SOC 503 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Meritocracy, Protestantism, Social Capital
10 May 2018
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Chapter 2: Theories in the Sociology of Educatoin
Macrosocial theory- is one that focuses on society at the level of social structures and populations
-focus on society as a whole on a large scale
-referred to as grand theories
-focus on structure means they explain social life at high levels of abstraction
-societies, cities, nations, and populations
-families and cultures can be studied within a macro sociological framework, but only in the context of larger
social structures
- macro level sociological theory of education would look at the role of education in society as whole
microsocial theory- in contrast, is focused on individuals and individual action
-in the sociology of education, such theories would be focused on the individual experiences of students
-meesosocial theory occupies a position between the macro and micro
mesosocial theory-directs its attentions to the rule of social organizations an social institutions in society, like
schools and communities
middle-range theory- offers theories about limited aspects of social life, focus on the individual micro
approaches of human social interaction
agency- refers to the individuals ability to act and make independent choices
structures- refers to aspects of the social landscape that appear to limit or influence the choices made by
individuals
structural functionalists/Marxists: emphasize how social structures determine social life and maintain that
individual actions can be reinterpreted as the outcomes of structural forces symbolic
interactionists/phenomenologist: are microsociological theorists who focus on the subjective meanings of
social life and how these meanings are responsible for creating individuals social worlds
Ontology-has to do with how we understand the nature of reality
- view there is an objective social reality that exists out there that is the same for everyone and is ours to
discover
- 2 view subjectivity, that social reality is constructed by individuals and that it is unique for everyone
epistemology- closely related to ontology, refers to the tecniques by which we study the social world
-one is positivism- belief that the social world should be studied in a smilar manner to the scientific world, and
the other is interpretivism- understans society as fundamentally different from the topics of the natural
sciences and argues that it is wholly inappropriate to study society in similar manners
structural functionalism- is a body of theories that understand the world as a large system of interrelated
parts that all work together (Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons)
-Society is held together through an unwritten moral code
-Role of education is to instill this a common set of beliefs and values in
children that builds trust and leads to a strong community and nation
-This shared moral code socializes and integrates us
-Schools level the playing field because students are assessed on their merit
-Equality of opportunity available to all through achievement
-Education linked to creating society ideal person
Marxism and neo-marxism- all social relations were rooted in economic relations (mode of production),
viewed society as divided into distinct classes: owners-bourgeoisie workers- proletariat
-Capitalist systems produce a mode of production in which workers and owners have opposing interests
-Workers want to command the highest possible wage
-Owners want to want to command the highest profit
-Class division is the core of Marxist Theory
-Ideology used to socialize children in school reinforces these class divisions so elites maintain their positions
-It is through the hidden curriculum that schools reproduce the class system
weber and neo-weberian- micro-theoretical ideas pointed to how people both construct society and are
constrained by it at the same time
-focused on education in many of his writings, rationalization- occurred when society became more secular,
scientific knowledge began to develop, and an increasing reliance on scientific technological explanations began
to emerge
rational legal authority- bureaucracy, administrative structure that follows a clear hierarchical structure and
very specific rules and chains of command
credentialism- refers to the requirement of obtaining specific qualifications for membership to particular
groups (major theme in weberian)
institutional theory- Meyers central argument is that the global expansion of education has not been result of
institutional or workforce requirements for this level of training but rather that of a wider democratic belief in
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Document Summary
Chapter 2: theories in the sociology of educatoin. Macrosocial theory- is one that focuses on society at the level of social structures and populations. Focus on society as a whole on a large scale. Focus on structure means they explain social life at high levels of abstraction. Families and cultures can be studied within a macro sociological framework, but only in the context of larger social structures. Macro level sociological theory of education would look at the role of education in society as whole microsocial theory- in contrast, is focused on individuals and individual action. In the sociology of education, such theories would be focused on the individual experiences of students. Ontology-has to do with how we understand the nature of reality. (cid:883) view there is an objective social reality that exists (cid:498)out there(cid:499) that is the same for everyone and is ours to discover.
