...Social Class in Modern British Education For this assignment I have been asked to write about a current issue in Further\Higher Education. I have chosen to discuss some of the issues of social class as they relate to education policy in modern Britain. Following the right to vote, the right to education is a freedom which people throughout history and around the world have struggled to achieve. “There is a sense in which social class has been at the core of British sociology of education throughout the existence of the field, even when it has not been high on education policy agendas.” (Whitty, 2001, p.287) While issues and effects of social class exist in all countries, the English experience is particularly problematic. (Goldthorpe, 1996) In the United Kingdom at the turn of the 19th century a university education was a privilege enjoyed by the sons of the wealthy and influential. Although members of the social elite “passed through the universities, they rarely completed their degrees. The subsidiary mission of the pre-industrial universities was to complete the socialisation of future elites, social and political”. (Scott, 1995, p.12) The last two decades have witnessed a considerable amount of rhetoric with regard to improving this situation; with access and inclusion being the keystones of nearly every government policy issued. New Labour went so far as to announce in its election manifesto an explicit aim of increasing participation in higher education to 50 per cent...
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...structure and language, explore the ways Barker develops the theme of social class difference'' In Pat Barker's novel Regeneration she explores the effects that World War I has on the human condition and more specifically on the condition of a group of characters. Historical figures, such as the war poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, and the military psychiatrist W. H. R. Rivers, are interwoven into the novels, yet it is important to note that while Barker's research on their lives infuses her characterizations, they are inventions as much as reclamations, endowed with psychological depths that she imagines for them. Similarly, Barker purposefully deploys language in self-conscious ways. Barker mixes fiction and fact so seamlessly. Most of her characters existed as mentioed above, the real life character's involved all did spend these months of 1917 at Craiglockhart together. The novel takes you into their private world. We see the young, idealistic poet Wilfred Owen shyly giving his poems to Sassoon for advice Class differences were only too apparent within Britain's military entities. The Army structured itself around class and in many ways, recreated the British class system in miniature: aristocratic generals, middle-class officers, and a working class rank and file. This structure reinforced on the war front the class distinctions of the home front, and the long-standing prejudices of the British class system ensured that enlisted men were treated almost like children...
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...a movie they will play a part in. Within seconds of meeting someone, we make judgements about who they are just by the way they sound. Attitudes towards accents are based more on social connotations and prejudices surrounding the location or social group associated with that accent than on the sound itself. The reason people may be obliged to change their accent is to feel like they fit in and not stand out, so that people from all over the world can understand them and not only their social networks. Some accents evoke a positive response and others, negative, and this is the reason why people change their accent. Accents such as Received Pronunciation (RP) are seen as the borderline – the norm as to how people should sound like. RP is seen as a standard, social accent that is not specific to any one region and is instead identified as a neutral accent used by the well-educated in the world. This prestigious accent of British English was judged most favourable when Strongman and Woosley conducted a study of listeners’ reaction to a range of British accents. RP was found to be associated with intelligence and brought positive connotations of authority and competence. Alternatively, RP can bring about negative connotations such as haughty, unfriendly and cold because of the 2% of the British population that speak RP, it isn’t seen commonly in everyday life unlike regional dialects. RP is also seen to be an overt prestige whereas regional dialects are perceived as being...
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...In the social sciences, social stratification is any given society's categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, social status, occupation, and power. Stratification is the relative social position of persons in a given social group, category, geographical region or other social unit. In modern Western societies, stratification is often broadly divided into three main divisions of social class: upper class, middle class, and lower class. Each of these classes can be further subdivided into smaller classes (e.g., "upper-middle"). Social inequality is characterized by the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. It contains structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and punishments. Racism, for example, is understood to be a phenomenon whereby access to rights and resources is unfairly distributed across racial lines. Conversely, "white privilege" is a concept developed by social scientist Peggy McIntosh to refer to the myriad ways in which white people benefit from racial inequality, in particular. There are two main ways to measure social inequality: inequality of conditions, and inequality of opportunities. Inequality of conditions refers to the unequal distribution of income, wealth and material goods. Housing, for example, is an inequality of conditions with the homeless and those...
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...different Marxist views of the relationship between crime and social class. Marxism is a conflict structural theory which states that there is a division of labour between two social classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariats, because of the existence, exploitation and reproduction of capitalism. Marxists explain how superstructures in society, such as religion, politics, media, education, law etc, act as agencies of control and serve the interests of the ruling class. Unlike functionalists, Marxists do not agree that there is a value consensus in society but instead state that the superstructures benefit the bourgeoisie and damage the lives of the proletariat. As Item A states, crime in society can be seen as a reaction against the unequal distribution of wealth through the social position they have been given. The essay will focus on the relationship between crime and social class in a Marxist perspective. The traditional Marxist approach to crime suggests that crime is inevitable because capitalism is criminogenic – crime is built in its very nature. The concept of capitalism is to create as much profit by paying low wages to the labourers which leads to many consequences. The exploitation rises poverty and material deprivation which means that crime may be the only option for working class members to survive. Utilitarian crimes are more likely to be committed by working class members than the ruling class because the materials they require many not be achievable in...
