Chapter 12Religion and

Education

Chapter Outline

• Religion• Classical Approaches in the

Sociology of Religion• The Rise, Decline, and Partial

Revival of Religion• Religion in the United States and

the World

Chapter Outline

• Education• Macro-Sociological Processes• Micro-Sociological Processes• Contested Terrain: Crisis and

Reform in U.S. Schools

Durkheim’s Theoryof Religion

Main function of religion is to increase social cohesion.

Criticisms of Durkheim

• Conflict and feminist theorists lodge two criticisms:

1. It overemphasizes religion’s role in maintaining social cohesion. In reality, religion often incites social conflict.

2. It ignores the fact that when religion does increase social cohesion, it often reinforces social inequality.

Polling Question

• Do you believe in God?A. YesB. No

Religion and Social Inequality

• The routinization of charisma makes religion less responsive to the needs of ordinary people, and often supports social inequalities and injustices.

• Civil religion: A set of beliefs and practices that bind a population together and justify its way of life.

Polling Question

• What is your current religious affiliation?

A. ProtestantB. CatholicC. JewishD. NoneE. Other

Secularization Thesis of Religion

• Religious institutions, actions, and consciousness are on the decline.

• Critics: – There has been a religious revival

in the U.S. over the past 30 years. – Survey evidence shows religion in

the U.S. is resilient.

% Who Think Religion Is Very Important, 44 Countries

Social Condition of Religion

Church, Sect, and Cult

Integration into society

Bureaucratization

Church High High

Sect Medium Low

Cult Low Low

Church, Sect, and Cult

Longevity Leaders

Church HighFormally trained

Sect Low Charismatic

Cult Low Charismatic

Religious Preference,United States, 2000

Religious Preference by Class, United States, 2000

How Often Americans Attend Religious Services, 1972–

2000

AgeLess than once a

monthOnce a month

or more

18–29 58 42

30–39 52 48

40–49 50 51

50–59 45 55

60–69 42 58

70_ 40 60

How Often Americans Attend Religious Services, 1972–

2000

RaceLess than once

a monthOnce a month

or more

White 51 49

Black

38 62

Education

Opening Colleges to Everyone

• Before World War II, most colleges were limited to the children of a wealthy elite.

• After the war educators argued the country would be stronger if colleges admitted capable students regardless of background or ability to pay.

• Beginning with the GI Bill, federal and state governments assisted these efforts.

Class Privilege in College Admissions

• Students receive admission points if a parent graduated from the college to which they are applying. – Example: President George W. Bush

was accepted at Yale with an SAT score of 1206.

• Students benefit when parents contribute money to the colleges their children want to attend.

Polling Question

• How far do you intend to go in school?A. Two years of collegeB. Four years of collegeC. Master's degreeD. Professional degree (law, medicine,

dentistry)E. Ph.D.

Views on Affirmative Action: Advocates

• Compensates for historical injustices such as slavery and expulsion.

• Helps create a level playing field for all races and ethnic groups.

• Encourages diversity on college campuses.

• Creates a middle-class leadership group in minority communities.

Views on Affirmative Action: Opponents

• We should not have to pay for wrongs committed 300 years ago.

• Note that colleges apply affirmative action criteria to rich and poor members of selected minority groups.

Views on Class Privilege

• Advocates of special treatment for the well-to-do:– Without the generosity of the alumni,

college tuition could increase by as much as two thirds.

– Everyone who goes to college benefits from the money brought in through legacy and development admissions.

Views on Class Privilege

• Advocates of meritocracy: – Oppose special treatment for any

group. – Believe the only fair system is

one in which talent alone determines college admission.

Polling Question

• What is the highest level of education completed by your mother?A. Below high schoolB. High school graduateC. Some college or postsecondary

trainingD. College degreeE. Graduate or professional degreeF. Don't know

Manifest Functions ofSchools

• Train and socialize students.• Create social cohesion.• Transmit culture from generation

to generation.• Sort students, presumably by

merit.

Latent Functions of Schools

• Create a youth culture and a marriage market.

• Create a custodial and surveillance system for children.

• Maintain wage levels by keeping students out of the job market.

• Occasionally becoming a “school of dissent” that opposes authorities.

Effects of Economic Inequality on Education• Schools of widely differing quality.• Families with varying access to

resources for the support of children.

• Children enter school with differing levels of preparation and eagerness to learn.

