1. Distinguish between consensus and conflict theories.

Consensus theory seeks to determine what all people in a society have in common. This commonality
becomes the center of the public persona of the society. It stresses the fact that the reality of the
consensus, that single public persona, must predate the actual articulation of that consensus. In other
words, it is both a social reality and a means of understanding that reality.

Conflict theory, on the other hand, seeks determine who, why and how those with power have.

imposed specific aspects of culture on a society. According to conflict theory, culture is the

means by which the powerful, who are those with wealth or social status, impose their will on

society. Ultimately, the powerful hope to make "culture" seem like consensus, while in reality, it is the
creation of the elite.

2. How are the structural functionalism and symbolic interactionism theories related to education?

Structural functionalism and symbolic interactionism theories are both theoretical paradigms that

can be applied when studying society's structure. A functionalist approach is based on the more
objective scientific method, meaning that they tend to see society as an organism with interacting and
interlocking parts. They want to know how society fits together. How parts function to lend to stability
or instability of the whole. Functionalists view education as an important social institution that
contributes both manifest and latent functions. They see education as serving the needs of society by
preparing students for later roles, or functions, in society.

While a symbolic international approach is more interpretive. They focus more on the
actions or reactions that individuals have when they attach meaning to these interacting and

interlocking parts. They are more interested in why and how people define their situations because they
believe that it is how these individuals create their identity, which is why most research is based on
individuals' observations symbolic interactionism then, focuses on education as a means for labeling
individuals.