gradually transformed into close knit familial relationships.
SO1200_W3_L2_S1_G1: Sidebar
Graphic
Title: What is a Family?
A family is a composite unit developed by
people through relationships to live
together, commit economically, and help
care for the young. It is through a family
that a sense of identity is formed.
.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 3, Lecture 2
Topic: Families and Intimate Relationships
Families (2 of 3)
SO1200_W3_L2_S2_G1:
In the ancient times as society was evolving, people needed a secure system for
perpetuation of their kind, and set of rules to define the granting of property rights as well the Sidebar Graphic
maintenance of bloodlines. To address this concern and to bind society is a stronger bond
Title: Exogamy and
the tradition of marriage emerged, which even till date holds strong.
Endogamy
SO1200_W3_L2_S2_G2: Main Page Static Graphic
Title: What is Marriage?
Graphic Text: The state of being united legally and emotionally in a relationship to a person,
approved by society, where both individuals involved have certain rights and obligations
Families and kinships are formed from marital alliances. Our parents, aunts and uncles,
brothers and sisters, grandmothers and grandfathers, husbands and wives, sons and
daughter, brothers-in law and sisters-in-law, in short, all people whom we call family are
either connected to us through marital alliances or are conceived through marriage.
Although marriage is a universal concept, the manner in which it can be interpreted
worldwide may differ to quite an extant. For instance, here in the United States the only
legally accepted form of marriage is monogamy, where two people, usually a man and a
woman are married to each other. Serial monogamy, where a person has several spouses
in a lifetime but is legally married to only one person at a time, is a commonly observed in
western countries.
In other parts of the world, societies are often seen practicing polygamy, where one
individual is married to two or more members of the opposite sex. In polygyny, practiced in a
number of Islamic societies, one man is married to two or more women. The reason for this
marital pattern is that for centuries the Arab world has been a strictly patriarchal society
where the women place is only in her man’s house. However, with constant tribal strife and
wars, common to the region, men would die leaving their women unguarded and alone in the
hostile area. Therefore, it only made sense to practice polygyny, where a man took care of a
number of wives. And even if the husband were to pass away in another one of those tribal
wars, the family of wives, with their strength in numbers would well be able to sustain
themselves as well as their children in the hostile Arab desert.
Exogamy is defined as marriage
outside of a specific group. For
example, Jennifer, a
Presbyterian Irish-American,
marries Jonathan, a lawyer of
African-American descent
whose family is settled in
Philadelphia for generations.
However, at the same time, there are societies that have for generations practiced
polyandry, where one woman is married to two or more men. For example, the Pahari
Endogamy is defined as
(literally translated to “from the mountains”) people, living in the lower sections of the
marriage within a specific
Himalayas in India, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan, have been practicing polyandry through
cultural, social, religious, and
generations. The rationale for this marriage pattern too is quite interesting. It has been
usually observed that polyandry in practiced in cultures settled in the hills. There is always an ethnic group. For example,
acute shortage of land that can be cultivated on in mountains, and in order to keep the land in Martha, a Jewish-American,
the family and to prevent it from getting divided among posterity, the brothers in a family get marries Chad, another Jewish
American.
married to one woman.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 3, Lecture 2
Topic: Families and Intimate Relationships
Families (3 of 3)
Families are a part of what sociologists call kinship systems or patterns of
relationship which help us understand family’s relationships to one another.
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Graphic
SO1200_W3_L2_S3_G2: Main Page Graphic
Title: Understanding Kinship
Graphic Text: Kinship is a social network formed by people with common
ancestral ties, marriage alliances, or adoption.
Title: Families of Orientation and
Procreation
Preindustrial societies functioned through a close sense of kinship, and it was
through the kinship systems that the sense of family has emerged. Parents would
hand over their land and livelihood to their children who would then do the same.
Kinship systems also determined descent in the family system. There are three
forms of descent that kinship system defines:
Title: Patrilineal, Matrilineal, and Bilateral Kinship Systems
Patrilineal kinship systems descend through the father, matrilineal kinship systems
through the mother, and bilateral kinship systems through both.
