Marketisation of education

"The marketization of education (since 1988) has raised educational standards and equality of opportunity (and so undermined the Marxist view of the education system." Assess the accuracy of this statement. Some sociologists suggest that the best way to improve standards within school is to encourage competition. This may be competition between two schools, grades or also facilities. When labour came into power they kept some of the conservative educational policies. They allow for businesses to take over a failing school and take care of the finances of the school. This can promote equal opportunities if they actually turn the school around. This in turn would increase pupil's chances and results. However, if a business man took over he could influence the pupils because of his viewpoints and this could help to recycle class inequalities. Therefore, I feel that this is not a good thing as they are not specialised in running schools they just see it as an investment. Another policy that is still in place is league tables and the notion of parental choice. I think in theory it is a successful concept however middle class parents are more likely to get their children into the best school leaving less choice for working class kids. In addition, the league tables do encourage marketization between schools but it may cause people not to be entered for exams if they are predicted

  • Word count: 909
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Why is media history important?

Why is media history important? The study of media history is vital in the understanding of, people and there societies. Through the study of the past we gain an understanding of what and why things happened. History gives you back your past. In the same way as individual people need memory to shape identity and plan for the future, communities need history to give dimension and meaning to the present. Without an understanding of the past, the present doesn't make much sense. As Shannon Bohan writes "History can broaden one's horizons and open the doors to endless possibilities. The study of history can not only enlighten the mind, but it can prove instrumental in preventing the repeat of past mistakes. Without history, there can be no future."(Shannon Bohan '04). The media plays an integral part to people's lives. From the moment we wake up we are engulfed in a media-centric world. The study of media history is important because it helps us understand the past, present and future. Through an understanding of where the media came from, we can predict things by seeing how they happened before. The study of media history also gives us an identity. The media presents us with images of the world all the time. We understand cultures and ideologies through the media. The media shapes are beliefs, hence by looking at the history of media we understand culture in a way that know

  • Word count: 1870
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Women are trapped by stereotypes they perpetuate themselves ......women in 3 short stories

Women are trapped by stereotypes they perpetuate themselves ...... It is a strange idea to think women perpetuate their own stereotypes - but is it so unbelievable? I personally believe this is commonly the case as we all have choices in life, but some women make some decisions that could cause them to feel 'trapped' or squashed into doing certain things and not others. Women can be 'trapped' in many ways, for example their marriage, or their job. 'Ice Cream' by Helen Dunmore is a short story illustrating this point; she writes of 24 year old model Clara, and her choice between ice cream and her job. Being a model, there is a lot of pressure to be thin, as some people believe fat people can't be pretty, and models are widely seen as being very pretty. It is almost a battle between Elise (who's relationship with Clara is unspecified) who wants her to ignore the temptation of ice cream, knowing she was once addicted to sugary foods. All the women at Clara's birthday are models, and it is soon made clear in the story they don't approve of eating 'badly'; as they tell Clara of many ways in which she can make up for it later; one, Julie, suggests making herself be sick. '" If you're that desperate, why don't you do what everyone else does?" And delicately, elegantly, she mimes the hook of a forefinger down a throat.' Julie clearly feels that she is so trapped she has to

  • Word count: 1488
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Bad magic - It was a piece of improvisation work and was based on the theme of witchcraft.

Jennifer Young Drama Part 1 Assessment Bad Magic My practical work in November - December was for Option 4. It was a piece of improvisation work and was based on the theme of witchcraft. My contribution to the performance was as a performer, acting as the witch, who throughout the play was a mysterious, unsettling character. I had to act superior to the other characters and make them fear me by using arrogant speech and reserved body movement. To help me in my work for information on the Internet and watched television programs involving witchcraft. During my research I looked at The Craft (film), 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller, Macbeth, The Wizard Of Oz, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 'The Crucible' is set in 1692, and based on the Salem witch trials. The characters are not really witches just accused of being so, and the play is more to do with people misusing authority. 'The Craft' is a 1996 film about four girls in school who do not fit in and dabble in witchcraft and become very powerful witches, but three of them misuse the power, and the 4th witch (Sarah) takes their power away from them, this film is a much more modern take on witches and I found it very helpful. Macbeth by Shakespeare involves three evil witches who are the stereotypical ugly hags of most old stories. In Buffy The Vampire Slayer there is a character called Willow who is a witch and the

  • Word count: 720
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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How Do The Media Influence Understanding Of Nature and Effect of Crime?

How Do The Media Influence Understanding Of Nature and Effect of Crime? Over the past few decades, we have seen a huge growth in the production and accessibility of the media. Ways of communicating through the media were relatively self contained in the 18th century, and were expressed by print and word of mouth. However, from the early 20th century this use of communication has exploded into mass media. This explosion of mass media has occurred as a direct result of the profound transformations in the development and technological advances of devices such as electrical equipment and transportation. Media has become more accessible via the creation and development of television, Radio, newspapers, the internet and most recently the expansion and high profile development of mobile phone technology. These advancements create a wider audience, more opportunity and faster access to media services and the news as it occurs by giving more choice and viewing options for the audiences. (Giddens, 2005) The earliest of media were newspapers, deriving from pamphlets and information sheets circulated in the early 18th century. From 1900, these newspapers became daily impact of public life, therefore creating discussion regarding the content and could therefore be said to be influencing the audiences and readers opinions and personal beliefs. Following the end of World War Two,

  • Word count: 1387
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Media in Culture Deterioration.

