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!