How Social Backgroundand IQ Influence

Inequality

% with Four or More Years of College

Father’s Occupation and Chances of Completing

CollegeChance of completing

college

Father’s Occupation

Median Scores

Scores in Top 14%

Professional 38 81

Manager 26 82

Clerical/sales 18 65

Skilled blue collar 15 60

Unskilled blue collar 12 54

Average SAT Scores for College-Bound Seniors

Race or Ethnicity

Native Asian African

Verbal481 501 433

Math479 566 426

Total960 1067 859

Average SAT Scores for College-Bound Seniors

Race or Ethnicity

Mexican

PuertoRican

OtherHispani

c

OtherWhite

Verbal 451 457 460 529

Math 458 451 465 531

Total 909 908 925 1060

Self-fulfilling Prophecies in the Education System

• Teachers’ expectations that certain students will do poorly often result in poor student performance.

• Teachers’ expectations that certain students will do well often result in good student performance.

Estimated Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment

Credential Inflation

• The need for more certification and diplomas to qualify for a given job.

• Fueled by increasing technical requirements of many jobs.

• A means of excluding people from professions to maintain high standards and income levels.

Some Effects of Comprehensive Preschool on 21 Year Olds (98%

African American)

Major Reforms Proposed for American Schools

• Mentoring• Giving students in poor schools

vouchers that would allow them to attend private schools.

• Redistributing and increasing school budgets.

• Substantially improving the social environment of young, disadvantaged children before and outside school.

Quick Quiz

1. Which of the following is a criticism frequently lodged against Durkheim's theory of religion?a. Religion often heightens the sense

of belonging to certain groups.b. Religion often incites social conflict.c. Religion often reinforces social

inequality.d. Religion often incites social conflict,

and religion often reinforces social inequality

Answer: d

• The ideas that religion often incites social conflict, and religion often reinforces social inequality are criticisms frequently lodged against Durkheim's theory of religion.

2. A civil religion is:a. a religion that encourages its

members to participate actively in the political arena

b. a religion that does not discriminate on the basis of race, class, gender, or sexual orientation

c. a religion that contributes to social change

d. a set of quasi-religious beliefs and practices that binds the population and justifies its way of life

Answer: d

• A civil religion is a set of quasi-religious beliefs and practices that binds the population and justifies its way of life.

3. According to the secularization thesis:a. religious institutions, actions, and

conscious are on the decline worldwide

b. religious institutions, actions, and conscious are likely to disappear in the near future

c. religiosity is negatively correlated with level of economic development

d. Communist governments, which promoted atheism, lowered the level of religiosity in their countries

Answer : a

• According to the secularization thesis: religious institutions, actions, and conscious are on the decline worldwide.

4. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a cult?a. Cults are groups of people committed

to a religious vision that rejects mainstream culture and society.

b. Cults are generally led by charismatic individuals.

c. Cults tend to recruit members from all segments of the stratification system.

d. Cults tend to disappear after a relatively short period of time.

Answer: c

• The following is not a characteristic of a cult:

– Cults tend to recruit members from all segments of the stratification system.

5. The routinization of charisma is Weber's term for the transformation of divine enlightenment into a permanent feature of everyday life.a. Trueb. False

Answer: a

• The routinization of charisma is Weber's term for the transformation of divine enlightenment into a permanent feature of everyday life.

6. Affirmative action in college admissions refers to the practice of:a. offering of financial support to

students from poor backgroundsb. giving preference to students who

have a parent who graduated from the college to which they are applying

c. giving preference to applicants from minority groups

d. all of these choices

Answer : c

• Affirmative action in college admissions refers to the practice of giving preference to applicants from minority groups.

7. In the United States, students routinely receive admission points that enhance their chances of being admitted if they have a parent who graduated from the college to which they are applying.

a. Trueb. False

Answer: a

• In the United States, students routinely receive admission points that enhance their chances of being admitted if they have a parent who graduated from the college to which they are applying.

8. Which of the following is a latent function that schools accomplish unintentionally?a. serving as a "marriage market"

by bringing potential mates together

b. keeping children under surveillance and freeing parents to work

c. both of these choices

Answer : c

• Serving as a "marriage market" by bringing potential mates together and keeping children under surveillance and freeing parents to work are latent functions that schools accomplish unintentionally.

9. Self-fulfilling prophecies in the educational system:a. reinforce the effects of background

factorsb. reduce the effects of background

factorsc. help reproduce existing patterns of

inequalityd. none of these choicese. reinforce the effects of background

factors, and help reproduce existing patterns of inequality

Answer: e

• Self-fulfilling prophecies in the educational system reinforce the effects of background factors, and help reproduce existing patterns of inequality.

10. Credential inflation takes place because family background continues to serve as a way of restricting access to high-status occupations.a. Trueb. False

Answer: b

• Credential inflation does not take place because family background continues to serve as a way of restricting access to high-status occupations.