We see the patrilineal system of kinship in societies that are largely pastoral in
nature; for example, the Durrani Pashtun nomads roaming the western parts of
Afghanistan. They are characterized by their patrilineal organization where not only
is kinship descent traced through males, but also almost all property is inherited
through men. People in patrilineal societies recognize that they are related to their
mothers and their maternal relatives, but major property is not transmitted through
maternal relations, and relationships with them tend to be primarily emotional
Family of Orientation: A family formed
rather than economic or political.
when a person is born into that family. Jim
is born to Beth and Tom Brown. For Jim,
The Ashanti, a section of the people, also known as the Akans in Ghana, which is his family of Beth, Tom, and himself is the
located in the western region of Africa, traces the matrilineal kinship of descent.
family of orientation.
Matrilineal descent is not to be confused with the idea of matriarchy, which is a
tradition in which community power lies with the women, usually the mothers of a
community. In matrilineal kinship, however, women do have a certain importance,
but male members of the matrilineage exercise power and authority. The only
difference is that the kinship is traced through female members. Property is even
sometimes bequeathed through maternal relations. For instance, a maternal uncle
in the family will bequeath his property to his sister’s son.
Members of families in post-industrialized nations, on the other hand, trace their
descent from both the mother and the father, thus following bilateral kinship. For
example, the system of descent that we trace in the United States is bilateral
where we have equal rights to both parents’ properties.
Family of Procreation: A family formed
when a person is adopted into that family.
Jim is an orphan. He is adopted by Beth
and Tom Brown. The family that is formed
after he is adopted is his family of
procreation.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 3
Topic: Sociological Theories of the Family
Sociological Theories of the Family (1 of 3)
Sociologists who study family, formed through marriage, and systems of kinship,
are the first to realize just how complicated it is to try and pen down just what the
family is all about. Is the family about stability or change, complexity or simplicity,
psychologically healthy or detrimental? Lets us see how sociological theories
have attempted to understand the purpose of a family and the reasons for why
the family is sometimes not able to sustain itself.
SO1200_W3_L3_S1_G1: Side
Bar Graphic
Functionalist theorists believe that families meet the needs of society to
socialize children and reproduce new members and are organized around a
harmony of interests. The family demarcates sexual behavior, for instance
through established familial ties incest taboos, such as sexual relations between
parents and their children, and between brothers and sisters, and is prohibited.
Economic, social, and psychological stability is also provided by the family where
the head of the household provides economic stability for the family members,
thus insuring psychological security.
Sociology of family is the
subdiscipline of sociology that
attempts to describe and
explain patters of family life and
variations in family structure
Functionalists believe that breakdown in external support systems may push a
family towards experiencing social disorganization. For instance, let’s say Chad
and Jane have been married for 20 years and have two sons, Dan and Marty.
Chad, who has been working as a production manager in an automobile factory
loses his job because the company decides to shift its production to China. He
collects unemployment for a year while looking for a job the entire time. In spite
of all his efforts, Chad is unable to get a job that is respectable and fits his
professional needs. Finally, he settles to work as a server in one of the hip
restaurants in town. Jane, on the other hand, is a systems analyst doing very well
professionally and is expecting a promotion. There is an instant clash of interest
and ego between the couple. Chad is ashamed of his job because he ends up
serving his friends and family who have, for years, been eating at this restaurant.
What makes the matter even more complicated is the stark difference in status
so far his wife and he are concerned. They are now looking into a possible
divorce settlement.
The external economic support that was responsible for their economic, social,
and psychological well-being broke when Chad lost his job, consequently
resulting in social disorganization of the family.
Title: Sociology of Family
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 3
Topic: Sociological Theories of the Family
Sociological Theories of the Family (2 of 3)
Conflict and Feminist theorists believe that families reinforce and support
power relations in society and inculcate values consistent with the needs of
dominant institutions. Families change as the economic organization of society
changes. In addition, according to them families are gendered institutions that
reflect the gender hierarchies in society and are a primary agent of gender
socialization. They believe that families involve a power imbalance between men
and women and that they evolve in new forms as the society becomes more or
less egalitarian.
