Download Do Sociologists Ask?

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Maine, Maryland, Washington state voted to
legalize gay marriage
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Minnesota denied constitutional ban
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Colorado voted to legalize marijuana
Nov 8, 2012
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Testing
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Tracking
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Funding
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Educational climate in schools varies with
culture, teachers, administration, higher politics
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Public vs. Private schools
 Vouchers and school choice
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Gender Inequality
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Reinforced achievement levels and self-fulfilling
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Affect preparation for the next level
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Levels correlate directly with factors such as
class background and ethnic group, language
skills, appearance, and other SES variables
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Friendship circles reinforce social networks
US Public School Funding Sources

Affects types of
programs,
learning
atmosphere,
teaching quality
Federal Funds
8%
Property Tax
43%
State Funds
49%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xdfVAP
vv9A&feature=related

Johnathon Kozol– inequalities in schools
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R09EfxHuIXA&feature=
relmfu

TED Talk on how we socialize children to think in schools
 https://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ken_robinson_says_scho
ols_kill_creativity.html

Professor Ruth Lopez Turley on “Does God Care about
Educational Inequality?” Her story.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TXeUldd8Ak

Professor Sean Reardon on income inequality and
educational outcomes
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z-6BZJ39qE
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Sociologists don’t care if its “true” or not. Still
important to society-- social functions,
outcomes, and workings
Tells us what is appropriate behavior
Mechanism of social control
Works together with social needs
Helps explain meaning of life and other
difficult subjects: death, suffering, injustice,
and other events beyond our control

Most people come to believe because they
want to belong

Religious symbols and myths reinforce social
values & norms and affect who we interact
with and how

We learn religion. And many people from
different religions believe their’s is true.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ex_moonie
_diane_benscoter_how_cults_think.html

Social cohesion
 Sense of belonging, unity, common purpose

Sacralizes social values and norms
 Makes them unquestionable

Social change

What does Marx mean by this?
 Keeps people in line
 Provides escape from suffering and promise of
better afterlife
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Religion is class-based
 Stress obedience vs tolerance and justice

Reinforces and may legitimize inequality by
race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation

Is this an inherit contradiction? Why might
this happen?

Through socialization…and many people from
different religions believe their’s is true.

Cults
 http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ex_moonie_dia
ne_benscoter_how_cults_think.html
 What makes cults so dangerous?
 What aspects of the modern world could
strengthen the appeal of cults or religious
extremism?
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Response to global modernization
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Anomie
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Consequences?