Chapter 13: Education and Religion

Objectives (slide 1 of 2)13.1 Education in the United States• Discuss key contemporary issues in public education.• Analyze the education choices available in the United

States.13.2 Education Around the World• Illustrate education systems in postindustrial, developing,

and underdeveloped nations.13.3 Sociological Perspectives on Education• Describe the sociological perspectives on education.13.4 Sociology of Religion• Compare and contrast how sociologists view the role of

religion in social life.

Objectives (slide 1 of 2)

13.5 Sociological Perspectives on Religion• Describe the sociological perspectives on religion.13.6 Religions of the World• Compare and contrast the main religions of the

world.13.7 Types of Religious Organizations• Illustrate the continuum of religious organizations.13.8 Religions in the United States• Discuss the functions that religion plays in the lives

of Americans.

Education in the United States

• The US government set a goal for mass education in the 1850s.

• By 1918, all states had passed compulsory education laws and began standardizing curricula.

• Today, high school graduation rates are 70%.

Schools and Segregation

• In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal as long as facilities were “separate but equal.”

• In 1954, the Supreme Court decided that racially segregated schools are inherently unequal in Brown v. Board of Education.

• De jure segregation: Segregation that is allowed by law

• De facto segregation: Segregation that is part of social practice

Contemporary Issues in Public Education

• Educational curriculums have changed little, even as the United States transitioned to postindustrialism.

• School funding has not kept up with the pace of technological innovations.

• The infrastructure has aged and not enough funding is available to upgrade or repair facilities.

• Changes in family structure changed the way in which children are socialized

Liberalism and Conservatism in Public Education

Liberalism• Blames the

deterioration of public education on lack of funding.

• Although the United States ranks 3rd in spending per pupil, school performance ranks significantly lower.

Conservatism• Argues that reform

begins with accountability.

• Favors strong local government control.

Charter Education and Private Education

• Compulsory education: The legal requirement that all children attend school

• A private school is a school that is run by private individuals or organizations that charge tuition.

• Charter school: A school that is run by private individuals or corporations but funded with public tax dollars

• Magnet school: A publically funded school that concentrates its curriculum on a particular subject area

Home Schooling

• Currently, more than 3% of all school-age children are home schooled.

• The rates of home schooling differ by:– Race– Socioeconomic status

Does School Choice Work?

Cons• School choice excludes

students in marginal groups.

• Only half the teachers in private schools are certified or have advanced degrees.

• Staff turnover rates are higher in private than in public schools.

Pros• The average per pupil

expenditure for private schools is 30% lower than for public schools.

• Private school students outperform public school students in every subject.

• There are fewer behavioral problems in private schools.

• Private schools are becoming increasingly diverse.

Deviance in Schools

• Thomas theorem: If something is perceived as real, it becomes real in its consequences

• Hidden curriculum: Things that a child learns at school that are outside of the formal curriculum

• Bullying: Repeatedly being mean to another child

The Bureaucratization of Education

• Bureaucratization of education has led to:– An increasing reliance on numerical

assessments to determine success or failure– Rigid expectations that are not appropriate

for every student and neglect community, family, and individual culture

– Specialization with no connection made between subjects

– Disempowerment of teachers and students

Dropping Out

• Dropping out: Leaving school prior to graduation– Children who drop out are at significantly

higher risk for poverty, criminal behavior, and unemployement.

• Self-fulfilling prophecy: Actions or attitudes that make a preconceived belief come true

Other Issues of Bureaucratization

Grade Inflation• Grade inflation: The

trend of giving everyone higher grades for mediocre work

• Credentialism: The tendency to emphasize a diploma or academic degree rather than experience, skill, or subject knowledge

Academic Standards• Functionally illiterate:

The absence of basic reading and writing skills necessary for everyday living

• Social promotion: Passing a student through grades as a result of age rather than academic ability

Schooling and Economic Development

• The way in which a culture views education and the methods it uses to educate children are strongly tied to the economic development of the nation.

What Can Other Countries Teach Us About Education?

• Examples of ways social forces shape education:– While money is an important factor, it is not

a panacea for educational problems.– Cultural transmission is an important

foundation of education.– The number one predictor of how well a

child will do in school is how well the child likes school.

Functionalism in Schools

• Functional analysis identifies five ways in which formal education functions in society:– Socialization of students– Cultural innovation and change– Stratification– Social integration– Performing latent functions that help the

economy

Schooling and the Conflict Perspective

• The conflict perspective sees schools as a way of controlling people, forcing them to accept dominant cultural norms.