In the example of Chad and Jane, discussed in the previous lecture, we see a
example of conflict and feminist perspective in play. Conflict theory states that
families, because patriarchal in structure, maintain gender demarcations. On this
ground, the proponents of patriarchy, vis-à-vis the man, although not opposed
completely to the woman in the house working to earn money, is not to
comfortable either when his social standing is uprooted when the woman
ascends in social status. When Jane, the systems analyst is looking to climb the
corporate ladder through an upcoming promotion, Dan is not able to handle the
sudden rise in status, especially when he is waiting on customers at a local
restaurant. As a result, he demands a divorce, thus breaking the social construct
called marriage.
Symbolic interactionist theorists believe families emerge as people interact to
meet basic needs and develop meaningful relationships and that families are
where people learn social identities through their interactions with others.
Families are places where people negotiate their roles and relationships with
each other and they change as people develop new understandings of family life.
It is the individual in the family who, according to the symbolic interactionist,
builds the family and a sense of belonging for the other family members through
their interactions. For instance, children who grow up within dysfunctional
families, where both parents are completely devoted to their career and have
very little time for the children or even each other as husband and wife, fail to
understand and even relate to what family bondage is. The inability to interact
eventually leads to the breakdown of the family.
Course: Principles of Sociology
SO1200_W3_L3_S2_G1: Side
Bar Graphic
Title: Family as a Gendered
Institution
Graphic text: In the family, a
man, the patriarchal head, is
responsible for providing
economic stability, making
important decisions, and
providing leadership; he gains
status because he is the
breadwinner. A woman, on the
other hand, is simply required
to bear children and care for
and nurture them. Because
there is no direct economic
ramification attached to the role
of the wife or mother, and it is
looked at as unpaid labor, her
contribution is devalued.
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 3
Topic: Sociological Theories of the Family
Sociological Theories of the Family (3 of 3)
The Postmodernist perspective looks at family to understand what kind of
effect has technology had on the structure of family and familial relationships.
With the advent of technology and a fast paced lifestyle anything and everything
that we may want is easily available; we never realize the value of what we have.
Family relations are taken for granted, emotions and emotional demands are put
off for the next day, and the family is not what we come back to after a hard days
work, but a place that we stop for a while so that we can start again the next day.
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Page Static Graphic
Title: Urbanity in the
Postmodernistic Family
Urbanity is another
characteristic of the
postmodern family
When the pressures of the outside world overwhelm our personal familial space,
family dynamics change. Demographically families do not look the same as they
did as few as 20 years ago. Today, married couples are smaller in proportion to
the number of households; single-parent households are growing in number;
divorced and people never before married are growing in numbers. Another
staggering statistic is that it has become common for many people to spend more
time caring for their elderly parents than they did caring for their children growing
up.
SO1200_W3_L3_S3_G1: Main Page Animated Graphic
Title: Consider the following unique family configurations, unheard-of 50
years ago and popular today in contrast to the traditional idea of a nuclear
family.
Instruction Text: Click each tab to learn
Woman-Headed Households
Eighty-eight percent of single-parent households are headed by women; onequarter of all children live with one parent. High rates of pregnancy among teens
and an equally high divorce rate are the two primary causes of these high
numbers.
Sociological Alarm: Many sociologists, and people in general, believe the
growing number of woman-headed households signals a breakdown of the
family and, consequently, of society.
Sociological Benefit: An alternate view voices the opinion that such a trend
favors the breakdown of historical barriers designed to suppress a woman’s
stride for independence.
Married-Couple Families
We all recall going on a
vacations with our families, and
right in the middle of a beach
Volley ball game with our kids,
our cell phone rings and the
boss is on the line asking about
the document that they forgot to
have us look at before we left
for our vacation. Because of
easy access to just about
everyone at anytime time of the
day, boundaries between the
public and the private sphere
are becoming invisible.
Consequently, this is negatively
affecting family life where the
previously clear distinction
between work-time and familytime is lost.
The number of married-couple families who form commuter marriages — one
partner lives in a different city than the other because their jobs require it — and
two-income marriages — both partners work while children are in daycare — is
increasing phenomenally.
Sociological Alarm: Conservatives wonder who is raising society’s children and
whether or not two-incomes actually find justification in the end with the cost of
daycare and other expenses necessary to maintain such a lifestyle.
Sociological Benefit: Many argue that such sociological arrangements allow both
partners to achieve levels of independence not traditionally available.
