Marxism

Question 1

What does ISA stand for in Althusser’s ideological state apparatus?

Answer 1

Ideological State Apparatus

ISA maintains the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling ideas and values.

Question 2

How does ISA reproduce class inequality?

Answer 2

Transmits class inequality from generation to generation and legitimizes it by producing ideologies that disguise the cause

This process involves maintaining the status quo through the control of beliefs and values.

Question 3

What is the ‘class first’ approach by Morrow & Torres?

Answer 3

Focuses on class inequality as the key factor, ignoring other types of inequality

This approach emphasizes the primacy of class in understanding social structures.

Question 4

What is the concept of the Hidden Curriculum?

Answer 4

Lessons that are learned but not openly intended, such as obedience and acceptance of hierarchy

It refers to the implicit values and norms that schools teach alongside the formal curriculum.

Question 5

What do Bowles & Gintis argue about the relationship between schooling and work?

Answer 5

There is a close parallel that reflects hierarchies and correspondence principles

This suggests that the education system prepares students for the workforce by instilling conformity and obedience.

Question 6

What does Bowles & Gintis expose about the myth of meritocracy?

Answer 6

It is a deterministic view that assumes pupils do not have free will

This critique highlights that success is not solely based on merit but also on social class.

Question 7

What was the focus of Willis’s study, ‘Learning to Labour’?

Answer 7

It showed that working-class pupils resist indoctrination of the myth of meritocracy

The study focused on a group of 12 boys who formed a counter-culture in opposition to school values.

Question 8

How did the boys in Willis’s study view manual work?

Answer 8

They saw manual work as superior

This perspective reflects their rejection of academic values and embrace of working-class identity.

Question 9

What is a critique of Willis’s study?

Answer 9

It is small scale and romanticizes the boys as working-class heroes

This critique suggests that the study may overlook the complexities of class dynamics.

Question 10

True or False: The Hidden Curriculum is explicitly taught in schools.

Answer 10

False

The Hidden Curriculum consists of implicit lessons that are not part of the formal education.