Deck 12: D: Education

Question 1

Develop an essay that discusses how the Canadian education system failed our Aboriginal peoples and how these failings continue to reverberate in Aboriginal communities today.

Answer 1

In the last half of the nineteenth century,a government-supported,church-operated residential school program was created in part to solve "the Indian problem." The prevailing wisdom was that Aboriginal children were in need of help;as a result,the decision was made to separate them from their families and teach them the ways of "civilized" folk.The intent was to assimilate Aboriginal children into the dominant economic and cultural system since Canada's First Nations peoples were in the way of the relentless onrush of capitalist and industrial expansion.In residential schools,akin to total institutions,Aboriginal children were not permitted to speak in their own languages,were prevented from seeing their families except for short periods during the year,and were subjected to harsh disciplinary measures.Recent research is revealing the full extent of the abuses suffered by Aboriginal children in these schools.Further,we are only now learning about the connections between these abuses,the state policy of assimilation,and contemporary dilemmas faced by Aboriginal communities,which include a negative association with the education system,the lack of ability to parent,a loss of culture,addiction,poverty,and unemployment.

Question 2

How do post-structuralist and symbolic interactionist perspectives look at the subject of racism in Canada-in particular the reconstitution of power and knowledge dynamic in education?

Answer 2

Answers will vary but should include: Foucault and power/knowledge nexus,racism,and marginalization reproduced in government approved textual materials for grade schools and high schools,those who benefit from oppressing others.Symbolic interactionist perspectives should include the use of language and the way it affects how individuals create their reality,how others are perceived through the use of textual material,and how those views are valued and given meaning.As well,the use of books to normalize racism,and how contemporary instances of racism are discursively framed as human rights violations (i.e. ,relationships with others have certain meanings for individuals,and help to create their daily reality and shape their interactions with others).

Question 3

Develop an essay in which you critically examine your own participation and degree of success within the formal educational system (referring in particular to the intersecting inequalities of race,class,gender,ability,etc. ).In other words,provide a sociological account of how you have "ended up here," referring to relevant concepts and perspectives as presented throughout the chapter.

Answer 3

Essays will vary,but students are required to demonstrate a sociological imagination in ways that reveal a solid understanding of how the school system is embedded in a system of intersecting powers,inequalities,and privileges.

Question 4

Compare and contrast two (or three)sociological approaches to education.What are their strengths and limitations?

Question 5

How does research by Bowles and Gintis provide confirmation for the conflict theory assertion that education serves the capitalist aims of profit and compliant workers?

Question 6

Using both classic and contemporary research,explain how the self-fulfilling prophesy remains a relevant concern in the education system,particularly where the intersections of race,class,and gender in schools are considered.

Question 7

Discuss what your text means by the "McDonaldization" of universities.Do you see this process occurring in your post-secondary institution?

Question 8

Discuss Pierre Bourdieu's argument that schools are not value neutral;rather,they reproduce existing power relations through an emphasis on cultural capital.Do you agree with Bourdieu? Why or why not?

Question 9

What drawbacks and benefits are related to the joining of academia with industry and business practices?

Question 10

Develop an essay that critically examines the current trends in Canadian universities today,as outlined in your textbook.Within this broad context,discuss how your present institution fares.