• Tracking: Assigning students into different types of educational programs based on their perceived aptitude

Symbolic Interactionism and Education

• The symbolic interactionist approach analyzes schools in terms of the way in which the language we use shapes our perceptions of education and how stereotypes can shape what goes on in a classroom.

Sociology of Religion

• Profane: Part of the realm of ordinary experience

• Sacred: Things that are set apart as inspiring awe or reverence

• Religion: A social institution involving beliefs, values, and behaviors based on the sacred

• Faith: Belief based on conviction rather than on empirical evidence

Functionalism and Religion

• Durkheim posited that each society adopts certain items as symbols of its social life.– Totem: An object in the material world that a

society collectively defines as sacred• Three main functions of religion in society:– Social cohesion– Social control– Sense of meaning or purpose

Conflict Perspectives on Religion

• Marx argued that religion supports the ruling class by legitimizing its position in society:– Religion maintains social divisions through

the justification of servitude.– Religion supports gender divisions.– Religion prevents revolutionary change.

Symbolic Interactionism and Religion

• Symbolic interactionism states that religious beliefs and ritual behaviors create a common understanding that gives people a sense of collective meaning and identity.

Christianity

• Christianity is the most widespread religion in the world.– 85% of North Americans identify as

Christians.• Christianity is based on the personal

character and charisma of Jesus, who preached monotheism.– Monotheism: The belief in one god– Polytheism: The belief in more than one god

Islam

• Islam comprises one fifth of the world’s population.

• Islam is the word of God as revealed to the prophet Muhammad.– Based on five pillars:

• Believing that Allah is the one true God and Muhammad is the true messenger

• Performing ritual prayer five times a day• Giving alms to the poor• Fasting during Ramadan• Making a pilgrimage to Mecca

Judaism

• The teachings of Judaism provided the foundation for both Islam and Christianity.

• A key tenet of the Jewish faith is the idea that Jews are the chosen people of God.

• Three main denominations:– Orthodox Judaism– Reform Judaism– Conservative Judaism

Hinduism

• Hinduism is the oldest extant religion.• Hinduism is known as an “ethical

religion,” meaning that the core of the religion rests on an expectation of specific ethical responsibilities, or Dharma.

• Hindus view God more as a moral force that permeates the universe.

Buddhism and Confusianism

Buddhism• Based on the revelations

of Siddhartha Gautama, who preached that the solution to suffering lies in the development of spiritual harmony.

• Relies on personal meditation and personal withdrawal as a means of enlightenment.

Confucianism• Based on the teachings of

Confucius, who relied on withdrawal from the world as a way to mitigate worldly suffering.

• Emphasizes placing moral rightness above personal self-interest.

• Differs from other religions in its absence of a sense of the sacred.

Atheism and Agnosticism

• Atheism: The absence of a belief in God or the denial of belief in God

• Agnosticism: Doubt or skepticism about the existence of God

Church

• Church: A type of religious organization that is formally recognized and is well integrated into society– State church: A church that is sanctioned by

or allied with the government– Denomination: A church, independent of the

state, that recognizes religious pluralism

Sect

• Sect: A religious organization that sets itself apart from mainstream religious beliefs

• Leadership styles are based on:– Charisma: Personal qualities that make

people want to follow you– Proselytizing: Actively attempting to recruit

members to a particular religious view

Cult

• Cult: A religious organization that is completely outside a society’s cultural traditions– Cults tend to form around a charismatic

leader who presents views different from mainstream religious beliefs.

Religions in the United States

• America is the most religiously diverse nation in the world.

• More than 85% of Americans claim to belong to some religion. – More than half of adults in the United States

identify with Protestantism.– 25% profess to be Catholic.– 2% are Jewish.

Religious Affiliation and Religiosity

• Religiosity: The importance that religion plays in a person’s life

Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Religion

• American congregations have more women than men.

• Although Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Church of Christ members account for less than 10% of the population, they account for a reported 33% of the most economically and socially successful Americans.

• Jews, who make up only about 1.7% of the population, account for 12% of the most successful Americans.

Fundamentalism and Secularization

Fundamentalism• Fundamentalism: The

literal and rigid interpretation of a sacred text

• Fundamentalists tend to be socially and politically active.

Secularization• Secularization: The

declining importance of religion in society

• The rise of secularization accompanies changes in society that put more emphasis on science and technology and deemphasize the sacred.