EDUCATION AND RELIGION

1
EDUCATION AND RELIGION

• THE MOST POWERFUL STRUCTURAL FORCES FOR PROCESSES
  OF SOCIALIZATION

2
STRUCTURAL PROCESSES

• FORMAL
• AGENCY SPONSORED
• BUREAUCRATIZED
• SYSTEMATIC INTENT
• INFORMAL
• SPONTANEOUS INTERACTION
• NON-HIERARCHICAL
• IMPROMPTU DISCOVERY

3
EDUCATION

• ESSENTIAL FOR STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE, ECONOMIC
  PROGRESS AND SOCIAL BALANCE IN ADVANCED SOCIAL
  STRUCTURES

4
FORMAL PROCESSES

• SCHOOLING
• FORMAL, SYSTEMATIC INSTRUCTION
• GOAL ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT OF COLLECTIVE
  CONSCIOUSNESS
• EDUCATION MUST MAKE THE CHILD COVER IN A FEW
  YEARS THE ENORMOUS DISTANCES TRAVELED BY MANKIND
  IN MANY CENTURIES Emile Durkheim
• SHAPED BY LARGER SOCIAL FORCES
• ORGANIZED TO INTEGRATE SUBPOPULATIONS INTO SOCIAL
  STRUCTURE
• INEQUALITIES INHERENT IN STRUCTURE
• RESPONSIVE TO SOCIAL ENGINEERING

5
FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

• EMPHASIS ON IDEALS
• OBJECTIVE (MEASURABLE) INTENT
• ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY
• STRUCTURAL AND SOCIAL
• CORPORATE AND FAMILY
• SOCIALIZATION AND SOCIAL BALANCE
• HOMOGENEITY WITH OPPORTUNITY FOR
• SCREENING AND SELECTION
• SOCIAL PROBLEM RESOLUTION

6
CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE

• EMPHASIS ON DOMINANT / SUBORDINATE DYNAMIC
• PUBLIC EDUCATION
• GROUNDED IN RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE
• REPRODUCTION THEORY (GIROUX ALTHUSSER)
• PERPETUATION OF UNEQUAL POWER STRUCTURES
• HIERARCHY AMONG EQUALS
• WHO BENEFITS FROM A SYSTEM IN WHICH
• OVER A THIRD OF THE STUDENTS NEVER GRADUATE,
  AND ANOTHER THIRD ARE TRAPPED INTO A SITUATION
  WHERE THEY DONT HAVE THE SKILLS THAT ARE GOING
  TO GIVE THEM A GOOD LIFETIME OUTCOME? (GATES
  2006)

7
MODERN EDUCATION

• MERITOCRACY OBJECTIVE
• CREDENTIALED SOCIETY
• FORM gt FUNCTION
• TRACKING
• ACADEMIC
• VOCATIONAL
• CURRICULUM BASIS
• NATIONAL OR DECENTRALIZED MODEL?
• PERSONAL OPPORTUNITY vs. STRUCTURAL NEED

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PROBLEMS IN EDUCATION

• FUNDING
• ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION LESS PER STUDENT FUNDING
  TODAY THAN IN 1955
• SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN STRUCTURAL NEEDS
• CHANGING ECONOMIC STRUCTURES
• EVOLUTION FROM MATERIAL PRODUCT TO INTELLECTUAL
  PRODUCT AND RELATED SERVICE

9
RELIGION

• ITS SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE

10
DEFINITON

• SOCIAL ACTION THAT ENCOMPASSES THOSE HUMAN
  RESPONSES THAT GIVE MEANING TO THE ULTIMATE AND
  INESCAPABLE PROBLEMS OF EXISTENCE BIRTH, DEATH,
  ILLNESS, AGING, INJUSTICE, TRAGEDY, AND SUFFERING
  (Abercrombie and Turner)

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THE POWER OF RELIGION

• BUILDS SOCIAL CAPITAL THROUGH PROVIDING
• ANSWERS TO THE ULTIMATE AND INESCAPABLE PROBLEMS
• COMMON PURPOSE AND CAUSE
• FRAMEWORK FOR DURABLE SOCIAL STRUCTURE
• SOCIO-HISTORICAL BASIS FOR SOCIETY AND SOCIAL
  CONTROL