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...Technical Middle Class: This is a new, small class with high economic capital but seem less culturally engaged. They have relatively few social contacts and so are less socially engaged. The technical middle class, about 6 percent of British society, shows high economic capital, very high status of social contacts, but relatively few contacts reported, and moderate cultural capital. They typically have jobs like aircraft pilots, pharmacists, natural and social science professionals and physical scientists, senior professionals in education establishments, and business, research, and administrative positions. The technical middle class is relatively well to do, with an average household incomes of £38,000, average savings of £66,000 and houses worth an average of £163,000. Members of the class report the lowest number of social contacts of any of the classes, though these do tend to be high status, probably mostly other professional experts. It is relatively culturally disengaged with both highbrow and emerging culture. Women comprise about 59 percent of this class. Many of technical middle class do research or scientific and technical work; a portion of the graduates are from established and prestigious universities with strong reputations for science, such as University of Warwick, University of Cambridge, University College London, University of Southampton, and Imperial College London with degrees in science and technology. Many of the technical middle classes live...
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...by its youth. Immigrants flocked to England, laws enabling sexual freedom were passed in Parliament, new and absurd fashions mocked tradition, and music was played in rebellion. England was no longer to be ruled by the upper class; the working class began its reign. Social groups broke out and took on new identities, much to the dismay of traditional Old Englanders. As David Christopher stated in British Culture: an Introduction, England was about to become “a multi-ethnic country with a plurality of identities and heritages” (1). England was regarded internationally as a place of high desire at this time; people of all races flocked to England to chase dreams of education and success. An educated Englishman, in their minds, had superior status, so they sought to become educated in England themselves. Such is the case with the man who came to visit Adah’s village in Second Class Citizen. Buchi Emecheta wrote of Adah’s dream; “She made a secret vow to herself that she would go to this United Kingdom one day. Her arrival would be the pinnacle of her ambition” (16). However, the arrival of new cultures was met with disapproval from the traditional Monarchy. Even high class citizens who migrated from other countries were rejected by the high class of England to the point that they were forced to live in slums. Not only were new cultures coming to England, but also new freedoms were arriving as well. In 1960 gambling was legalized, and in 1969 eighteen-year-olds were...
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...In all social groups class plays a major role in the attainment of children in education. At all age groups in the education system it is apparent that working class children achieve lower attainment than children from a middle class background. It is suggested that the system is biased and designed for white, middle class children disregarding the needs of the working class and ethnic minority children. However most researchers believe that there is a similar ‘range of ability’ in every social class which could mean that class differences in educational achievement are not due to class differences in intelligence but more to do with other factors in society such as low expectations and low aspirations, lack of deferred gratification and economical issues all of which are more apparent in the working class. Children from working class backgrounds tend to experience economical hardship more so than any other class; this is often linked to material deprivation which these children are exposed to throughout their life. Material deprivation in social class five has been closely linked to the underachievement of working class pupils in schools since the 1960s when sociologists claimed that a child’s attainment could be linked to a lack of something which was then found to be a kind of deprivation. A lack of money and the things that money could buy combined with a lack of skills and the absence of a good attitude contributed to a child’s achievement in school. These children are...
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...shifts in social relations” (4). Charles Dickens and other different cwriters of his time, wrote in a time of developing rivalry and modern agitation which came about because of the “divorce of labour from the land and the rise of proletarianised wage labour” (12). The Industrial Revolution was created by an outgrowth of social and institutional changes brought before the end of feudalism in Britain after the English Civil War in the seventeenth century. The British Agricultural Revolution made nourishment generation more productive and less work escalated,...
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...distinct unit.’ When talking about culture we use terms such as customs, language and religion that is, about all of the things that are learned, shared and valued by a social group. It is a mistake to think of ethnic groups as always being defined by physical features such as skin colour. Although many ethnic minority groups in the UK are non-white, this is not applicable to all groups. According to Crystal (03), well over 100 languages are in routine use in the UK. Today, children from minority backgrounds make about21% of the pupils in English schools. The level of achievement of different ethnic groups varies greatly in Great Britain. This may be due to factors such as home background, class, language and in-school factors. Recent studies highlight the effects of racism. It is believed that ethnicity influences such factors, leading to an impact upon their education. When ethnic minority students do underachieve in education this may be explained partly by social class disadvantages and partly by educational disadvantages related specifically to their ethnicity. Although members of ethnic minorities are found throughout the UK class structure, Afro-Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin students are especially likely to be found in the lower sections of the working class and to experience poverty. Social theorists working with a relative definition of poverty usually define poverty to exist where individuals are receiving an income below 60% of the median income in the...
