Politics, Education, and Religion

Chapter 10

Politics, Education, and Religion

Social InstitutionsSystems and structures--shape activities of groups and individuals in society.

Politics, education, and religion are social institutions.

PoliticsMethods and tactics of managing a nation or state

Administering and controlling internal and external affairs

GovernmentFormal, organized agency that:

Exercises power and control in modern society

Through creation & enforcement of laws

Power and AuthorityPower= Ability to impose ones will on others

Authority= Legitimate power

Types of Political SystemsAuthoritarianism:

System of government by and for a small number of elites

Does not include representation of ordinary citizens

Types of Political Systems (contd.)Dictatorship: One form of an authoritarianism system

Seizes power

Becomes an absolutist ruler

Types of Political SystemsTotalitarianism: Most extreme and modern form of authoritarianism

The government seeks to control every aspect of citizens lives

Types of Political SystemsMonarchy: Government by a king or queenSuccession of rulers kept within family Absolute monarchies: Complete authority over their subjects

Constitutional monarchs: Royal figuresPowers defined by political charterLimited by a parliament or other governing body

Types of Political SystemsDemocracy: Political system in which all citizens have the right to participate.

Pluralist Theory vs. Power ElitePluralism: A system of political power

Where a wide variety of individuals and groups

Have equal access to resources and power Pluralist Theory vs. Power EliteC. Wright Mills:Coined the term power eliteA relatively small number of peopleWho control: Economic Political, and Military institutions of a society

Influence of Money in PoliticsSpecial interest groups: Organizations that raise and spend money

To influence elected officials or public opinion

Special Interest GroupsInterest group,also called special interest group or pressure group

Any association of individuals or organizations

Attempts to influence public policy in its favorSpecial Interest GroupsGoal could be a policy that exclusively benefits group members or one segment of societye.g., government subsidies for farmers

or

A policy that advances a broader public purpose e.g., improving air qualityTop Interest GroupsLawyers/Law Firms Securities/Invest Health Professionals Real Estate Commercial Banks

Insurance Leadership PACs Oil & Gas Lobbyists Pharm/Health Prod Other InfluencesMass media also impacts politics. For instance, many people form their beliefs based on information from opinion leaders.

Opinion leaders are high-profile peopleWho interpret eventsInfluence the public

Famous Opinion Leaders

EducationThe process by which a society transmits:Knowledge, Values, andExpectations to its members

So they can function in society

EducationSchooling serves important functions for society: Transmission of knowledge

Learning to societys rules

Respect authority

Develop qualities that make people efficient and obedient workers

EducationEducational institutions help reproduce inequality in society.

The hidden curriculum:

Unspoken and unofficial norms, behaviors, and values that kids learn at school

In addition to the official curriculum of math, reading, science, and so on.

Hidden CurriculumExpectations about how to act in publicStanding in lineHow to interact with non-parental authority figuresPatriotismPledge of Allegiance each morningSocial hierarchiesWho its ok to ridiculeWhat it means to get different gradesSchool Funding and InequalityBecause schools are funded by local property taxes

Children in poor neighborhoods are trapped in poor schools

Which reinforces inequality

Education in CrisisMany believe Americas educational system is in crisisLittle agreement on solutionsSome attempts:Early college high schoolsHomeschoolingSchool vouchersCharter schools

Early College High SchoolsInstitutions that blend high school and college

Students earn both a high school diploma and

Two years of college credit toward a bachelors degree

Other OptionsHomeschooling: the education of children by their parents, at home

School vouchers: Payments from the government to parentsWhose children attend failing public schoolsHelps parents pay private school tuition.

Other OptionsDistance learning:

Educational course or program in which the teacher and students do not meet together in classroom

Increasingly available over the internet.

ReligionReligion includes any institutionalized system of shared:Beliefs: propositions and ideas held on the basis of faith Rituals: practices based on those beliefs that identify a relationship between the sacred (holy, divine, or supernatural) and the profane (ordinary, mundane, or everyday)

Sociologists do not evaluate the truth of any religion, but rather study the ways that religions shape and are shaped by cultural institutions and the ways that religions influence and are influenced by the behaviors of individuals.

What Does Religion Do?Shapes everyday behavior by providing morals, values, rules, and norms for its participantsGives meaning to our livesProvides the opportunity to come together with others to share in group activities and identity

Religion and Social ChangeReligion can be made dysfunctional by promoting inequality with sexist, racist, or homophobic doctrines. On the other hand, religious organizations have also been agents of social justice and political change.

Religious Composition in the United States33

33Religiosity is the regular practice of religious beliefs, measured by church attendance.Thirty-eight percent of Americans report attending services weekly.

Extrinsic religiosity refers to a persons public display of commitment to a religious faith.Intrinsic religiosity refers to a persons inner religious life or personal relationship to the divine.

Two groups have dramatically increased in size in recent decades:Fundamentalists: those who literally interpret texts and want to return to a time of greater religious purityUnchurched: those who consider themselves spiritual but not religious, and who often adopt aspects of various religious traditions

Importance of InstitutionsSocial institutions are an important part of the structure of our society.As a sociologist, it is important to understand how institutions shape our lives, and how we can shape institutions as well!