Marxism

Introduction - What do Marxists see education as a tool as?

A tool used by the ruling class

Introduction - Why is education seen as a tool used by the ruling class?

To maintain capitalist dominance of society

Introduction - According to Marxists, what do they think of the functions of the education system identified by Functionalists?

The functions that Functionalists identify are in fact functions for capitalism

Introduction - What is capitalist society based on?

Inequality

Introduction - Because capitalist society is based on inequality, what is there a danger of?

That the poor will feel this inequality is undeserved and unfair

Introduction - Along with the poor feeling this inequality is undeserved and unfair, what may they do?

Rebel against the system responsible for this inequality

Introduction - What do Marxists argue the education system, along with other institutions, help to prevent?

The rebellion of the poor and realisation of the inequality they face

Introduction - How does the education system, and other institutions within society, prevent realisation and rebellion?

By legitimising class inequalities

Introduction - How does the education system, and other institutions in society, legitimise class inequalities?

By producing a set of ideas, or ideologies, that explain why inequality is fair, natural and inevitable and socialising children into them

Introduction - By creating a set of ideas, or ideologies, that explain why inequality is fair, natural and inevitable and socialising children into them, what does this mean for the capitalist system?

The capitalist system will not be challenged

Introduction - How many central roles of education are there, according to Marxists?

3

Introduction - What are the 3 central roles of education, according to Marxists?

• Formal Socialisation

• Social Selection

• Skills

INTRODUCTION FINISHED

INTRODUCTION FINISHED

Formal Socialisation - What is Formal Socialisation?

Refers to the way the education system is an official agent that teaches pupils the norms and values of society. Marxists argue the norms and values which get passed on are those of the ruling class, reflecting a capitalist society

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What does Althusser provide?

An important explanation of the functions of education

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What does Althusser state about the explanation of the functions of education?

The explanation about the functions of education is ideological control

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What does Althusser argue school is?

• A tool used by capitalism

• The education system is an institution that maintains capitalism

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Why is capitalism able to flourish?

Because the ruling class, known as the bourgeoisie, control all aspects of society

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What is an example of an aspect of society that is controlled by the bourgeoisie?

The government. The government also create the national curriculum

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Because the government is controlled by the bourgeoisie, what will all decisions taken by the government inevitably reflect?

Capitalist values

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What does the government direct?

Educational policy

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Because the government directs educational policy, what does it follow?

That schools are in essence agent of capitalism

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - As schools are agents of capitalism, what are its pupils?

Ideologically controlled

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What are pupils ideologically controlled into?

Following the norms and values of society

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - According to Althusser, how is ruling class power maintained?

Via two complementary apparatuses

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What are the two complementary apparatuses?

• The ideological state apparatuses (ISAs)

• The repressive state apparatuses (RSAs)

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What is the ideological state apparatuses?

Maintaining the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling peoples ideas, values and beliefs. As they are ingrained into people, there is less chance of rebellion

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What are examples of ISAs?

• Religion

• Mass media

• Education system

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What is the repressive state apparatuses?

Maintaining the rule of the bourgeoisie by force or the threat of it

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Examples of RSAs?

• Police

• Courts

• Armed services

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - In Althusser’s view, what is the education system?

An important ISA

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What is the true function of the education system as an ISA?

To socialise young people into two vital ideas

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What are these two vital ideas?

• It is important to follow a set of rules set by one’s superiors

• Success and failure is a fair reflection of talent and effort

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What does education pump out?

A message

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What is the message education pumps out?

• Follow the rules

• Society is fair

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - What does this message that the education system pumps out maintain?

Capitalist exploitation

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Why does this message maintain capitalist exploitation?

As the next generation are persuaded to accept that inequality is inevitable and that they deserve their subordinate position

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - By accepting this message, what does this mean?

Pupils / the working class are less likely to challenge capitalism

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Evaluation - Durkheim - Why would Durkheim critique Althusser?

For failing to acknowledge how the education system creates social solidarity

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Evaluation - Durkheim - What would Durkheim argue about the function of education?

Rather than preparing pupils to accept a capitalist society, education brings individuals together for the betterment of society and its individuals

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Evaluation - Feminist Heaton And Lawson - Why do Heaton and Lawson critique Althusser?

They argue Althusser ignores the idea that schools reinforce gender inequalities of society

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Evaluation - Feminist Heaton And Lawson - What is an example of the way schools reinforces gender inequalities?

By teaching boys and girls different things through the patriarchal curriculum, such as boys being seen as stronger than girls

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Evaluation - Feminist Heaton And Lawson - Because of schools reinforcing gender inequalities through teaching pupils different things through the patriarchal curriculum, what does this do to children?

Brainwashes children into gendered stereotypes

Formal Socialisation - Ideological Control Or Brainwashing - Althusser - Evaluation - Feminist Heaton And Lawson - By brainwashing children into gendered stereotypes, what does this reinforce?

The idea that men are dominate

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What do Bowles and Gintis argue?

That capitalism requires a workforce

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What does this workforce need?

The workforce needs to have the kinds of attitudes, behaviour and personality type suited to their roles as exploited workers

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What do these exploited workers need to accept?

• Hard work

• Low pay

• Orders from above

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - According to Bowles and Gintis, what is the role of education in a capitalist society?

To socialise students into being an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - How many questionnaires did Bowles and Gintis do?

237

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Who did they give these questionnaires on?

New York high school students

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What did they conclude from these questionnaires?

That schools reward precisely the kind of personality traits that make for a submissive, compliant worker

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Within their study, what students gained low grades?

Those that showed independence and creativity

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - According to their study, which students tend to gain high grades?

Students who showed characteristics linked to obedience and discipline such as punctuality

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What is the role of the education system?

