Marxism

Question 1

Marxists argue that:

Answer 1

society is based on class divisions and exploitation

Question 2

What are the four S’s according to Marxists?

Answer 2

• Social Control (Althusser)
• Specialist skills (The Correspondence Principle: Bowles and Gintis)
• Secondary socialistation (Myth of meritocracy: Bowles and Gintis)
• Sifting and sorting (Bowles and Gintis)

Question 3

What is Social Control? (Althusser)

Answer 3

ideological state apparatus - a tool of the state to brainwash people

fail to see their own exploitation - false class consciousness

Means they don’t rebel -controlled

Question 4

What is responsible for Social Control?

Answer 4

The hidden curriculum - things taught covertly e.g. respecting your place in the hierarchy

Students - Teachers - Headteachers

Makes sure they will comply with capitalism structure

Question 5

A03 of Social Control

Answer 5

Functionalists

Learning thins like respecting the hierarchy is good for society - encourages people to work harder to achieve status

When they work harder, they contribute more to society, helping it to keep going

Question 6

What is the correspondence principle? (Specialist skills)

Answer 6

• Bowels and Gintis
• education is mainting capitalism
• capitalism needs workers with the kind of obdient attitudes
• workers must be willing to accept hard work, low pay and authority
• passive and docile
• school functions to provide wokrers with these skills through The Correspondence Principle
• close correspondence between the school and the workplace whereby school mirrors the workplace
• ‘hidden curriculum’

Question 7

What are some examples of correspondence principle?

Answer 7

School: Hierarchy of head teacher, senior leaders, teachers and students
Work: Heirarchy of CEO, Managers, Supervisors and workers

Question 8

A03 of the Correspondence Principle

Answer 8

• Postmodernists argue that Marxism is now irrelevant
• Their ideas may have applied to modern, industrial society but we are now in postmodern society and the economy is completely different

Question 9

What is Myth of Meriotcracy? (Secondary socialisation)

Answer 9

• education passes on capitalist values that benefit the bourgeoisie
• meritocracy - pupils are taught that achievement is based upon effort
• Bowles and Gintis - education helps to prevent people from recognizing their exploited position and rebelling against the system by legitimating class inequality
• The education system creates myths, including the myth of meritocracy
• In reality, success is based on class background
• persuade workers that their class position is justified

Question 10

A03 of the Myth of Meritocracy

Answer 10

• Bowles and Gintis wrongly assume we all conform once we are socialized into the values of capitalism
• Working class students do not always accept the legitimacy of school or capitalist society
• see Willis’ study

Question 11

What is sifting and sorting?

Answer 11

• Bowles and Gintis agree that education prepares people for their future roles, but this is not on the basis of ability and effort
• based on class
• Education rewards those who to conform to the expectations of capitalism and are passive and docile

Question 12

A03 of Sifting and sorting

Answer 12

• There is evidence to suggest this view is outdated
• The system no longer sifts working class students solely into manual work
• WC students are able to get loans and grants to help them go to university and access the best jobs