Class Conflict
Introduction:
This essay aims to examine the extent to which class conflict affects education and life opportunities. The following paragraphs seek to illustrate how factors such as class position and parental attitudes affect education and life opportunities among different social classes and the conflict that lies between them. In order to understand the content of this essay it is first necessary to understand all of the possible variables involved. Throughout this essay I will examine the definitions of class, conflict, education and opportunity. The main body of the essay seeks to highlight the reason as to why people are members of certain classes and the effects this has on their chances for education and life opportunities, using the example of education in Britain. In conclusion, a brief synopsis of class conflict will be given and considerations of some of the reasons why this occurs. In answering the question through the use of an example from the social context in which class conflict effects education and life opportunities this essay aims to highlight how the conflict between classes effect a person’s right to an education and equal life opportunities.
Class, Conflict, Education, Opportunity:
In order to understand the content of this essay it is first necessary to understand all of the possible variables involved. Norman Goodman defines class as “a term widely used in sociology to differentiate the population on grounds of economic considerations such as inequalities in terms of wealth or income” (Goodman, 1992).In support of this the Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines conflict as “an incompatibility between opinions” (2004). In light of these two aforementioned definitions Karl Marx argues that “class conflict is not only inherent but inevitable within capitalism” (Goodman, 1992).Education can be defined as “the theory and practice of teaching” (2004). To once again quote from the Concise Oxford English Dictionary an opportunity is “a
This essay aims to examine the extent to which class conflict affects education and life opportunities. The following paragraphs seek to illustrate how factors such as class position and parental attitudes affect education and life opportunities among different social classes and the conflict that lies between them. In order to understand the content of this essay it is first necessary to understand all of the possible variables involved. Throughout this essay I will examine the definitions of class, conflict, education and opportunity. The main body of the essay seeks to highlight the reason as to why people are members of certain classes and the effects this has on their chances for education and life opportunities, using the example of education in Britain. In conclusion, a brief synopsis of class conflict will be given and considerations of some of the reasons why this occurs. In answering the question through the use of an example from the social context in which class conflict effects education and life opportunities this essay aims to highlight how the conflict between classes effect a person’s right to an education and equal life opportunities.
Class, Conflict, Education, Opportunity:
In order to understand the content of this essay it is first necessary to understand all of the possible variables involved. Norman Goodman defines class as “a term widely used in sociology to differentiate the population on grounds of economic considerations such as inequalities in terms of wealth or income” (Goodman, 1992).In support of this the Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines conflict as “an incompatibility between opinions” (2004). In light of these two aforementioned definitions Karl Marx argues that “class conflict is not only inherent but inevitable within capitalism” (Goodman, 1992).Education can be defined as “the theory and practice of teaching” (2004). To once again quote from the Concise Oxford English Dictionary an opportunity is “a
Bibliography: 2004. Concise Oxford English Dictionary. s.l. : Oxford University Press , 2004. Goodman, Norman. 1992. Introduction to Sociology. New York : Harper Perennial, 1992. Lareau, Annette. 2000. Home Advantage. Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers , 2000. Lightfoot1978, Ogbu1974, McPherson1972 and Galen1987, Van. McCulloch, Gary. 1998. Failing the Ordinary Child ? Buckingham : Open University Press, 1998. Roberts, Cook, Clark, Semeonoff,. 1977. The Fragmentary Class Structure. London : Heinemann Educational Books Ltd, 1977. Sally Power, Tony Edwards, Geoff Whitty ,Valerie Wigfall. 2003. Education and the Middle Class. Buckingham : Open University Press, 2003.