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...Typically british and norwegian Manners British children learn formal politeness from an early age. Even the youngest toddler is taught to say “please” when asking for something, and “thank you” when getting it. Anything else would be considered very rude. Another example of politeness is the way people hold the door open for the next person; you will rarely have the unpleasant experience of a door being slammed in your face. Norwegians on the other hand are very straigt forward and doesn't use small polite phrases after every sentence. It is also uncommon to hold the door open for strangers. The thing with Norwegians and manners is not that we do not have any, but that they are somewhat different than outside of Norway or Scandinavia. The Norwegian "politeness" lies more in being friendly with people than in correctness. Traditionalism The British tend to stick to their old traditions, and are not very keen on making changes to adapt to European standards. F.exs: Driving on the left remains the rule in traffic and british judges are still wearing old-fashioned white wigs in court. Maybe this traditionalism comes from the isolated geographical position of the British Isles? Britain has tended to export its own culture rather than pick up new habits from others. Humour The British are famous for their well-developed sense of humour. Their humour tends to be verbal, with the use of puns and irony. Making jokes and teasing someone is often a sign of approval. There...
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...sphere. Although this period was a time of unprecedented changes, the fabric of society remained invariable throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. The British people at that time were traditionally puritan and straight-laced. They adhered to the codes of conduct and took care of their moral appearance. Despite the fact that the working class predominated quantitatively, the Victorian age was the time of the middle class prosperity. Significant part of the working class representatives struggled to meet some unspoken social demands to deserve the right to be called middle class. A family as a social unit was regarded a foundation stone of the Victorian society. Men and women played different social roles and fulfilled different functions as family members. There was no equality between sexes and social classes; and it could be traced in all spheres (education, availability of work and salary rank). In general, the Victorian Age is a period of striking social contrasts and significant socioeconomic changes. Sociopolitical Climate of the Victorian Age Victorian Parliament was more representative than the previous ones and considered demands of people more carefully. In 1832, before the introduction of Queen Victoria to the throne, a significant part of the expanding middle class has gained the right to vote due to the parliamentary reform. In this...
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...revolution, a period of transition and innovation, inevitably brought with it changes. Life for both rich and poor was changed forever. A way of life in Europe was passing away, when the lord of the manor, independent farmers, servants and workers that had previously lived independently in a vertically integrated society were replaced by a city based society of segregated social classes. The population grew rapidly, and people found work in the factories of cities. The industrial revolution began in Britain, which filled all the requirements for it to happen. As an aftermath of 1688 and the “Glorious Revolution”, British kings lost much of their power and influence to aristocratic landowners, who in turn sought to bring their own lands under greater control. This is known as the Enclosure Movement. This lead to two very important consequences; the land became more productive, which in turn lead to the agricultural revolution, and people who used to work the lands of the aristocratic landowners effectively became a poor, unemployed, new class of society in need of work. It was this class of poor that manned and worked in the factories that the industrial revolution brought along with it. They were ideal for the job, because they were in desperate need of work and would work for low wages. Although they were mostly unskilled labourers, it didn’t matter much since the jobs at factories required little skill from the workers. So, the factories had a big work...
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...Social Class Assignment Paper Structure: • Page 1: Cover sheet • Pages 2, 3, 4, and 5: The text of your paper - four full pages of text • Page 6: Bibliography Formatting Instructions: • Your cover sheet should provide your name and the title of your paper only; • Your title should be a creative one that you come up with yourself - allowing you to establish the tone for the paper that follows; • Provide citations for all quotes you take from the Kate Fox book (inc. page numbers), films, or TV shows, and for all references you make to events or incidents in the Fox book, films, TV episodes, and course lectures; • If using an e-version of Fox's book, you should provide the chapter number and section title from which a quote comes instead of page numbers; • Citations can be footnotes, endnotes, or in-text references, whichever format you're most familiar and comfortable with; • Your text should be double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with one inch page margins; insert page numbers in 'footers' bottom right; • Your thesis statement should be in bold or italicized. Assignment: Your task in this assignment - worth 20% of your course grade - is to analyze, outline, and explain the differences between the three social classes as they exist in Britain today, providing multiple examples from course materials to illustrate your argument. Social class in Britain is no longer based in the old, pre-World War II...
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...view that the law operates to serve the ruling class As crime is subjective concept we must look at the explanations of crime and how it occurs, this assumption clearly suggests that social class plays a large role in explanations of crime. We must consider how social class affects us as a society and thus how it is reflected in the laws set for our society to conform to. The idea of the law serving the ruling class is clearly a Marxist perspective however other sociologists do appreciate this assumption particularly Integrationists and Left Realists. In order to assess the view accurately other factors must be considered for example how the law operates to serve different genders, ages and ethnicities as well as social classes. Firstly Marxists would argue that the ruling class are protected by the law and therefore are less likely to be punished for a crime. Snider found that the state is hesitant to pass laws that regulate large capitalist concerns for example: laws on health and safety or monoplies, as it can scare off investors and damge profitability for the state’s economy. This suggests that the law serves the ruling class as it protects them from being punished as laws aren’t in place to prevent corporate crimes ( such as tax evasion)and prosecute the criminals. Futhermore we can suggest that this happens due to those who make the laws being part of the ruling class; politicians are predominantly wealthy middle class individuals and therefore are unlikely to regulate...
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