KFUEIT

ASSIGNMENT

Submitted To
Mam Farhana Khohar

Submitted By
Malaika Aurangzaib (Chem-19115087)
Semester
7th

Subject
Sociology
Date
31-October-2022
Topic
Sociology, its origin, origin of education,
positive and negative impact of education
What is Sociology?

Sociology is the scientific study of society, including patterns of social relationships,

social interaction, and culture. The term sociology was first used by Frenchman
Auguste Compte in the 1830s when he proposed a synthetic science uniting all
knowledge about human activity. In the academic world, sociology is considered one
of the social sciences.

What Do Sociologists Study?

Sociologists study all things human, from the interactions between two people to the
complex relationships between nations or multinational corporations.  While
sociology assumes that human actions are patterned, individuals still have room for
choices. Becoming aware of the social processes that influence the way humans think,
feel, and behave plus having the will to act can help individuals to shape the social
forces they face.

The Origins of Sociology

Sociologists believe that our social surroundings influence thought and action. For
example, the rise of the social sciences developed in response to social changes. In the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans were exploring the world and
voyagers returned from Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the South Seas with amazing
stories of other societies and civilizations. Widely different social practices
challenged the view that European life reflected the natural order of God.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Western Europe was rocked by technical,
economic, and social changes that forever changed the social order. Science and
technology were developing rapidly. James Watt invented the steam engine in 1769,
and in 1865 Joseph Lister discovered that an antiseptic barrier could be placed
between a wound and germs in the atmosphere to inhibit infection. These and other
scientific developments spurred social changes and offered hope that scientific
methods might help explain the social as well as the natural world. This trend was part
of a more general growth in rationalism.

The industrial revolution began in Britain in the late eighteenth century. By the late
nineteenth century, the old order was collapsing “under the twin blows of
industrialism and revolutionary democracy” (Nisbet, 1966: 21). Mechanical industry
was growing, and thousands of people were migrating to cities to work in the new
factories. People once rooted in the land and social communities where they farmed
found themselves crowded into cities. The traditional authority of the church, the
village, and the family were being undermined by impersonal factory and city life.
Capitalism also grew in Western Europe in the nineteenth century. This meant that
relatively few people owned the means of production—such as factories—while many
others had to sell their labour to those owners. At the same time, relatively impersonal
financial markets began to expand. The modern epoch was also marked by the
development of administrative state power, which involved increasing concentrations
of information and armed power (Giddens, 1987: 27).
Finally, there was enormous population growth worldwide in this period, due to
longer life expectancy and major decreases in child death rates. These massive social
changes lent new urgency to the development of the social sciences, as early
sociological thinkers struggled with the vast implications of economic, social and
political revolutions. All the major figures in the early years of sociology thought
about the “great transformation” from simple, preliterate societies to massive,
complex, industrial societies.

Origin of Education

Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as

transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may
include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Various
researchers emphasize the role of critical thinking in order to distinguish education
from indoctrination. Some theorists require that education results in an improvement
of the student while others prefer a value-neutral definition of the term. In a slightly
different sense, education may also refer, not to the process, but to the product of this
process: the mental states and dispositions possessed by educated people. Education
originated as the transmission of cultural heritage from one generation to the next.
Today, educational goals increasingly encompass new ideas such as the liberation of
learners, skills needed for modern society, empathy, and complex vocational skills.
Types of education are commonly divided into formal, non-formal, and informal
education. Formal education takes place in education and training institutions, is
usually structured by curricular aims and objectives, and learning is typically guided
by a teacher. In most regions, formal education is compulsory up to a certain age and
commonly divided into educational stages such as kindergarten, primary school and
secondary school. Non-formal education occurs as addition or alternative to formal
education.[1] It may be structured according to educational arrangements, but in a
more flexible manner, and usually takes place in community-based, workplace-based
or civil society-based settings. Lastly, informal education occurs in daily life, in the
family, any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts
may be considered educational, whether unintentional or intentional. In practice there
is a continuum from the highly formalized to the highly in-formalized, and informal
learning can occur in all three settings.[2] For instance, homeschooling can be
classified as non-formal or informal, depending upon the structure.

Regardless of setting, educational methods include teaching, training, storytelling,

discussion, and directed research. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.
Education is supported by a variety of different philosophies, theories and empirical
research agendas.

There are movements for education reforms, such as for improving quality and
efficiency of education towards relevance in students' lives and efficient problem
solving in modern or future society at large, or for evidence-based education
methodologies. A right to education has been recognized by some governments and
the United Nations.[a] Global initiatives aim at achieving the Sustainable
Development Goal 4, which promotes quality education for all.
Negative impact of education
I’m sure you all have had some form of education. Maybe you’ve gone to college,
maybe you just had some high school courses, or maybe you are a self-teacher. But
what about the flip side? What about the negative effects of education on society?

I’m sure there has to be more than just our high school teacher trying to take jobs
away from us. Do we really need all these textbooks and articles? Is it really a good
thing that colleges have inflated their costs over time? Why does the government feel
so strongly about funding education at all levels?

How does education affect society in general? These are questions that need asking.

We often hear education is the cure for all the world’s ills. Is this really true? We
often see that society can be outraged at big issues such as world poverty – yet
educational systems are the cause of this problem. Education creates dependence and
smothers creativity – breaking education down into 8 main aspects we can analyse it
more easily.

As per research conducted by a top girls boarding school in Dehradun, education has
been promoted as a cure for social ills ever since the modern concept of schooling
was conceived. It is still highly regarded as the key to individual success, culture,
morality, and even economic prosperity: as one prominent economist famously
proclaimed in the 1980s “human capital is now the most important form of capital”.

