SED2601 ASSIGNMENT 3

NAME: TRYPHINA

SURNAME: DIALA

STUDENT NUMBER: 64961699

UNIQUE NUMBER: 890748

MODULE CODE: SED2601

DUE DATE: 27 JULY 2023

Question 1

1.1 How is the concept 'class' explained by the following theorists?

a) A conflict theorist (3)

According to conflict theorists class inequality arises out of the unequal distribution of
power and resources. Class is not seen as ladder, but as classes facing off against
each other. The major role of education in capitalist societies is the reproduction of labor
power.

b) A functionalist theorist (3)

The functionalists‟ sees inequality in class as necessary, as it motivates people to fill

functionally important positions. Functionalists believe that the role filled by the upper
classes is essential to the smooth running of the society. People who perform these
roles are therefore entitled to a reward that is proportionate to their contribution.

1.2 Discuss the two types of citizenship education and indicate which approach (active
or passive) you think is the best one for learners. Substantiate your answer. (10)

Citizenship education is education that provides the background knowledge required to

create a steady stream of new citizens participating in and contributing to the creation of
a civilized society. Citizenship education, according to Crick (1998), has three distinct
strands: moral and social responsibility, community involvement, and political literacy.
There are several types of citizenship education available in public school systems, all
of which are designed to provide a basic foundation of civic knowledge that represents
the bare minimum that one may need to know in order to participate in society. Life
skills and moral education are two types of citizenship education. Moral education is
defined as assisting children and young people in developing a set of beliefs and values
about what is right and wrong. This set of beliefs influences their intentions, attitudes,
and behaviors toward others and their surroundings. Life skills, on the other hand, focus
on self-esteem, confidence, assertiveness, emotion management. Failure handling,
communication and interpersonal skills, respecting others, empathy, decision making,
problem solving, resilience, and much more. This education aims to eliminate all forms
of discrimination by instilling in students a sense of peace, tolerance, and respect. Its
goal is to instill a sense of personal responsibility while also holding responsibility for the
community and thus contributing to society‟s well-being. It also includes educating
people about their rights and fostering a sense of belonging.

1.3 Explain the main aspects of citizenship education in post-apartheid South Africa. (4)

Citizenship education entails instilling values in young children so that they can act as
enlightened and clear –thinking individuals or citizens and participate in a variety of
activities and decisions affecting their community or society as a whole. The following
are the main components of citizenship education in post-apartheid South Africa:

Citizenship education seeks to instill concern and respect for others, as well as a sense
of equality in all.

This education aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination by instilling in students a

sense of peace, tolerance, and respect.

Its goal is to instill a sense of personal responsibility while also holding responsibility for
the community and thus contributing to society‟s well-being.

It also includes educating people about their rights and fostering a sense of belonging.

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Question 2

2.1 Explain the main aspects of citizenship education in the United Kingdom. (6)

Citizenship education provides students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding
they need to participate fully in society as active and responsible citizens. Citizenship is
a statutory National Curriculum Foundation subject in secondary schools in England.
According to the 1998 Crick Report, citizen education is divided into three components:
social and moral responsibility, community involvement, and political literacy.

Citizenship education is taught in secondary schools across the UK in a variety of ways,

including as a statutory subject in England and Northern Ireland, a non-statutory subject
in wales, and a cross-curricular theme in Scotland. In England, the educational
approach is didactic and subject –based, whereas elsewhere, whole –school strategies
and experiential learning have prevailed.

Citizenship education in Northern Ireland arose from the need to create a stable
foundation for peace. England, wales, and Scotland have considered it as a possible
solution to young people‟s low political participation, but wales and Scotland have also
used CE to further identities.

Teaching has been based on democratic and participatory learning and teaching
methodologies that recognize children and young people as citizens now, not in the
future.

This is why planning and decision-making processes are inclusive and participatory,
involving students and the wider school community, though it should be noted that
many, such as pupil councils, are not yet required.

2.2 Explain 'soft' and 'hard' notions of community participation in citizenship education.
(4)

Soft notions are tactics that make use of people's skills in order to attract and influence
residents into taking part in communal projects for their own gain. These are not written
laws or strategies; rather, they are personal sacrifices.

Hard Notions are tactics used to compel communities to take part, such as the use of
force, coercion, and bribery. They are typically implemented with brutality and force and
are deeply rooted in law.

