Exam 10: Religion and Education

How did Durkheim define the collective conscience?

Mark has recently begun to attend the religious services of a group. He was initially put off by the number of rules that the members of the group had to follow in order to join, but kept coming back because the leader of the group exerted a powerful influence on him. She was an extraordinarily inspiring speaker. In a very short while, Peter came to be convinced that she truly understood the world, and that she even had special powers that normal people don't have. What do sociologists call this kind of religious figure?

Once upon a time, religious bodies used to run most schools and colleges; now, mainly non-religious authorities run them. Which of the following theories purports to explain this?

Contrast the functionalist and conflict perspectives on the effectiveness of the community-college system in enhancing equality and social-mobility opportunities.

In the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, the civil rights movement was founded in the inspiration and organization provided by black churches.

What type of religious organization in the United States today recruits nearly all its members from among the college-educated, and seeks converts almost exclusively on college campuses?

Identify the two social forces that most heavily contributed to the rise of the community-college system.

Outline the four characteristics of social class that influence the likelihood of university attendance.

According to the psychologist William James, religion originates in people's need to do which of the following?

What term is used for how much students actually learn while in school?

Lutheran is to Hutterite as denomination is to which of the following?

Marx stressed that religion often tranquilizes the underprivileged into accepting their lot in life. He called religion the "opium of the people."

According to the textbook, to whom do sect-like groups generally appeal?

What do sociologists call religious groups that interpret their holy writings literally, seek to establish a direct, personal relationship with their god or gods, and are quite intolerant of other religious beliefs?

Review the platforms of each of your province's political parties. Compare each party's goals for education, and classify whether the party strategies are consistent with a functionalist, a conflict, or a feminist perspective. Predict and compare the impact of each party's educational reforms if they were adopted.

Review the controversy around making school uniforms compulsory. Justify your stand that uniforms will, or will not, reduce "stereotype threat."

It is only in recent times that women have found themselves in a subordinate position in most religions.

Suzanne sees herself as a spiritual person. Raised in a largely non-religious family, at the university she now attends, she became friends with a group of Buddhists, and has come to enjoy their chanting. In addition to Buddhist chanting, she also finds comfort in a number of different religious practices. Since the 1990s, sociologists have noticed that many people have adopted Suzanne's approach to religion, and now feel free and choose whichever beliefs and practices best suit them from any number of religious traditions. What is the name that has been given to the sociological explanation of this new phenomenon?

Muslim subgroups sometimes do not recognize each other as Muslim and sometimes come into violent conflict with each other. The Sunni and Shia of Iraq are examples. Which of the following would they appropriately be called?

Darius points out to his friends that every major religion has been involved in wars. Which theory is contradicted by this fact?