What are Social Institutions?Systems and structures that shape activities of groups and individuals in society.You cant “visit” a social institution – it is a structure, not a place.EX. Politics, education, religionWhat is Education?Education:The process by which a society transmits knowledge, values, and expectations to its members so they can function in society.Schooling serves a number of important functions for society:Keeps you out of trouble, interaction with peers, transmission of knowledge, learning to follow society’s rules to respect authority, being socialized to develop other qualities that will eventually make us efficient & obedient workersHelp reproduce and produce the inequality seen in societyThe Hidden CurriculumValues and behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schoolingThe educational system’s structure and teaching methodsLearn rules, routines, and regulationsProduce a submissive and obedient workforce prepared to take orders and perform repetitive tasksTeaches gender rolesEducation and Social MobilityEducation is a mechanism through which social mobility is possiblePublic K-12 education – a “human” right in this countryMeritocracyEqual education opportunities?Social Reproduction: Savage InequalityJonathan Kozol (1991)Ethnography of public schools in east St. Louis, Chicago, New York City, Camden, Cincinnati, Washington D.C.Discusses the disparities in education between schools of different classes and racesMain argument: Property taxes play a vital part in schoolsBecause schools are funded by local taxes, children in poor neighborhoods are trapped in poor schools which reinforces inequality.Social Reproduction: TrackingTracking:Placement of students into educational tracks or programs of study that determine types of classes students take.Separates students by academic ability into groups for all subjects or certain classesMay be referred to as streaming or phasingStudents attend academic classes only with students whose overall academic abilities is the same as their own.Students in academically advanced tracks require:Advance academic training:Higher level mathMore foreign languageMore literatureLess academic tracks acquireVocational skills: welding, cosmetologyBusiness skills: typing, bookkeepingEducational outcomes:Higher SES = better academic performancePossible reasons:Quality of schoolsAffordability of educational servicesHigher property taxesBlack students lag behind white students academicallyPartially explain by social classWhat factors may explain black students doing poorer in school on average?Black-white achievement gapPygmalion effect: teachers attitudes about their students unintentionally influence their academic performancesSimilar to labeling theoryDiscounted “acting white” –TrackingStereotype threatSituation arises when an individual has the potential to confirm negative stereotype about their social groupHow schools really matterDowney and Gibbs (2010) challenge the notion that school produce social inequalities.“…If we lived in a world with no schools at all, inequality would be much worse…”This does not suggest that school quality does not play a roleEmphasize contextual factors outside of schoolEx. Families, neighborhoods, seasonal patterns (summer)Typical 18 year old American has spent just 13% of his or her waking hours in school.WRONG: “Schools are the great equalizer or schools provide equal opportunity.”INSTEAD: schools help lessen some of the inequalities based on social class or without schools the achievement gap would be wider.Based on what we learned Wed. how do we know that the first statement is not correct?Cambridge dictionary:Condition of the body and the degree to which it is free from illness or the state of well beingHealth = absence of illnessDavey et al. (1984)“The ability for the individuals to function in a way which is acceptable to the group from which they belong:Health = contextual and socially constructedWorld health organization“a complete physical metal and social well being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”Health = a state separate from illness and diseaseSociology of health and illnessContest health merely being an attribute of biological or natural conditionsUnderstand health in a social contextUnderstand health as being impacted by social conditions and societyHealth and illness are social constructs – whatever we define health as & see as being healthyWhat it means to be healthy or sick is determined by societyCauses of HealthProximate vs. DistalProximate = directly linked to healthBehaviors to health of illnessExamples? Sex without a condomDistal: indirectly linked to healthUsually explains why people do things that affect their healthExamples?Individual vs. StructuralIndividual = a persons attributes that explain healthEX = behaviorStructural = social attributes to explain healthEX. InstitutionsHealth InequalityDifferences in healthA mere difference in health by social group unlinked to social or economic factorsEX. Male female differences in breast or testicular cancerHealth disparity/inequality/inequityA type of diff. in health that is closely linked with social or economic disadvantageEX. Blacks have higher mortality and lower life expectancy relative to whitesHealth inequity“the opportunity to attain their full health potential”“no one is disadvantages from achieving this potential because of their social position”Disparities of Health: ethnicity/immigrationImmigrants:relative to US born same race counterpartshave better health outcomeshealth advantage lessens the longer they are in the USNative americans relative to all other racial/ethnic groups:Have the highest rate of committed suicideExplaining health disparities:Stress process/stress theorySocial status and social stress are negatively correlatedThe lower ones social status the more stress they faceTypes of stressAmbientStatus related – sexism, microagressions, racismRealm-specificStress exposure explains health disparitiesHealth is compromised when an individuals stressful experiences exceed their ability to buffer the stressSocial Institutions 04/15/2014What are Social Institutions?-Systems and structures that shape activities of groups and individuals in society.-You cant “visit” a social institution – it is a structure, not a place.oEX. Politics, education, religion What is Education?-Education:oThe process by which a society
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