12
ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS

• BELIEF - IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SACRED
  AND THE PROFANE
• ORGANIZATION (ONE OR MORE)
• SACRAMENTAL
• PLACES, OBJECTS ACTIONS
• PROPHETIC
• HISTORY, REVELATION THE WAY
• MYSTICAL
• TRANSCENDENTAL EXPERIENCE
• COMMUNITY

13
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

• FUNCTIONALISM (VARIABLES OF RELIGION)
• EMOTIONAL COMFORT (SALVATION)
• SOCIAL SOLIDARITY
• NORMS
• CONTROL MECHANISMS
• ADAPTATION DEVICES
• GOVERNMENT
• SOCIAL CHANGE

14
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

• CONFLICT THEORY
• DIVERSION FROM REALITY OPIUM OF THE PEOPLE
• PERPETUATES ECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND REPRESSION
• ADVANCES INAPPROPRIATE STRATIFICATION
• OBSCURES KNOWLEDGE
• SERVES AND ADVANCES AGENDAS OF ELITE

15
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

• SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
• SUSTAINABLE ONLY THROUGH RELIANCE ON SYMBOLS
• RELIES ON FAITH CONNECTED TO SHARED SYMBOLS
• USEFUL FOR ADVANCING SOCIAL EQUALITY
• WEBER THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF
  CAPITALISM

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RELIGIONS WITH GREATEST IMPACT OF WESTERN SOCIAL
STRUCTURE

• JUDAISM
• CHRISTIANITY
• ISLAM
• BUDDHISM
• HINDUISM
• LISTED IN ORDER OF IMPACT

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JUDAISM

• MONOTHEISTIC
• EMERGES APPROX 3,800 YEARS AGO
• DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABRAHAM AND GOD
  DESCENDS THROUGH ABRAHAM TO 12 TRIBES
• DOES NOT SEEK CONVERTS LOOKS INWARD RATHER THAN
  OUTWARD
• 13-18 MILLION WORLDWIDE

18
CHRISTIANITY

• MONOTHEISTIC
• EVOLVED FROM JUDAISM APPROX 2,000 YEARS AGO
• EMBRACES JEWISH TEXTS
• RELATIONSHIP TO GOD CEMENTED THROUGH ACCEPTANCE
  OF SALVATION VIA A MESSIAH
• SEEKS GLOBAL CONVERSION
• 2.1 BILLION FOLLOWERS WORLDWIDE

19
ISLAM

• MONOTHEISTIC
• EMERGES APPROX 570 c.e. WITH BIRTH OF MUHAMMAD
• SHARES TEXTS AND PROPHETS WITH BOTH JEWS AND
  CHRISTIANS
• RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, AND SALVATION, CEMENTED
  THROUGH FOLLOWING TEACHINGS OF PROPHETS
• FIVE PILLARS
• SEEKS GLOBAL CONVERSION
• 1.3 BILLION FOLLOWERS WORLDWIDE

20
HINDUISM

• POLYTHEISTIC
• OVER 3,000 DEITIES, INCLUDING JESUS AND MUHAMMAD
• PERFECTION ACHIEVED THROUGH MULTIPLE INCARNATIONS
• ULTIMATE UNITY WITH UNIVERSE
• OPEN, BUT DOES NOT SEEK CONVERTS
• 870 MILLION FOLLOWERS WORLD WIDE

21
BUDDHISM

• SPIRITUAL RATHER THAN THEISTIC
• FOUNDATION IS FOUR TRUTHS
• EXISTENCE IS SUFFERING
• ORIGIN OF SUFFERING IS DESIRE
• SUFFERING CEASES WHEN DESIRE CEASES
• WAY TO END SUFFERING IS THROUGH FOLLOWING THE
  EIGHTFOLD PATH

22
CULTS

• NEWLY ESTABLISHED SOCIAL GROUPS BUILT AROUND
  PROPHETIC TEACHINGS
• EVOLVE INTO RELIGION IF
• FAITH AND TEACHING SURVIVE PROPHET
• INITIAL STIGMA OVERCOME
• EMERGES FROM SECRECY INTO OPEN, SHARED SOCIAL
  PRACTICE