Lecture 9 (Education) Flashcards
Rationalism (Abstract Truth) - Plato
Concept:
- Truth and knowledge come from ABSTRACT ideas (things we think about and not always visible)
- The world is imperfect, but the ideas (exist on their own), separate from the real physical world, are PERFECT
- Humans use these ideas and put them as goals/objectives that give them the motivation to achieve something/be hopeful (TO GUIDE THEM)
Sociological term:
- IDEALISM: focusing on ideas/beliefs rather than material/physical world
- IDEALISM is about how we pursue things like JUSTICE, FREEDOM, OR EQUALITY
Example:
- Students are taught about the idea of JUSTICE at school, although it is not always implemented perfectly in some countries, knowing that this idea exists will give a foundation/goals on things that we want to pursue
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights set an ideal standard of how humans should be treated
Empiricism (Observable) - Aristotle
Concept:
- Truth comes from OBSERVING the real world
Sociological term:
- Empirical observation
Example:
- In research, sociologists conduct FIELD STUDIES to understand poverty by OBSERVING PEOPLE’S LIVED REALITIES, instead of just relying on theoretical ideas
Dialectical History - Hegel
Main concept:
- History progresses (moves forward) because of CONFLICTS BETWEEN OPPOSING IDEAS
- These conflicts are called THESIS (OLD IDEAS) and ANTITHESIS (CHALLENGE TO OLD IDEAS), and when they CLASH, they create something new called SYNTHESIS (NEW OUTCOME)
Sociological term:
- DIALECTIC PROCESS: a dialectic is when 2 opposite ideas (thesis vs. antithesis) clash, and from this conflict, a new idea (synthesis) emerges
STEPS:
1. Thesis: the starting/current idea
2. Antithesis: the opposite idea to challenge the thesis
3. Synthesis: a new idea that combines both part of thesis + antithesis, RESOLVING the conflict and CREATING new progress
Example:
- Women’s Rights Movement
Thesis: Patriarchy
Antithesis: Gender equality
Synthesis: A society where GENDER ROLES CHANGE to allow more EQUALITY (new understanding)
Categorical Imperative - Kant
Main concept:
- People understand the world through CATEGORIES OF THOUGHT
- These categories (gender roles, race, or class) shape how we see and make sense of reality
- Cognitive frameworks: mental structures (ideas, norms, or concepts) that shape how individuals interpret the world around them
Ex:
- GENDER ROLES: society categorizes GENDER into a binary framework:
1. Male: strong, logical, providers
2. Female: nurturing, emotional, caretakers
This binary framework created expectations (come from COGNITIVE CATEGORIES AND NOT BIOLOGY) and INFLUENCE how individuals see their roles
- women are often expected to do household work, taking care of children, or prioritize family over careers
- men are often expected to be breadwinners and prioritize their career
- STEM is often associated with men, so women are discouraged to do STEM > less women do STEM (expectation is also headed off to men doing STEM and not women)
Positivism (Scientific Method) - Durkheim
Main concept:
- Society can be studied SCIENTIFICALLY (like we studied nature)
- Sociologists should use DATA, FACTS, AND STATISTICS TO UNDERSTAND SOCIETY and to focus on PATTERNS
- Positivism = focuses on OBJECTIVE METHODS and OBSERVABLE SOCIAL FACTS
Sociological term:
- SOCIAL FACT: facts that exist outside of individuals that influence the way they behave (measurable and objective)
- Ex: laws, traditions, religious beliefs, or economic systems
Ex:
- Suicide rates (his findings = people with strong community ties are less likely to commit suicides compared to people with less community ties/socially isolated people)
Interpretivism (Verstehen) - Weber
Main concept:
- To understand someone’s perspective, motivations, or actions, we have to put ourselves in their shoes
- To truly understand society, we have to understand the MEANINGS individuals ATTACH to their actions
- Interpretivism = focuses on INTERPRETATION and understanding people’s motivations
Sociological term: VERSTEHEN (means UNDERSTANDING in German)
Ex: Calvinists and Capitalism
- Calvinists believe in “Protestant work ethic” which emphasize on hard work, frugality, and discipline where they saw WEALTH as sign of God’s favor > so they work hard to succeed ECONOMICALLY
- This support the idea of CAPITALISM (an economic system based on hard work + profits) since oftentimes they work hard and invest in their businesses
- Many immigrant families work hard economically not only to SURVIVE but based on their principle, which is to also PROVIDE A BETTER FUTURE FOR THEIR CHILDREN
Falsification (Deductive Science) - Karl Popper
Main Concept:
- Truth can never be PROVEN, only TESTED and FALSIFIED
- Instead of trying to PROVE the theory, its best for scientists to just test it and TRY TO FALSIFY/DISAPROVE/REJECT IT
- A theory is considered STRONG ONLY IF it survived from the attempts of falsification
- SCIENCE PROGRESSES BY REJECTING FALSE IDEAS THROUGH TESTING
Sociological term:
- Deductive reasoning:
1. start with a hypothesis (data/observations)
2. if the data doesn’t support the theory = the theory is FALSIFIED
3. if the data matches the theory = the theory is NOT PROVEN TRUE cus there might be a possibility in the future that any data can challenge/falsify the hypothesis
Ex:
Education spending & literacy rates
1. hypothesis: increased ed spending > higher literacy rates
2. test: sociologists study diff regions where gov have increased ed spending
3. findings:
a. no improvements in literacy = the theory is FALSIFIED
b. alternative explanations: poor teacher training/lack of school infrastructure
4. outcome:
a. the original theory is FALSIFIED, but led to new research (better theories)
b. maybe its not the spending alone, but how funds are allocated (teacher salaries, books, or techs)
Repressive Power - Foucault
Main concept:
- Using DIRECT CONTROL to enact the power, whether through laws, limitations, or punishments
- Used when the powerful fail to control people through subtle ways
