Education and Religion Chapter 13 Education and Religion are powerful social institutions

What is Education? Education transmits attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, values, norms, and skills. Education can be formal and informal. Schooling is a more formal training done is a classroom setting.

What is Religion? Religion is a social institution that involves shared beliefs, values, and practices related to the supernatural. Religion can vary between cultures. Sacred: People see as holy or supernatural. Profane: Ordinary or everyday.

How Functionalists View Education Functionalists believe education is vital for society's stability and order. In general, a functionalist believes the higher the education, the higher the success a person will experience. They believe Education has both Manifest and Latent functions.

Manifest vs Latent Functions of Education Manifest (intended/obvious): Teaches children to get along Transmit knowledge and skills Helps cultural integration Cultural innovation Latent: (unintended/hidden) Provide healthcare and services Serves as matchmaking institutions Decreases job competition

Functionalist View of Religion A functionalist believes that religion aids society. Functionalists believe it sets a guide to help people maintains normal course of action in their lives. They admit however, that religion can be dysfunctional when it harms individuals.

Functionalist views: Benefits vs Harms of Religion. GOOD: Helps belonging and identity Purpose and emotional comfort Well-being Social control NEGATIVE: Conflicts between others Less individualism Intolerance sparks anger and hatred Sexism

How Feminist View Education Education has a much higher gap between the job opportunities for men and women. Although more women are getting bachelor, associates, and masters degrees, feminist believe the education and jobs for women are very outnumbered by men.

What is STEM STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Although women and men take science and math in nearly equal numbers in school, men are still outnumbering women in these fields. Women are controlled by a dominant male and very under represented in the STEM fields.

Critical Evaluations A common criticism is that feminist scholars address education and job barriers, but not their choices. Gender stereotypes expectations affect our behavior, but it is still unclear why woman choose a field of study that results with them being on the lower end of the pay scale.

Feminist Views on Religion Religion is patriarchal- they emphasize the men's experiences and a males point of view. Seeing woman as subordinate to men. "Blessed art thou, O lord, our God, King of the Universe, that I was not born a woman." Some women believed that Jesus was a feminist because he defended woman and gave them hope. He also included them in prayer. (Brothers and sisters).

Exclusion from Leadership Positions Women make up only 21% of the nations clergy, lead only 8% of congregation, and earn 20 percent less than their male counterparts.

Critical Evaluations on Feminist Views There are 3 flaws: Women read into the mistreatment and judgement of women rather than focusing on justice for both men and women. Women aren't as oppressed as the feminist claim. Overlooking the progression and variations of women's leadership in organized religion.

Conflict Theory beliefs In education, the poor/certain races clash with the rich/other races and jobs are handed out to who did better, which is almost exclusively the rich/the majority. In religion, the world versus religion keeps us going in a hypothetical holy war. Religion is seen and "the people's opium" as it keeps them from protesting, but also arises issues such as inequality and justifies violence.

Conflict Theory Key Terms Achievement gap: the difference in scores on grades and college completion. Hidden Curriculum: the Curriculum that transmits unacademic knowledge such as values and beliefs. Credentialism: the thought that certificates and degrees displayed are more important than actual skill. Privilege: when certain groups have special power for being in that group.

Examples of Key Terms o Achievement gap: a poor child attending a poor school with less educated teacher means a lesser education, while a richer child attends a richer school and therefore gets a better education. o Hidden Curriculum: when a teacher adds her personal bias can therefore lead to the student believing that also. o Credentialism: a Dr. Degree handing on his/her wall. o Privilege: a Caucasian man getting a job over a Hispanic man

Issues College racial and ethnic diversity increased by 56% percent in Hidden Curriculum doesn't always decide job placement.

Key terms: Religion. False consciousness: the acceptance of beliefs that prevents people from protesting oppression. Religion according to Karl Marx justifies intolerance and violence. Many wars and protest have devastated the world in the name of religion, it promotes social inequality, and usually institutes exclusion of certain people Ex: Jews outcast Christian for believing Jesus was the son of God. Muslims outcast Jews for believing the land they're on is God's promised land, most religious outcasts non-believers.

Issues: Many religious are built around harmony if followed correctly, say non believers should be embraced. (Though many hardly flow any religion correctly)

Symbolic Interaction: Key Terms Tracking: tracking refers to assigning students to specific courses and paths according to their academic ability. High track students often have more homework or work in general. High track students often have higher quality education and teachers who are more enthusiastic. Tracking is often cumulative and long lasting. Labeling: Labeling is a form of expectation applied to students based on what a teacher or parent may think about them. Labeling is a product of tracking and can often result in students having lower self confidence or only attempting to do what is expected of them. Student engagement: Symbolic interactionists see a link between student engagement and performance of students. However, schools often rate students based on academic test performances and spend little time on problem solving. This often time inhibits student performance in the real world.

Symbolic Interaction on Education Symbolic interaction tells us that roles, like student and teacher, are not given but learned. For symbolic interaction, education is an active process that includes students, teachers, peers and parents. Education involves tracking, labeling, and student engagement

Symbolic Interaction on Religion For interactionists, religion is socially constructed. They believe people can learn and interpret religion and its symbols freely. They do not believe it has any inherent value and that they can change between cultures

Critical Evaluation Often times, it is argued interactionists ignore mico-level interactions and ways that religion promotes social inequality at macro-levels. Symbolic interaction is often judged that it ignores the harmful ways religion affects women and justifies violence.