Stepfamilies
\
The rise in divorce and remarriage rates is accompanied by the rise of stepfamily
situations also. Nearly 40 percent of all marriages involve stepchildren.
Sociological Alarm: As families expand with children and stepchildren, parents
find them more difficult to manage. There are also issues of jealousy,
competition, and intimacy among families consisting of strangers coming
together.Sociological Benefit: A family’s ability to adapt in diverse situations can
prepare its members for society’s difficulties also.
Gay and Lesbian Households
Research shows that gay and lesbian couples are less gender-stereotyped and
more flexible than heterosexual couples. However, people with traditional
understanding of the family do not see this kind of a family beneficial for either
the child who is brought up in such a family or for society. Even more embroiled
in this struggle is the ongoing debate of whether or not gay and lesbian
marriages should be recognized by law. Several states, such as Vermont and
Massachusetts, say they should, and at present, many others are struggling with
an answer to the question.Sociological Alarm: Conservatives are deeply
concerned about the implications of such relationships on children.Sociological
Benefit: According to gay and lesbian activists, statistics show children raised
in gay and lesbian homes are less likely to develop stereotypical gender roles,
are more tolerant and open-minded of others, and, therefore, are better for
society as a whole.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 4
Topic: Sociological Theories of Religion
Understanding Religion (1 of 5)
The six main world religions, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Title: Civil Religion
Islam and Confucianism, have to say a lot about our society, our history
The religion emerging after the separation
and our culture. Religion is not removed from us; religion is an intrinsic part of the state and church resulted in what is
of us. It defines us, tells the world our history, and talks about our cultural referred to as Civil Religion — a term
understandings and misunderstandings. Since religion is an offshoot of our coined by sociologist Robert Bellah in the
geographical and cultural definitions, each religion spews irregularities.
late 1960s.
And in an attempt to understand the diverseness of all religious philosophy
and practices we more than often tend to misunderstand and then
consequently stereotype. For example, ritualistic sacrifices of cattle in
Hinduism would surely be misunderstood as grotesque and inhuman by
people practicing Christianity.
Try as we may, it is difficult to empathize with the religious worldview of
another without filtering it through our own personal religious
autobiographical bias and uncertainty regarding its authenticity. To
understand the various religions in this world we first need to understand
what we mean by religion. To answer this question we must begin by
attempting to come to terms with the sociological term “religion.”
Depending on whom we address the question, one answer we receive is
likely to be diametrically opposed to another. Is religion born out of a
desire, a longing to understand where we have been and where we are
going?
National values celebrated on days such
as the Fourth of July and Memorial Day
have same ritualistic fervor to it as would
let’s say Hanukkah (the Jewish new year),
or Divali (the Hindu new year).
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 4
Topic: Sociological Theories of Religion
Understanding Religion ( 2 of 5)
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SO1200_W3_L4_S1_G1:Side Bar
Graphic
Title: What is Religion?
Title: Marxist Perspective on Religion
The father of communism, Karl Marx
Graphic Text: A system of supernatural constraint, sanction, and religious wrote:
practice and a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and
faith.
One of the challenges of serious sociological study of the religions of the
world we have discussed, according to an understanding of the vast
diversity of world views, is learning to become keenly aware of a necessary
balancing act. We must respect our own religious associations and those
of others with enough poise to open up the forum for discussion and, yes,
even debate. To create a “safe space” in which to do this, there needs to
be a system that realistically reflects the way thinking about various
religious traditions affects us as individuals and community.
For a catholic to understand the true dictums propagated by Islam, not the
ones by the fundamentalists who toot Islam as being only about Fatwa and
jihad, would require them to look at Islam as a religion in itself, and not a
parallel comparison with Christianity. A religion that was formed in
response to the society and culture of people living in particular
topographical region.
Sociology should not be an attempt to relate the various world religions to
one another in order to coalesce their beliefs into one harmonious whole.
Rather, it is a study of religious worldviews at face value. In order to do so
we need to, as students of sociology, understand how sociology and its
theorist would interpret what religion intrinsically is, and attempt to answer
the most important question that we as amateur sociologists should begin
our quest of religion with — what is the role of religion in society.
