Social Institutions: Politics, Education, and Religion PDF

CHAPTER 10 Social Institutions: Politics, Education, and Religion Copyright © 2024 W. W. Norton & Company 10.2 What Is Education? Identify the different functions of schooling and explain how educational institutions reproduce inequality. What Is Education? Education: the process by wh...

CHAPTER 10 Social Institutions: Politics, Education, and Religion Copyright © 2024 W. W. Norton & Company 10.2 What Is Education? Identify the different functions of schooling and explain how educational institutions reproduce inequality. What Is Education? Education: the process by which a society transmits its academic knowledge, cultural values, and societal expectations to its members so they can function effectively Education and the Reproduction of Society The founders’ belief education for all citizens is beneficial for both society and the individual helped create the U.S. public education system, changing schooling from a luxury into a necessity. While education can improve our life chances, it also reproduces inequality. Tracking: the placement of students in educational “tracks,” or programs of study (e.g., college prep, remedial), that determine the types of classes they take Hidden curriculum: values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling Classic Studies of Education Rosenthal and Jacobson found that when teachers expected their students to succeed, academic performance improved. Kozol found that children in poor neighborhoods were trapped in poor schools, while schools in wealthy districts had more resources. Credential society: a society that emphasizes the attainment of degrees and certificates as necessary requirements for the job market and social mobility The Present and Future of Education A 1983 report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education cited declining standardized test scores to conclude that the United States education system was in a profound crisis. One response was the 2010 Common Core State Standards, a voluntary program that relies heavily on standardized test scores to measure student and teacher performance. Much of the research surrounding America’s failing public education system points toward a connection between poverty and academic underachievement. Charter Schools and School Vouchers Charter schools: public schools run by private entities to give parents greater control over their children’s education School vouchers: payments from the government to parents whose children attend failing public schools; the money helps parents pay private school tuition Both measures use public monies to fund privatized education. Despite the growing use of school vouchers, there has been little evidence to indicate that vouchers increase academic achievement. Alternatives to Traditional Schooling Homeschooling: the education of children by their parents, at home Unschooling: a homeschooling alternative that rejects the standard curriculum in favor of student-driven types of learning In unschooling, parents offer guidance, but students initiate their own direction and exploration of subject matter. Critics worry about students’ isolation and lack of social skills. As of 2017, an estimated 1.7 million students in the United States were homeschooled, accounting for a little over 3 percent of the school-age population. Early College High Schools and Dual Enrollment Programs Early college high schools: institutions in which students earn a high school diploma and two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree Dual enrollment: programs that allow high school students to simultaneously enroll in college classes, earning credit for both high school and college degrees Both programs have been shown to improve postsecondary academic achievement. Higher Education Community college: two-year institution that provides students with general education and facilitates transfer to a four-year university For-profit colleges are known for generating high student debt and dismal graduation rates, and even for using predatory recruitment practices that target students of color. With the advent of the internet and the coronavirus pandemic, online education has become even more prominent. On the Job: A College Degree: What’s It Worth? Both the skills students acquire and a college diploma are valuable on the job market, but as more and more people attend college, these credentials are subject to inflation. Experts disagree about whether the earnings advantage of college outweighs the growing cost of higher education. 10.3 What Is Religion? Define religion and outline how the major sociological paradigms explain the rise, attraction, and impact of religion. What Is Religion? Religion: any institutionalized system of shared beliefs and rituals that acknowledge a relationship between the sacred and the profane Beliefs are propositions and ideas held on the basis of faith. Rituals are practices based on those beliefs. Sacred: the holy, divine, or supernatural Profane: the ordinary, mundane, or everyday Theoretical Approaches to Religion For structural functionalism, religion shapes behavior, gives meaning to our lives, and builds community. Symbolic interactionism focuses on how people construct religious meanings and how religion is incorporated in our everyday lives. From a conflict perspective, religion can subjugate and oppress. Monotheistic: a term describing religions that worship a single divine figure Religiosity Religiosity: the regular practice of religious beliefs, often measured in terms of frequency of attendance at worship services and the importance of religious beliefs to an individual Extrinsic religiosity: a person’s public display of commitment to a religious faith Intrinsic religiosity: a person’s inner religious life or personal relationship to the divine On the whole, younger people, whites, and men are less likely to identify as religious than other groups. In Relationships: Can a Relationship with God Improve Your GPA? While young Americans as a group are becoming increasingly secular, some researchers have found that there is a renewed engagement with religion and spirituality among undergraduate college students across the United States. Researchers at UCLA found that spirituality has a positive effect on traditional college outcomes such as academic performance, psychological well-being, leadership skills, and satisfaction with college. Religious Composition of the United States and the World Religious Trends Fundamentalism: the practice of emphasizing literal interpretation of texts and a “return” to a time of greater religious purity; represented by the most conservative group within any religion Evangelical: a term describing conservative Christians who emphasize converting others to their faith Unchurched: a term describing those who consider themselves spiritual but not religious and who often adopt aspects of various religious traditions Second-Largest Religious Tradition in Each State, 2010 A Secular Society? Secular: nonreligious; a secular society separates church and state and does not endorse any religion Theoretically, the United States separates church and state to allow for freedom of religion, but reality is more complicated. It seems that an unspoken requirement for the presidency includes being a man of Christian faith. For example, in government and private industry, schedules are often organized around Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. The Importance of Institutions Social institutions are an important part of the structure of our society. Politics, education, and religion are three institutions that shape our lives, often in intersecting ways, even if we don’t realize it. As sociologists, we seek to understand how institutions influence our everyday lives, and how we can affect institutions as well! This micro–macro link is the essence of the sociological imagination.