2.3 Explain what a cosmopolitan approach to citizenship education entails and indicate

how learners could benefit from this approach. (10)

Critical cosmopolitan citizenship education is a transformative approach to education

that empowers students to become global citizens by actively participating in local,
national, and global communities while striving to build a better world. The purpose of
this research was to find out how Ontario‟s official curriculum guides educators in
preparing secondary students (both Canadian born and new to Canada) to be effective
citizens of the twenty-first century. The Ontario Ministry of Education‟s (OME) approach
to citizenship education was investigated using critical discourse analysis within the
frameworks of critical pedagogy and cosmopolitan citizenship education, which
encourage educators and students to respect human rights and become active citizens
who strive for peace and sustainability. The discourse analysis included two curriculum
documents: (1) The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10: Canadian and World Studies
(OME, 2018), which focuses on civic education, and (2) The Ontario Curriculum Grade
9 to 12: English as a second language and English Literacy Developmet (OME, 2007),
which helps newcomers improve their English proficiency. The findings confirm that the
discourse generated by these documents aims to develop students‟ understanding of
the global world, but does not always prepare them to act for the betterment of the
planet. The findings also suggest that citizenship education in the twenty-first century
should move away from a nation –centered approach and instead focus on preparing
students for global citizenship.

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Question 3

3.1 What is social stratification? (4)

The system by which a society ranks its members by groups into a hierarchy, typically in
an order that reflects their wealth, status, and/or power, is known as social stratification.
An individual‟s position in this hierarchy influences the opportunities, resources, and, in
some cases, rights available to them. The upper classes in a stratified society will have
greater access to and control over resources and positions of power, while the lower
classes will have far less and fewer advantages in life.

Beyond individual cases of inequality, social stratification is an overarching

characteristics of a society. The distinctions between the upper and lower classes will
be clear and consistent, as the inequality between the two. Social stratification persists
parents‟ wealth, power, and influence to their own children, while children born into a
lower class will almost certainly face overwhelming obstacles to achieve a higher class
than their parents. Social stratification is a universal but variable phenomenon. It occurs
in many different types of societies, but it manifests in very different ways in each one.
The beliefs of a society underpin social stratification. The lines that divide a society tend
to reflect that society‟s attitudes and philosophies, particularly what they regard as
valuable or worthy of high status.

3.2 From a sociological perspective, discuss what is meant by:

i) Race (3)

This refers to the physical diverseness that is considered by various groups as socially
essential. Though race refers to how we define people grounded on genetics and
phenotype, from a sociological perspective, the race is a social construct that has the
capability to change from one time to the next.

ii) Gender (3)

Gender refers to the social and cultural differences that people face as a result of their
(biological) sex. Gender roles are societal expectations of people‟s behavior and
attitudes based on whether they are females or males. Gender, in this sense, is a social
construction. How we think and behave as females and males is not predetermined by
biology, but rather by how society expects us to think and behave based on our gender.
We learn these expectations as we grow up and form our gender identities, or beliefs
about ourselves as females and males. These are known as ferminity and masculinity.
Ferminity refers to cultural expectations of girls and women, whereas masculinity refers
to cultural expectations of boys and men. Our traditional conceptions of ferminity and
masculinity indicate that we believe males and females are fundamentally different. In
effect, we consider them to be two sides of the same coin when it comes to being
human. The adjectives we traditionally ascribe to women capture what we traditionally
mean by ferminity: gentle, sensitive, nurturing, delicate, graceful, cooperative,
decorative, dependent, emotional, passive, and weak. When we say a girl or woman is
very feminine, we are referring to a contribution of these characteristics, usually positive
ones: She is delicate, dainty, and even a little sweet. What we traditionally mean
masculinity is captured in the adjectives that our society ascribes to men, both positive
and negative: strong, assertive, brave, active, independent, intelligent, competitive,
insensitive, unemotional, and aggressive. When we say a boy or a man is very
masculine, we mean some combination of the following characteristics: he is tough,
strong, and assertive.