“…[R]eligion is the
self-consciousness and the self-feeling of
the man who has either not yet found
himself, or else [having found himself] has
lost himself again…it is the opium of the
[lost man].”
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 5
Topic What is Religion?
Understanding Religion( 3 of 5)
Previously, when we spoke of Marx and his idea that religion is merely an SO1200_W3_L5_S2_G1
Title: Functionalist Perspective on
“opium of the people,” we were introducing the theory of religion as a
Psychological Construct, a theory that seeks to reintegrate men and
Religion
women who have been alienated by religious tradition back into a world
where it’s safe to exist without the illusion or projection of something
beyond this world. However, when forces above us strike, forces that we
have no control over, we go looking for answers.
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Religion and the Mystery of Death
The writer Stephen Crane, also a master observer of psychological and
social realities of his time, observed that in the harsh reality of death, there
is a vivid revelation of the human spirit taken by storm. It demands
answers of an imagined reality beyond this life. Whether we cry out to a
God or gods we cannot see or consult the shaman’s paper spirits and
listen for the voice of an ancestor to offer solace, we are simply looking for
answers.
At the same time, the functionalists suggest that religion is an adhesive
that binds culture and people groups together. The functionalists view
religion and social order as an integrative force in society and religious
beliefs can provide cohesion in the social order by promoting a sense of
collective consciousness. Religious practices and rituals reinforce a sense
of social belonging. For example, Christmas, celebrated by Christians all
over the world is now more of a cultural construct than a ritual. Many
Christians who would generally term themselves as agnostics would still
buy a Christmas tree, buy Christmas presents for the family,and share a
According to the functionalists the
lavish Christmas dinner.
purpose of religion is to bind people in
a cohesive group through sacred
beliefs and rituals. It is through our
religious bonding that we also develop
a sense of cultural association to a
group. The most important role that
religion plays would be the
maintenance of social control.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 5
Topic What is Religion?
Understanding Religion( 4 of 5)
The conflict theorist views religion and the social order as the basis for
intergroup conflict; inequality in society is reflected in religious
organizations, which are stratified by factors such as race, class, or
gender, and religious beliefs can provide legitimation for oppressive social
conditions. Religious practices and rituals define in-groups and out-groups,
thereby defining group boundaries.
Title: Conflict Perspective on Religion
Graphic text: Through dictums of the Hinduism, society was broken into
four social castes; namely, Brahmins (the priests), Kshatriya (the warriors),
Vashyas (the merchants), and the Shudras (the people confined to lowerend jobs). All through time immemorial, the Shudras, considered the
lowest in the social hierarchy were devoid of any interaction with the upper
castes. This is a perfect example of what the conflict theorist propagate,
that religion defines in-groups and out-groups.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 5
Topic What is Religion?
Understanding Religion( 5 of 5)
The symbolic interactionist, with the microlevel perspective, views religion and
the social order as socially constructed and developed through social and
historical change. Religious beliefs are socially constructed and subject to
interpretations; they can also be learned through religious conversion and
religious practices and rituals are symbolic activities that provide definitions of
group and individual identity.
At the microlevel perspective, symbolic interactionists view religion not as an
institution that holds societies and cultures together, but as a symbolic identity
that individuals use to identify with, thereby holding the cultural identity of the
group together.
Title: Practicality in Religion
Many may identify a single ritual
performed by a social or religious
group as the "religion" of a particular
people. In reality, however, the
ceremony may merely be an
extension of their day-to-day
existence.
Title: Religion and the Individual
The symbol of Christianity — the cross, of Judaism — the star of David,
and so on, helps the individual identify with the group and instills a sense
of pride, thus maintaining the continuance of the religion. The individual
through the associated symbols of religion and interpreted rituals, helps
religion and the culture associated with it, survive.
