SOCA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 17: Assortative Mating, Meritocracy, Louis Althusser
Document Summary
Hugely important institutions as they teach students a common culture that forms a framework for social life: shapes politics, work, etc. Considered to have fundamental functions such as: endowing key capacities of communication, coordination, and economic productivity. Schools accomplish two main tasks: homogenizing: enforcing common standards that serve as a cultural common denominator. Producing similarities/sameness: sorting: favoring of the students who develop the greatest facility in the common culture while confining those of lesser skills to subordinate work roles and lower ranks in the class structure. Mass schooling: replaced religion as the main ideological state apparatus (isa: althusser believed societal relations are dictated by ideology. Educational achievement: the learning of valuable skills and knowledge. Educational attainment: the number of years of schooling successfully completed or, for higher learning, the degrees or certificates earned: higher educational attainment helps people get jobs and earn more (associated with unemployment rates) Employment: lower rates of unemployment were associated with more education.
