Class Notes 3.4.2008

Class Notes by Kristen Rogers

Functionalism

• Driving force is progressive

• Society becomes more technologically advanced/ sophisticated

Key Assumptions of Functionalism

• Social Level-

  • Skills and attitudes necessary for success will be maintained

• Individual Level-

  • The way those achievements are met will be fair

Notes on Functionalism

• While functionalism claims universality, in fact it is a prescription for what society “ought” to be (follows along the lines of capitalism)

• According to functionalism, schools should be where people are sorted based on talent. Those who achieve in school lead society, and those who don’t achieve, go to lower end paying jobs.

• Functionalism is VERY CONSERVATIVE- “The way things are now is the way things ought to be for everyone”

Conflict Theory

for more on Conflict theory

• Sees conflict/ struggle for power & status as what causes society to move/ change/ grow.

• Says that those who currently have power seek to maintain it through rules/ systems that cater to their own needs, while appearing to be objective & neutral. (ex: the game Monopoly-the rules cater to those in power)

• Conflict theorists says rules are hardly ever objective; the people in power are made to stay in power.

• A newer way of looking at conflict theory isn’t just through social class but through gender, race and sexual orientation as well.

• Conflict theory seems to be more CRITICAL than PRODUCTIVE!

Marxism

for more on Marxism

• Ideal Consciousness- basic understanding of self, world & our place in the world.

• Our consciousness is formed because of how we see our relationship with society & formed by our social class.

Marxism is based on the idea of 2 social classes for means of production:

• owners/ bourgeoisie

• workers/ proletarian

• Owners have to work with agencies of the state to keep control (ex: police).

• Workers are made to feel like they are partially in power/ partial owners to keep them happy, which is an example of false consciousness (members of the subordinate class who express the point of view and share the values of the dominant class).

• Schools are said to be the primary way that false consciousness is constructed; schools do this by setting up the myth that schools are a meritocracy, where everything is fair & everyone will be treated fairly/ everyone is equal. (THIS IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL ACCORDING TO CONFLICT THEORY.)

• The schools make students believe that if they fail, it is his/ her own fault & they can’t be owners, which is also their own fault.

• The media plays into the idea that workers can be owners.

(ex: anyone can own a house/ then APR goes up)

It dupes people into thinking they can be owners

(ex: Wii being rent-to-own and it will end up costing customer $940)

Office Space Movie Clips

Owners-

• Boss/ “Memo Reminder”

Workers-

• Peter

False Consciousness-

• Guy who is afraid of losing his job & doesn’t want to stand in unemployment line with the other “scum.” He doesn’t realize that he is a part of this same group/ class.

• Other guy who has “radio privileges” to keep him happy and believing that he is part of “privileged” group.

• Million dollar idea- thought that anyone is just an idea away from being an owner.

Interview with Consultants-

• Is an example of role reversal in a way: Peter takes control by withdrawing from “the game” (the workforce). He becomes free & in return, the Bob’s offer to give him part of the “ownership” (management position).

*In the end, Peter ends up happy working outside, ironically cleaning up the burned mess from his old job, still part of the working class.

Marxism & Schools

Schools do 2 things:

• Sort people; prepare them for their place in society.

• Set up myth of meritocracy; appear to be fair.

• Example of how schools do the 2 at the same time: tell students “you can be whatever they want to be” but “your skills are better in this/ that track, like repairing cars” and lead them in particular direction.

• Conflict theorists say there just isn’t that much choice & when there is, there is often someone (ex: guidance counselor) to “guide” students in a certain direction, to see to it that some students end up in certain places.

Bourdieu & Passeron

• Bourdieu- says knowledge holds its own power among classes. (ex: reading Moby Dick symbolizes what middle to upper class people do)

• Habitus- shared understandings of cultural groups/ social classes.

Reactions to Habitus-

• You can try really hard to get there.

• Distain all of it through attitude & behavior.

This can be thought of as a vicious cycle:

• If you are poor, you will more than likely end up going to a poor school, having a rebellious attitude toward changing your situation, and ending up poor.

Conflict Theorists ultimately say:

• Schools as state institutions perpetuate the idea that people can escape these lower cultural/ social class groups & become successful, which again is only false consciousness.