Ex: CENCORSHIP LAWS
- in some countries, certain books/ideologies/movies are banned bcs the govs don’t want people to access info that challenge the gov’s authority
- In china, gov use firewalls to block people from accessing google/certain social media platforms cus they want to control WHAT PEOPLE KNOW and PREVENT THE SPREAD OF DISSENTING IDEAS
Normalized Power - Foucault
Main concept:
- normalized power work SUBTLY, without needing direct force. Usually done through societal norms or expectations or value in society
- People INTERNALIZE these norms, they follow them AUTOMATICALLY because they think it is what society considered as “right” or “normal”
- making people POLICE THEMSELVES to fit in with SOCIETAL NORMS
Ex:
- Women dress neatly and do make-up, wear heels, or wear skirts to school/work to be seen more PROFESSIONAL
- Men wear suits
- it reinforced GENDER NORMS (ideas about how MEN or WOMEN SHOULD BEHAVE)
Knowledge-Power - Foucault
Main concept:
- KNOWLEDGE and POWER are CONNECTED
- Whoever controls what people “know” also controls how they should think, act, or behave
- KNOWLEDGE IS NOT NEUTRAL > it is shaped by those in POWER
Ex: HISTORY TEXTBOOKS
- oftentimes, history textbooks teach students that “colonization” bring “civilization” to other nations BUT IGNORING THE DARK TRUTHS BEHIND IT (oppression, violence, exploitation, and suffering caused by colonization)
- BY SHAPING WHAT STUDENTS LEARN, THOSE IN POWER CONTROL HOW PEOPLE SEE THEIR NATION/HISTORY
Cultural Capital - Bourdieu
Main concept:
- non-economic resources that give individuals ADVANTAGE in life
- these resources include:
1. knowledge: knowing how to behave, what to say, or what to value in certain social settings
2. skills and behavior: table manner, public speaking skills
3. language: formal/academic languages that help them to be more appreciated or value in school settings
- Bourdieu argued that SCHOOLS VALUE THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF DOMINANT CLASS (middle and upper class) OVER THAT OF WORKING CLASS
Ex: middle-class students often do better at school compared to that of working-class students
- because their parents have CULTURAL CAPITAL that aligns with what the school values
- students from working-class family may prioritize hard work because of the economic situation
Reproduction of Stratification - Bourdieu
Main concept:
- Class stratification (gaps between the rich and the poor) is reproduced by schools (which supposedly remove these inequalities)
- Stratification = dividing societies in different layers/classes (rich vs. poor)
- Education does not ELIMINATE INEQUALITY BUT REPRODUCE INEQUALITY
Ex:
Elite schools/universities
- these schools often have better teachers (high paying teachers), better infrastructures, environment that ONLY STUDENTS WITH CULTURAL CAPITAL + WEALTH can access > making the rich richer because they can get a high-paying jobs after
- BUT only students who can access private tutors + SAT preps + cultural capital inherited from parents can access these schools BCS of the ADMISSION PROCESS that sometimes is not familiar enough for lower-class students
- These schools EXPECTED students to already have all the knowledge they need to survive in this environment, ELIMINATING those from lower-class layers of society
- MEANWHILE students from working-class > although they’re smart, sometimes they don’t have “enough” EXTRACURRICULAR THAT CAN MAKE THEM COMPETE WITH THESE STUDENTS from high-income family > making the poor poorer
Social Capital - Coleman
Main concept:
- social capital refers to the value of RELATIONSHIPS and CONNECTIONS in giving ADVANTAGE to individuals, despite economic resources
- Includes:
1. family supports: encouragements and guidance from parents/families in academic success
2. peers and environments: how friends/communities around value education also impact
Ex:
- Student with STRONG SOCIAL CAPITAL: might have a better chance to succeed academically because they have parents that emphasize education, force to do homework, help find a tutor, and set a high expectations + supported by friends from school who are ambitious and motivated in studying + value academic success
- Student with LOW SOCIAL CAPITAL: families undervalued education and peers often skip class or do not prioritize education influenced them since they don’t have the network and supportive environment that can help them/guide them to push through
Coleman’s Boat Metaphor (Micro-Macro Link) - Coleman
Main concept:
- Focus on the relationship between MICRO (INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS) and MACRO (SOCIETAL OUTCOMES)
- Micro: the decisions and behaviors of individuals
- Macro: the large-scale effect accumulated from individuals’ actions
The “Boat” Metaphor:
1. Micro > Macro: how individuals actions together accumulated to shape society
2. Macro > Micro: how policies by the govs influenced individuals’ behaviors
Ex:
- Climate change policies:
macro: govs introduced laws to reduce carbon emissions
micro: individuals start recycling, use public transport, adapt to renewable energy
marco: over time, collective actions reduce greenhouse gases
Human Capital Theory (Investment in Education) - Becker
Main concept:
- human capital: knowledge, skill, ability that people gain through education/training
- these qualities make individuals more PRODUCTIVE and valued more in workforce > better job opportunities > higher income
- EDUCATION + TRAINING > HUMAN CAPITAL = INVESTMENT
- Individuals pov: people spend time to go to school + get a degree so that they can get a high-paying jobs that increase life quality
- Gov’s pov: increase spending on public education > productive and more skilled workforce > drives economic growth through GDP + lower unemployment rates
EX:
- COUNTRIES WITH HIGH EDU INVESTMENT: singapore/finland heavily invest on education > providing FREE + AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO QUALITY SCHOOLING > HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE > COMPETITIVE IN GLOBAL MARKETS > HIGH GDP