3.3 "Access to schooling largely depends on race, class and gender." Briefly discuss the
term "access". (4)

Simply put; access means being able to get to what you need. In education, access
typically refers to how education institutions and policies ensure or strive to ensure that
students have equal and equitable opportunities to fully benefit from their education.
Increasing access generally necessitates schools from providing additional services or
removing any actual or potential barriers that may prevent some students from
participating in certain courses or academic programs on an equitable basis. Race,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, perceived intellectual ability, previous
academic performance, special education status, English language ability, and family
income or educational attainment levels are all factors to consider. Furthermore, factors
such as relative community affluence, geographical location, or school facilities may
contribute to some students having less “access” to certain resources.

3.4 Provide an argument to argue that access depends on the race, class, and gender
of the learner. (6)

Race, social class, and gender tend to be treated as separate issues in education
literature. Access is dependent on the race, class and gender of the learner because
National assessment for science, mathematics, and reading show that white students
score higher on average that all other racial/ethnic groups, particularly when compared
to Black and Hispanic students. Explanations of these gaps tend to focus on the
influence of socioeconomic resources, neighborhood and school characteristics, and
family composition in patterning socioeconomic inequalities, and on the racialized
nature of socioeconomic inequalities as key drivers of racial/ethnic academic
achievement gaps. In addition to inequalities in academic achievement, racial/ethnic
and socioeconomic inequalities also exist across measures of socio-emotional
development.

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Question 4

4.1 Briefly discuss what is meant by race from a sociological perspective. Provide an

example in your discussion. (4)

According to sociology, race is a social construct that describes ethnic and racial
groupings that are seen to have distinctive physical and cultural traits. This perception is
frequently used to divide people into several groups based on outward traits including
skin tone, hair type, and facial features. Although there is no solitary, accepted
description of what a racial group is, race is not a biological or genetic attribute.

The idea of "whiteness" in the United States is one illustration of how race is socially
constructed. The definition of "whiteness" can change based on the historical and
cultural context and is frequently regarded as a social and cultural identity rather than
just a biological one.

For instance, Southern and Eastern Europeans faced prejudice and marginalization
during the 19th and early 20th centuries because they were not seen as "white" by all
Americans. These groupings have, however, gradually merged into the more general
concept of whiteness, emphasizing the ambiguity and subjectivity of racial
categorization.

The sociological view of race emphasizes that it is a social construction that can alter
over time and vary depending on the cultural and historical environment.

4.2 Discuss and provide ONE example of the following:

i) Culture as information bits (4)

This refers to where an individual in society only requires a certain part of culture.
Erickson refers to this as information bits. Culture consists of what Erickson (1989: 37)
calls „chunks of knowledge‟, which are stored in individual members of a group and are
often not written down, especially amongst African cultures. For example, the ritual of a
specific initiation ceremony could be one aspect of knowledge that an individual might
decide to learn. A person may not even learn all aspects of his or her culture in that
person‟s lifetime because of changes and socialization with groups outside his or her
cultural group.

ii) Culture as a motive and emotion (4)

This aspect of culture is based on the view that repetition of an activity improves ability
and creates an emotional attachment (Erickson, 1989: 37). For example, people of all
nations develop an attachment to their countries, despite difficulties that they may
experience, such as political instability or economic problems. People often decide to
stay in their countries in spite of these difficulties because of their attachment to their
country.

iii) Culture as distributed along lines of power in society (4)

The size of a cultural group can influence the power of a given region or other groups.
Cultural power lends itself to social power by controlling prevailing norms or rules and
forcing individuals to adhere to the dominant culture voluntarily or involuntarily.
Similarly, power and culture are the pillars of society People‟s cultural orientation within
a society or group determines how they define power and react to those in authority.
Power contributes to culture by enforcing cultural values and norms.

4.3 If you had the power to change discrimination in schools, what practices would you

introduce as a teacher? (4)

As a teacher, I would use the strategies listed below to combat racial discrimination in
the classroom. Having a legal complaint equal opportunity set of policies, coaching all
staff on the policies and procedures, responding appropriately, enforcing the policy, and
considering supervision are example of such practices.

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Question 5

5.1 Identify yourself with a teacher. Discuss the guidelines for gender fair teaching in
schools and explain with examples why there might be problems in schools with the
implementation of some of the guidelines. (10)

 Gender-equitable instruction should be ongoing and integrated into daily

instruction.
 It must focus on the stereotypes and issues that affect both boys and girls.
 It must also address discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, class, age,
and disability.
 Gender-equitable education should be a collaborative effort between teachers,
parents, and community members.
 It is a comprehensive procedure that should include all aspects of the classroom
environment.
 Both the affective and cognitive domains must be included.
 It must be active and affirmative in nature.