Even if the person is removed from the group and is relocated to a different land
where there are no remnants of his religion, the symbols help maintain the sense
of belonging and identity. For example, when soldiers travel overseas in an
event of a war, they are often bid adieu with religious manifestos, such as a St,
Patrick’s pendent or a lucky horse show, symbolizing safe journey and good
luck. Such symbols help the soldier maintain his social ties and retain his identity
For example, The Osages’ — a tribe
with the group even though he far away from his loved ones.
of southern Sioux Indians living in
the Indian Territory in North America
— spiritual principle of respect for
life dictated that the decision to go
to war against required an elevenday ceremony. On a more practical
level this would allow time to
reconsider one's decision and to
consecrate the lives that might be
lost as a result of it.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 4
Topic: Education and Social Class
Education and Social Class
How important is education to you, to your close friends, to your family? Title: Latent and Manifest Functions of
education
How important is schooling to others in your community-at-large, or to
Americans in general, or the world as a whole? Is it important for you to
complete a college education in order to experience the kind of lifestyle
you want for yourself? Do you come from a socioeconomic background
which favors your completing college and achieving this kind of life?
SO1200_W3_L4_S1_G1
Title: Education at the Macrolevel and the Microlevel Perspectives
At the macrolevel perpective, which is from the functionalist and
the conflict theorists’ point-of-view, education is essential in
maintaining and perpetuating the culture of a society across
generations.
At the microlevel perspective, which is from the symbolic
interactionists’ point-of-view, education provides people with the
basic skills and knowledge necessary to sustain them in society.
The Manifest function of education is to
socialize, transmit culture, maintain social
control, create status, and grow and
To answer the questions that we just raised, let’s take a closer look at the innovate. For instance, going to a university
functionalist, conflict, symbolic interactionist, and the postmodernists
for a bachelor’s degree, we understand what
view of education in society.
is culturally, socially and academically
expected of us. We start by communicating
The functionalist view is that education in society fulfills certain societal with our peers differently; our language
needs for socialization and training; “sorts” people in society according to changes; we are made aware of what social
their abilities. The functionalist believes schools inculcate values needed status we would like to have and what path
by the society and take on functions that other institutions, such as the
to adopt in order to attain it.
family, originally fulfilled. The benefit of society is the ultimate goal of
education. According to the functionalists society designs how the young The Latent function of education is
are to be educated.
matchmaking. Many of us have met our
partners at some or the other educational
The historic, Sultan Hassan Mosque and madrasa (School) was
institution. The other latent function that
constructed for Sultan Hassan bin Mohammad bin Qala'oun in 1256 AD education can be credited with is that it
as a mosque and religious school for all sects. The building was
makes us build our own social networks. We
designed so that each of the four main Sunni sects (orthodox Muslim, or start making friends right from the day we
Sunni rites, consisting of Shafite, Malikite, Hanefte and Hanbalite) has its start attending grade school. These social
own school while sharing the mosque. The madrasa was originally
groups formed at school at times last a
introduced to Egypt to suppress non-orthodox Muslim sects. Through the lifetime. Education is also at times latently
education of young minds in the teachings of the Quran, the Islamic holy responsible for fueling the growing
book, the society ensured that there culture would survive in spite of
attacks from neighboring non-Muslim kingdoms and well as the nonorthodox Muslim sects.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 6
generation gap. As the manifested function
of growth and innovation comes out, we
learn new things and gain a different
perspective towards the world around us.
This alienates us from our parents, since
they may not have read the same books at
schools as we have.
Topic: Sociological Theories of Education
Sociological Theories of Education
The conflict view puts forth the idea that education in society reflects other inequities Title: Education and Class
in society, including race, class, and gender inequality, and perpetuates such
inequalities by tracking practices. Schools, the conflict view believes, are hierarchical
institutions reflecting conflict and power relations in society and that often, social
change threatens to put some groups at continuing disadvantage in the quality of
education.
For instance, it is well-documented that students from a lower economic class score
lower on generalized tests such as SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and the ACT
(American College Test), i.e., students from families with income between $10,000 to
$20,000 per year score an average of 442 on the verbal SAT and 456 on the math
ACT, while students from families with an annual income of $80,000 to $90,000 score
557 SAT and 569 ACT in these areas. Education and social status has shown us
obvious disparity, but what about education and ethnic and gender inequality? Let’s
stay with data gathered from the SAT scores. In 2000 results show that American
Indians scored an average of 482 verbal, while white Americans scored 528 verbal.
African American students scored an average of 434 verbal, while Asian Americans
scored an average of 499 verbal.