To socialise students into conformity, to follow the rules. Whereas genuine skills such as creativity and challenging the rules are unacceptable

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What do Bowles and Gintis state the school has?

Close parallels with the workforce

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What do Bowles and Gintis argue schooling takes place in?

The long shadow of work

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What is the long shadow of work?

The relationship and structures found in education mirror those of the workplace

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What parallels prepare pupils for the workplace?

• Hierarchy

• Extrinsic rewards

• Alienation

• Docile Daydreamers

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What is the hierarchy parallel?

Teacher and pupil - Boss and worker. There is the same unequal relationship. The relationship requires obedience to the person higher up

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What is the extrinsic rewards parallel?

Hard work leads to good exam results - Hard work leads to a good wage.

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What is the Alienation parallel?

Students lack control over their education, such as over what to study or what time to come in - employers lack control over production in the workplace, such as managers decide when, where and how to produce.

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What is the Docile Daydreamers parallel?

Schoolwork is often seen as boring and tedious, such as being told to write something down you’ll learn later - adult work is often seen as boring and tedious. Both working towards a goal of exams or promotion

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - What do Bowles and Gintis argue about the correspondence principle?

The correspondence principle operates through the hidden curriculum

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - According to Bowles and Gintis, what is educational success about?

Its not related to intellectual ability but how well a person has been socialised into the values that benefit capitalism

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Parsons - Why would Parson’s theory of the Focal Socialising Agency criticise Bowles and Gintis?

Parsons would criticise Bowles and Gintis for failing to explore the positive role of the hidden curriculum

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Parsons - What are the positives of the hidden curriculum?

Teaching children the universalistic values of a society, and therefore allowing them to fit into and intergrate into wider society

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Marxist Feminist And Radical Feminists - Why would Marxist and Radical Feminists criticise Bowles and Gintis?

They believe Bowles and Gintis ignore how education is structured in a way that favours men

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Marxist Feminist And Radical Feminists - With education structured to favour men, what does this reinforce?

Patriarchal control

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Marxist Feminist And Radical Feminists - How is education structured to favour men?

Indirectly through the informal curriculum, in a number of ways such as space, power and attitudes

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What do Neo Marxists argue?

That rather than institutions such as the education simply reproducing ruling class ideology, they could actually raise class consciousness

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - How could the education system raise class consciousness?

The teacher in the school could make students aware of the oppression on the working class by the ruling class, for example in Sociology

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What did Neo Marxist Willis do to the assumptions made by Bowles and Gintis?

Challenged them

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What were the assumptions made by Bowles and Gintis?

Education produces passive and obedient workers

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What kind of research method did Willis use?

• Participant observation

• Unstructured group interviews

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - Who did Willis do his research on?

12 working class delinquent boys

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What did Willis find out about the ‘lads’?

They were active in their rejection of schooling and the creation of their own counter school subculture

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - How did the lads find school?

Boring and meaningless

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What did the lads do to the schools rules and values?

Flout the schools rules and values

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What is an example of the ways the lads flout the schools rules and values?

• Smoking

• Drinking

• Disrupting classes

• Truanting

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What did these acts of defiance do?

• Resist the school

• The lads earned praise from the group by doing these acts of defiance

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What do the lads reject?

The school’s meritocratic ideology that working class pupils can achieve middle class jobs

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - How do the lads regard the schools meritocratic ideology?

The rejected it as a con

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - By rejecting education, what happened to the boys qualifications?

The had a lack of qualifications

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - What did their lack of qualifications mean?

The only jobs available to them were low skilled, low status dead end jobs

Formal Socialisation - The Correspondence Principle And Hidden Curriculum - Bowles And Gintis - Evaluation - Stretch And Challenge - Neo Marxist Willis - Due to their poor job options, where did the boys stay?

In this different way to Bowles and Gintis, they stayed in the working class

FORMAL SOCIALISATION FINISHED

FORMAL SOCIALISATION FINISHED

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - What is Cultural Reproduction?

Refers to the transmission of existing cultural values and norms from generation to generation. Cultural reproduction also results in class reproduction from generation to generation.

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What do Bowles and Gintis describe the education system as?

A giant myth making machine

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What is a key myth that education promotes?

The myth of meritocracy

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What do Bowles and Gintis argue about meritocracy?

It does not exist

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What do Bowles and Gintis argue about social selection?

It is not based on intelligence, hard work and effort. It is based on social factors

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What does evidence show about the main factors that determines whether a person has a high income?

Evidence shows that the main factor determining whether a person has a high income is their family and class background

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What example shows supports this idea about income and family and class background?

7% of the UK public attended a private school. This compares to : 71% of senior judges, 62% of senior armed forces and 50% of members of the House of Lords.

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - All too often, what are occupations not achieved on, and what are they achieved on?

They are not achieved on the basis of ability or what you know, but rather who you know

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - Where has this idea of occupations being achieved on ‘who you know not what you know’, been seen in society?

Sons particularly of the ruling class attaining a high status occupation once they have completed public school and Oxbridge - a process known as elite self recruitment. For example, Ex prime ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - Therefore, rather than the education system being a neutral filter, as argued by Functionalists, what is the filter according to Marxists?

A class filter

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What does this class filter do?

Ensures the middle class leave the education system with the skills needed for middle class jobs. The working class leave only able to gain a working class job

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - By disguising this fact of skills according to the class filter, what does the myth of meritocracy serve to justify?

The privileges of the higher classes

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - How does the myth of meritocracy portray the higher classes?

They have been selected for their roles through open and fair competition at school

Social Selection Or Cultural Reproduction - The Myth Of Meritocracy - Bowles And Gintis - What does the education system also justify?

Poverty