Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Education and Religion

Educational and Religious Institutions The educational institution is the social

structure concerned with the formal transmission of knowledge.

The institution of religion is an important part of social life. It us intertwined with politics and culture and involved in integration and conflict.

Both education and religion are central components of cultural heritage and have profound effects on our society and individuals.

Structural-Functional Theory: Functions of Education Concerned with the consequences of

educational institutions for the maintenance of society.

Educational system is designed to keep society running smoothly:◦ Training and knowledge – of each generation ◦ Socialization – discipline, obedience, cooperation, punctuality, cultural knowledge◦ Sorting – channel students based on their abilities◦ Promoting Change – critical and analytical skills

Theoretical Perspectives on Education

Education and Culture

Education is an important means of reproducing culture.

In Japan, school uniforms emphasize group solidarity over individual achievement.

Conflict Theory: Education and the Perpetuation of Inequality Education as a Capitalist Tool – hidden

curriculum teaches obedience and conformity.

Education as a Cultural Tool – teaches the cultural perspective of the dominant culture.

Education as a Status Marker – credentialism assumes that some are better than others based on their particular education credential.

Unequal Education and Inequality – use of education as a status marker reinforced by unequal provision of education across society.


Unequal Education

It is difficult for children to learn in crowded classrooms that lack proper heating or cooling; to be taught by beginning or substitute teachers; to have to share out-dated textbooks.

These conditions are more common in poor and minority communities.

Connections: Personal ApplicationWhat advantages or disadvantages did you

bring with you to college? Did your parents speak English? Did your parents pay for tutoring, sports,

music lessons, a computer, or a junior year abroad?

Did you work to help pay the bills? These advantages and disadvantages will

continue to affect you as you go through college.

Symbolic Interactionism: The Self-fulfilling Prophecy Studies show teachers expect the most from

students who are white and middle/upper class. When teachers assume that certain students

cannot succeed, they give those students less opportunity to do so.

As a result, students learn less when they are from a lower social class or minority group.

White students also have more cultural capital that is valued by dominant society.


Current Controversies inAmerican EducationTracking

◦ Evaluations to determine the educational programs a child will be encouraged to follow.

High-Stakes Testing◦ Students must pass standardized tests before they

can move to a higher grade. Often programs in art music, physical education, and languages are dropped as more resources put into tested areas.

School choice◦ Options including tuition vouchers, tax credits,

magnet schools, charter schools, and home schooling. Privatization is where educational services are “farmed out” to corporations or redefined as individual responsibility.

Understanding Religion

A system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things that unites believers into a moral community.

Sociologists examine how culture, society and other social forces affect religion; and how religion affects individuals and social structure.

What is Religion?


Why Religion? Religion is a fundamental feature in all

societies Helps individuals interpret and cope with

events beyond our control and understanding Beliefs and rituals develop as a way to

appease the greater force Shared beliefs and rituals reinforce

membership in a community of similar others

Rituals

Religious rituals help individuals cope with events that are beyond human control and understanding, such as death, illness, drought, famine, and other disasters.


Why religion Now? The Rise of Fundamentalism Until 1970s scholars thought that as science advanced secularization would increase.

Secularization is the process of transferring objects, ideas, or events from the sacred realm to the non-sacred (secular) realm.

While there has been some drop in American religiosity, fundamentalism has grown dramatically in the last 30 years

Changing Religious Commitment 1962–2007

Percent Americans

1962–65

Percent Americans 2004–2007

Belong to a religion 98 93

Religion is very important to their own lives

70 56

Believe Bible is actual word of God, to be taken literally word for word

65 31

Fundamentalism refers to religious movements that believe:

◦ Their most sacred book or books are the literal word of God

◦ Accept traditional interpretations of those books

◦ Stress the importance of living in ways that mesh with those traditional interpretations


Why religion Now? The Rise of Fundamentalism

Durkheim: Structural-Functional Theory of Religion Three elementary forms of religion:

1. Distinction between:

Profane – represents all that is routine in everyday world; that we control, understand and control.

Sacred – consists of events and things we hold in awe and reverence; that we cannot understand or control

2. A set of beliefs about the supernatural that help people cope with the uncertainties of life.

3. A body of rituals or practices.

Theoretical Perspectives on Religion

The Functions of Religion: At the social level, religion gives the tradition

a moral imperative. At the personal level, religion provides

support, consolation and reconciliation in times of crisis or need.

Theoretical Perspectives on ReligionDurkheim: Structural-Functional Theory of Religion

Marx and Beyond: Conflict Theory

Marx saw religion as an “opiate of the masses.”

Modern conflict theorists are more interested in how religion may act either to express or repress class and ideological conflicts.

Focus on the dialectic – the contradictions between existing institutions that lead to social change. Social change can foster change in society’s religions.


Weber: Religion as an Independent Force Weber combined ideas from structural and

conflict perspectives. Changes in religious ideology can stimulate

social change. Charismatic leadership influential. Protestant Ethic: the belief that work,

rationalism, and plain living are moral virtues; idleness and indulgence are sinful.


Tension between Religion and SocietyEach religion confronts two contradictory yet

complementary tendencies:

1) The tendency to reject the world…

2) The tendency to compromise with the world.

Tension between Religion and SocietyChurches – religious organizations that are institutionalized, have endured for generations, are supported by and support society’s norms and values, and have become an active part of society.

State church – strongly supported or mandated by the government.

Denomination – a church that accommodates the state and other churches.

Structure and function – formal bureaucracy; hierarchal positions, official creeds

Tension between Religion and SocietySects– religious organizations that arise in active rejection of changes they find repugnant in churches.

Structure and function of sects:

Membership is often the result of conversion or emotional experience

Services are more informal than in churches

Doctrines emphasize ‘otherworldly’ rewards; scriptures considered divine in origin - literal

New Religious Movements (NRMs)

Tension between Religion and Society

– Religious or spiritual movements begun in recent decades and not derived from mainstream religions. Also known as cults.

Structure and function of NRMs:

Strongly resemble those of sects

Members choose to join rather than follow parents

Attract people whose needs have not been met by mainstream religions.

Religion in the United States

The Rise of Emerging Churches – are linked by: 1) the belief that American life and modern Christian churches are atomized, bureaucratic, and inauthentic

2) an emphasis on informal rituals, a more open perspective toward scripture and behavior, and living a life of mission, faith, and community.

The Rise in “No Religion” - Currently 15% of U.S. residents claim no religion (up from 8% in 1990)

Trends in U.S. Religious Membership


Trends in Religiosity

Religiosity is an individuals level of commitment to religious beliefs and acting on those beliefs.

Religious economy refers to the competition between religious organizations to provide better ‘consumer products’ thereby creating greater ‘market demand’ for their own products.


Consequences of Religiosity People who are more religious tend to be:

◦ healthier, happier and more satisfied with their lives – benefits from sense of belonging to a religious community.

◦ more conservative in attitudes about family; in supporting conservative political movements

Religion and church can promote social change

Church members don’t always adopt the views of their church; sometimes this results in split from the central church.

U.S. Civil Religion Civil religion is the set of institutionalized

rituals, beliefs and symbols sacred to the U.S. nation.

Important source of unity for the U.S.

◦ Beliefs: God guides the country.

◦ Symbols: The flag.

◦ Rituals: Pledge of Allegiance.


Chapter 12

Documents

physical education

white students

unequal provision of

inequality use of education

certain students

cultural tool

dominant society

educational programs