Marxist View on Education - 1639 Words

Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles. (20 marks) As stated in Item A sociologists see the education system as performing a vital role in modern societies. Item A also highlights that the education system can equip individuals with the specialised knowledge and skills they will need when they join the workforce. Therefore, the education system helps select and allocate individuals into their future work roles. Although many sociologists agree this is the main role of education, they argue whether this is a positive thing or a negative thing. Whereas Functionalists believe this role of education benefits society and†¦show more content†¦Althusser also argues that pupils learn a smokescreen so they cannot see inequality and the lie of meritocracy. He claims that schools try to promote the belief of meritocracy this basically means success is based on your own merit and ability. This supposedly helps motivate pupils to work hard because if they do they will succeed in life and in their chosen careers. However Althusser believ es this is a lie as schools are in no way meritocratic. This is shown through the fact that the middle classes have more opportunity i.e. being able to afford the best possible education etc. Althusser believes that schools teach working class pupils to blame themselves for social failure instead of society i.e. if pupils fail they will usually say they didn’t work hard enough etc. Although schools have a role of promoting the ruling class ideology, educations main role is to mould pupils into ideal workers which helps prop up and maintain capitalism. Durkheim also believes education has the important role of teaching the skills needed for work and that it has an allocation function which helps people fit into the right roles in society. It has been suggested that this helps prepare young people for their future work roles through the teaching of specialist skills. Functionalist Parsons builds on Durkheims ideas.Show MoreRelatedComparing the Marxist and Functionalist Views on the Role of Education in Industrial Society1300 Words   |  6 Pages Comparing the Marxist and Functionalist Views on the Role of Education in Industrial Society The functionalists and the Marxists both believe that the education system benefits everyone, but both have different views on society. The Marxist views of the education system are that there are conflicts because there is an inequality between the working class and the higher classes. They believe that there are two different classes which education produces, and that is theRead MoreDifferent Perspectives On What The Role And Purpose Of Education1387 Words   |  6 Pagespurpose of education is. Both Functionalists and Marxists believe that the education system prepares young people for work and their work roles. However, they disagree on how education does this. Functionalists believe we live in a meritocratic society, where occupational positions, jobs and pay are allocated on the basis of an individual’s talent, ability and merit. A major difference in view is that Marxists would refute the theory that we live in a meritocratic democracy. It is the view of many functionalistsRead MoreThe Functionalist Explanation of the Role of Education in Modern Society621 Words   |  3 PagesThe Functionalist Explanation of the Role of Education in Modern Society I will discuss the functionalists theories in comparison to those of the Marxist and Interactionists. Functionalists believe that all in society serves a purpose and its a positive function. They also believe that education is a way of achieving in society; it develops people so that it gives them the opportunities in society (workplace). Durkheim believed that in order for children to feelRead MoreAssess the Contribution of Marxism to Our Understanding of the Role of Education1676 Words   |  7 PagesMarxism to our understanding of the role of education. As mentioned in Item A, Marxists take a critical view of the role of education. They see society as based on class divisions and capitalist exploitations. The capitalist society is a two class system as mentioned in Item A and it consists of a ruling class, the bourgeoisie and the working class, the proletariat. The bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat according to Marxists and they believe that the education system only serves the needs and interestsRead MoreEvaluate the usefulness of Marxist theory to our understanding of crime and deviance1201 Words   |  5 PagesEvaluate the usefulness of Marxist theory to our understanding of crime and deviance (40 marks) Synopticity - Crime Deviance sociological theory Marxist explanations of crime and deviance, like their work on other areas like the family and education, rest on an economic and structural analysis of society that sees a class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. This struggle comprises the attempts by the proletariat to free themselves from the domination of the bourgeoisieRead MoreCompare, Contrast and Evaluate the Sociological Perspectives on the Ro1255 Words   |  6 PagesThe role of education is to educate individuals within society and to prepare and qualify them for work in the economy as well as helping to integrate individuals into society and teach them the norms, values and morals of society. Yet there are three sociological theories that differ greatly between them on the role of education. These are Functionalism, Marxism and Liberalism. Functionalists view the role of education as a means of socialising individuals and to integrate society, to keep societyRead MoreThe World Bank And Its Effects On Developing Countries Essay1572 Words   |  7 PagesUnderdevelopment, and Marxist Perspectives on Development and World Bank The liberalist view on economic development is that the world economy benefits developing economies through trade, international aid, and foreign investment, but economic development is mostly affected by the organizations in the country. They also believe that the most successful countries are focused on their own self-interest and actively participate in the world economy (Gilpin). Liberalists view the transfer of goods,Read More Compare, Contrast and Evaluate the Sociological Perspectives on the Ro1259 Words   |  6 Pages The role of education is to educate individuals within society and to prepare and qualify them for work in the economy as well as helping to integrate individuals into society and teach them the norms, values and morals of society. Yet there are three sociological theories that differ greatly between them on the role of education. These are Functionalism, Marxism and Liberalism. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Functionalists view the role of education as a means of socialising individuals and toRead More Marxist Perspective on Education Essay1564 Words   |  7 Pages Education system is seen as an important part of the superstructure in society. This statement was written in a Marxism perspective by individuals who see education not just an important part of the superstructure but as well an important aspect in a child life. Even though Karl Marx himself did not widely write about education, many of his followers did. This paper will look at how class and alienation which is a theory that Karl Marx wrote, plays a part in education and a general look at the perspectiveRead MoreAssess the View That the Family Is Part of the Ideological State Apparatus.701 Words   |  3 PagesThe ideological state apparatus is defined as a social institution that can control our ideology. Marxists would argue that the family is an institution used to teach its members to submit to the authority of the ruling classes. However functionalist view the family unit as a construct that fulfills important functions and keep society running smoothly. Marxists believe that primary socialisation of children is learning the norms and values provided through the process of socialisation, this is