In addition to breading social inequality, conflict theorist believes that educational
institutions follow a hidden curriculum of transmitting cultural conformity. For instance
in schools catering to the poor sections of the city, you will often notice more stringent
rules and ordinances as opposed to the ones in schools catering to the upwardly
mobile section of society. The focus is on how students should have the ability and the
patience to follow rules, rote memorize information without even understanding, and
clear tests. Very little emphasis is given to individual creativity and analytical ability.
Around the turn of the 20th
Social class origin plays a key role in a person’s eventual occupational path, more so century, when most states didn’t
than the effect of the level of education. For example, class and race work in favor of even require that their
the upper class and help them from falling victim to “downward mobility,” whereas class constituents be educated,
education was thought to be a
and race work against the lower classes and block them from “upward mobility.”
luxury reserved for children of
Sure, class and race, maintains upward mobility, but how do you explain the disparity in the upper class.
economic and social status and the ever-present glass ceiling. Conflict theory in mind
how would you explain the revealing statistics of how the average income for women
remains less than the average income of men based on the same educational levels for
both. Consider the following median incomes by education and gender in dollars:
Level of Schooling
Men
Women
Less than 9th grade
9th to 12th grade
(no diploma)
High School graduate
Some college, no degree
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s degree
Professional degree
Doctorate degree
14, 139 (USD)
18,952
8,404
9,995
27,669
33,035
37,956
49,180
59,376
81,606
71,732
15,120
20,181
23,270
30,489
40,246
45,999
48,885
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 6
Topic: Sociological Theories of Education
Sociological Theories of Education
As we know, the symbolic interactionists when studying a social phenomenon always Title: Labeling and Self
look at the individual in the system unlike the functionalists or the conflict theorists who Fulfilling Prophecy
view the impact of educational institution on society as whole. The individual is more
important for the symbolic interactionists than the whole society or culture. Therefore,
the symbolic interactionist puts forth the view that education in society emerges
depending on the kind of social interaction between groups in schools. Schools are
sites where social interaction between groups (such as teachers and students)
influences chances of success or failure for individuals and groups. These interactions
can have positive or negative bearing on the students development if new perceptions
of formerly stereotyped groups are not curtailed and reexamined.
This discourse of social persection now takes us to understand the concept of labeling
— a process explained by the symbolic interactionists, where educational institutions Graphic Text: Labeling a
brand students based on their intellectual capacities thus impacting the self confidence student as good or bad makes
them behave and perform
of the individual.
academically as they are
labeled. For instance, a student
For example let’s say Mrs. Jones is teaching a class of 20 students in a public High
when labeled as gifted and
School. Out of the 20 students in her class, 8 are white Americans, 5 African
intelligent, even if in actuality is
Americans, 3 are Asian Americans, and 4 Arab Americans. She has observed in the
not as bright, would outperform
past years having worked with the African American students that they are on an
average getting lower grades compared to the other students in class. She at this point, even the brightest students in
labels the students as intellectually less capable than the rest. However, Loretta one of class. This is known as a self
the five African American students is a talented painter. The teacher is not aware of her fulfilling prophecy.
talent or her gift, and labels her incompetent by sending her to special education
classes. Loretta is a bright kid, but her interest lies not in books and classroom activity,
rather the outdoors where she can sketch and paint, something that she is really good
at. But sending her to special education makes her feel that she is intellectually less
than the other students, breaking her self confidence and quashing any desire
whatsoever for pursuing a fulfilling career in the arts.
Course: Principles of Sociology
Lesson: Week 1, Lecture 6
Topic: Summary
Summary
In Week 3 we’ve learned that the nuclear family has competition more than
ever before, for its accepted place in society, and that there are conservative
efforts to counter such trends and more liberal attempts to support them and
urge them on. We have also learned of the somewhat alarming reality that
sociology shows us regarding the disappointing research that social origins still
keep the lower classes from upward mobility and the higher classes safe from
downward mobility. Religion, the most difficult of sociological phenomena, we
have discovered is, like the family itself, undergoing phenomenal sociological
changes especially in the forms of interreligious association and society’s utter
disdain for the dogmatic and judgmental fabric which once defined its
integration of the secular with the sacred.