Teachers fail to give equal attention to different genders, which is one of the problems
associated with the implementation of gender-fair-teaching guidelines. Teachers are
more likely to talk to male students than female students, according to research. As a
result female students receive less attention and have fewer learning opportunities.

It has been observed that coursebooks that use visual material to depict stereotyping or
biases in favor of males promote gender stereotyping and gender inequality. Women
are generally under presented in textbooks, whether through written or visual
representations. Implementation of gender-fair-teaching guidelines is hampered when
teacher fails to carefully review the content of the course books and make students
aware of gender-stereotypical representations.

Teachers can use language or exhibit behaviors that can lead to gender segregation,
either intentionally or unintentionally. Teachers, for example, can assign students of the
same gender to sit and work together in the classroom. Instead of using terms like
students or classmates, they may use a specific gender to convey their message.

When inappropriate gender behavior is displayed, teachers may remain silent. It can
send the message to students that such behavior is acceptable, As a result, students
may engage in behaviors that contribute to gender inequality.

Stereotyping in leisure activities and sports can also impede the implementation of
gender-equitable teaching guidelines. Female students, for example, are not given the
opportunity to participate in sports that require physical strength because females are
perceived as weak.

In the classroom, studying and reading material implicitly or explicitly represents biases
or stereotyping against females that promote gender inequality. For example, the
majority of pronouns used in textbooks are associated with males. Females are
portrayed in course books as doing housework and being dependent on males,
whereas males are portrayed as earning the family‟s bread and being self-sufficient.
Gender-fair-teaching guidelines are difficult to implement in schools when teachers fail
to make students aware of gender-stereotypical representations by stating that women
can be self-sufficient and work outside to earn money that men can also do household
chores. Stereotyping in sports can make it difficult to implement gender-equitable
teaching guidelines. Boys, for example, are more likely than girls to be approached to
participate in masculine sports competitions at the state level because they are
perceived to be more physically active, competitive, aggressive, and strong. Girls are
encouraged to participate in feminine sports because they are docile and weak. As a
result, girls have fewer opportunities to participate in masculine sports, contributing to
gender inequality.

5.2 Discuss what is meant by ascribed characteristics. (6)

Ascribed characteristics are attributes that people have at birth. They include skin
colour, sex and hair colour. In African cultures, a child may be born into a family of
chieftains, which automatically qualifies the child to belong to the royal family. In the
Western world, particularly in Britain and Japan, monarchs pass on headship to their
children. Other attributes are developed over time, including height, weight, baldness,
grey hair, wrinkles and reproductive capacity. People usually inherit their national origin
and religious affiliation from their parents without any effort or input of their own.

5.3 In which social class do you think school principals are? Provide a reason for your
answer. (4)

School principals are considered to be in the upper-middle class or upper class. The
reasons for this include their high levels of education and training, the responsibility and
prestige of their position, and their relatively high salaries, additionally; many schools
principals may have access to other forms of financial and social capital, such as
connections to influential community members or involvement in professional
associations and activities. However, it‟s important to note that social class is a complex
and multi-dimensional concept, and individual principals may have different
socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences.

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TOTAL: [100]

References:

Du Plessis, S, Gasa, V, Maharajh, L, Mathebula, T, Siyakwazi, P & Vilakazi, S. 2018.

Sociology of Education. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

Ballantine, J, H, & Hammack, F. M. (2009). The sociology of education: A systematic

analyisis (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Cole, N. L. updated 2017. How WEB DuBois made His Mark on sociology.

https://www.thoughtco.com/web-dubois-birthday-3026475
STUDENT DECLARATION FORM

I (full names): DIALA TRYPHINA

Student number: 64961699

Module code: SED2601

Declare that…

1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University‟s policy in this
regard.

2. I declare that this assignment is my own, original work. Where I used someone else‟s
work, whether a printed source, the internet or any other source, I give the proper
acknowledgement and include a complete reference list.

3. I did not use another current or previous student‟s work, submitting it as my own.

4. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of
submitting it as his or her own work.

Signature: Diala T Date: 26.07.2023