It’s a controversial topic but one that needs addressing time and time again. Before we
jump into this post, it’s important to know that the answer to this question is… yes!
Just kidding! It’s not wrong for someone to learn about mental health issues like
depression or bipolar disorder because it helps them to understand themselves and
others.

But what if they mistake education as a replacement for self-discovery? I was well-
schooled but my addiction still made me look ridiculous in university. Simply being
educated isn’t enough. One must be able to live their life consciously as well — to
think critically, and shouldn’t feel entitled simply because they have the ability to
read.

Firstly, it is important to understand the benefits of education. The reason people

educate themselves is that they want a better future. When students graduate from
college, they will be able to get better jobs and will earn more money.

However, there are some negative effects that come along with that.

Negative Impact of Education

Firstly, in order for an individual to attend college, they must have the financial
means to do so. This can lead to a high amount of student debt which can follow the
individual for many years after graduation and can even prevent them from being able
to purchase a house or car.

Secondly, people who have attended college are usually happier and healthier because
they have learned how to take care of themselves and have good social skills.
Thirdly, education has positive effects on society as well such as lower crime rates
and less poverty. This is because educated people tend to commit fewer crimes
because they understand what is right and wrong, which leads them not to do anything
illegal or dangerous like drug use etc. because it could lead them into trouble with the
law or their parents/family members finding out about it if caught doing something
illegal (which could cause embarrassment).

It is very difficult to say that education is having negative effects on society. It is true
that education can have some negative effects on society like when people are
educated they become more aware of their rights and they always want to be
independent and they do not want anyone to order them. These things in turn may
cause problems in society.

Negative Effects of Education on Society

But if we see it from another angle, it is not possible for a society to progress if its
members are uneducated. Education makes people civilized and disciplined and thus
helps them in living a good life. So, it will be unfair to say that education has negative
effects on society.

The negative effect of education on society is that it makes people more intellectually
confused and culturally debased.

The constant input of contradictory information and the fact that there are no agreed-
upon standards of what is true or false impairs a person’s ability to think critically and
clearly.

The desire to conform with the dominant culture, which is usually a very low culture,
leads people to adopt the lowest common denominator in cultural taste and
intellectual pursuits. This results in popular culture being made up of the crudest
music, lowest common denominator books, television shows, and movies because
these things appeal to the vast majority of people who have been indoctrinated with
the values of their society.

The most “popular” people in society are often those who are morally bankrupt but
have become well-known for some reason or other, such as musicians who sing about
sex.

Positive Impact of Education

Education is becoming one of the most important factors to a person’s success in

today’s society. Whether a person is living in poverty or among the wealthiest in the
world, education is necessary to advance in any situation. National Public Radio is
calling education “the most important revolution of our time.” Yet, still so many
people ask the question: “Why is education so important?” Let’s look at five positive
effects of education in our society:
1. Education Decreases Poverty

About 61 million children are not enrolled in primary school. Of these kids, 40
million live in poverty. It is hardest for those living below the poverty line to even
imagine sending their kids to school because in many countries, obtaining an
education is not free. If there must be a choice between eating a meal and educating a
child, most families would choose eating a meal. Boys are often kept out of school so
they can work and bring in money for the family, while girls are kept out to farm,
cook and do other things in the home that are needed to keep the family functioning.

If those living in poverty can get an education, they can pull themselves out of those
living conditions. They can find a job and earn an income, which is a key part to
ending poverty. They can become self-sufficient and independent from outside aid.
An education is an invaluable tool for anyone living in poverty today.

2. Education Promotes Health

People who have an education are significantly healthier than those who are not.
Maternal health benefits hugely from education. A child who is born to an educated
mother is 50 percent more likely to survive past the age of five. In the same way,
every additional year of education a mother has lowers the child mortality rate by two
percent. Educated mothers are twice as likely to immunize their children, and are
more likely to seek prenatal care and assisted childbirth.

Another area in which health could improve with education is decreasing the cases of
HIV/AIDS. If every child in the world receives a primary education, seven million
cases of HIV could be avoided in the next 10 years. A secondary education lowers
people’s risk of HIV by 75 percent. Such a strong correlation has been seen that
education is considered a “social vaccine” for girls in avoiding HIV.

3. Education Closes the Gender Gap

For many years, women were not allowed to attend school or obtain an education.
Because of this, there is a large gender gap, which only creates further problems.
Women who gain an education are working toward minimizing the gap to further the
abilities of women around the world. An education often prevents young girls from
being married off into a potentially limiting, harmful situation. Additionally, women
with an education are able to make better, informed decisions for themselves. They
often wait longer to have children than those who do not have an education. This
ensures that the woman is ready to have children, rather than just being pressured into
it by her husband or society. Women with an education have on average three
children, while uneducated women have on average seven children.

4. Education Minimizes Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a severe problem that many poor countries are facing today. Education
has the potential to decrease malnutrition in these countries. According to USAID,
educating girls is one of the best ways to fight hunger, even outperforming
temporarily increasing a country’s food supply. Education can provide people with
new, more effective farming techniques, which can increase crop production and
decrease malnutrition. Additionally, studies show that if women farmers had the same
education as men farmers, crop production could rise by up to 20 percent.

5. Education Provides Economic Growth

In order for a country to see steady economic growth, education must be a priority.
For every year of education, a person’s average earnings increase by 10 percent. This
means that the GDP could increase by one percent every year if all citizens receive a
quality education. With regard to women, if girls receive the same education as boys,
developing countries could gain up to $90 billion each year. No country in history has
seen a steady economic increase without at least 40 percent literacy rate. Education
also increases a person’s chance at obtaining a steady job. By earning an income,
people contribute to the country’s economy as a whole.