Media in Culture Deterioration The reason we admire everything that is foreign is because we are not very familiar with the richness of our culture. Do we respect our culture and our products? Do the foreign media dictate our life styles, values and practices? Is there a tendency in us to be easily polluted by exotic, superficial expressions of foreign cultures and lose sight of the positive values they hail like polite manners (po/opo), discipline, nobility of work, respect for humans and environment, gender equality, cleanliness, sharing of goods, etc? Does this cultural invasion through the media affect our social relationships? Today there is a growing trend towards nuclear families, careerism for both genders, free mixing, moral permissiveness, growing rate of abortion, instant-remote controlled happiness, loss of meaning in life and consequent despair. (Please refer to ECCLESIA IN ASIA, the portion on the Youth). Human beings are becoming isolated entities with no time for each other, although the world is shrinking into a global village. The real danger is that without discarding our many built-in superstitions and unhealthy social structures, like the family, we absorb only superficial elements of the Western culture. In fact, their view of man, society and God are different and in this patch up, aren't we in danger of losing our own identity? Are we also

  • Word count: 601
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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can the media be blamed for violence in the media today

Can the media be blamed for violence in society today? "Life is like a video game, you gotta die sometime." Spoken by the killer behind the Montreal incident, a lawyer said he used video games to train himself for the incidents. This is the possible manifestation caused by computer game rated as safe for teens, then society is creating a violent generation. What we must realise is that the media isn't completely to blame, these violent games reflect what gamers want, they make a conscious decision to choose a game. The games companies however make it a lot more attractive to the public, games like grand theft auto caused such controversy that it gained plenty of publicity and the public are offered "forbidden fruit" and these games must become more violent and controversial to continually offer this "forbidden fruit" . It is natural for humans to join in groups it is a primitive survival mechanism, this can be linked to peer pressure, when under difficult circumstances young men will join gangs in order survive. This often occurs in ghettoised areas where it's extremely rough and in order survive you must join a gang, in these gangs there are often young children who grow in a violent environment. As these youths grow up they will develop a lifestyle revolving round violence such as the "gangsta" culture that has gripped many of America's underprivileged classes, they

  • Word count: 1294
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Are we influenced by TV and film? Briefly discuss the evidence and arguments for and against censorship.

Media and Ideology Q1. Are we influenced by TV and film? Briefly discuss the evidence and arguments for and against censorship. Censorship of the media allows either the government or a governmentally appointed department the right to dictate to individuals what they are allowed to view. In a democratic society, personal freedom is of paramount importance and therefore we should have the right watch what ever we want. But, the most vulnerable in society, for example young children need to be protected, and consideration must be given to the feelings and sensitivities of minority groups, for example racially motivated violence or hatred. It is only though legislation that society is able to ensure that the vulnerable are protected. Censorship of television, film and videos allows our children to be shielded from unsuitable material, including bad language, sex and violence. All societies have some form of censorship or control over the media. Although there will always be differences of opinion on what is suitable or acceptable, the issue is who do we allow to control media output and how do they do this. Every film and TV programme that is going to be shown at the cinema or released on video or DVD must be classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC was formed in 1913 and they view each film prior to release and give it a certificate. They decide

  • Word count: 3277
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Adolescents- threat or asset to society? Discuss how media portrayal of young people today and in the past influences the concept of adolescence. This assessment will look at the various media that was used in the past and is used presently

Adolescents- threat or asset to society? Discuss how media portrayal of young people today and in the past influences the concept of adolescence. This assessment will look at the various media that was used in the past and is used presently and consider the influence that it has on the perception of adolescence. Whether or not they are portrayed as an asset or threat to society will also be looked at. The essay will discuss both past and present media influences and state how there has been a change in both the use of media and the growth. Also why the media portray adolescence in particular ways. The way in which teenagers view themselves will also be briefly touch on. There is an array of media that produces information about adolescents these can include radio, newspapers, magazines and television documentaries. The media tends to create stereotypical images of young people that generalise and brand all young people even though they are part of a much broader group. Young people often find ways to express themselves, which are different to the generally accepted culture of their society. The various means by which they express themselves and mix are known as youth culture. (Jahsonic.com, 1996) There is no single youth culture in modern society, instead there is a variety of different youth subcultures. There are many reasons for this, such as there are more styles

  • Word count: 1681
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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The issue of media ownership is a complex one and therefore, I look to answer this question in exploring the importance of media ownership in society and the significance of such an issue. I shall do this by exploring the different major concerns

Why does ownership of the media matter? The issue of media ownership is a complex one and therefore, I look to answer this question in exploring the importance of media ownership in society and the significance of such an issue. I shall do this by exploring the different major concerns posed to the public by concentrated ownership of the media, including the threats to pluralism and the consequences had on the economy (focusing on the idea of competition and efficiency). It's an issue of complete conflict and often contradiction in that there are many counter-arguments available and thus it is difficult to conclude as to whether concentrated ownership is good or bad, however, in either situation ownership of the media remains something that matters. The first and foremost concern of media policies is the "potential socio-political and cultural implications of media empire-building" (Gillian Doyle, 2002). This is the concern for the threat that concentrated media may pose to 'pluralism', being the diversity obtained within the media (embracing both diversity of ownership and diversity of content). It is essential to have present, a number of different 'voices' to promote both 'political' and 'cultural' pluralism, requiring the need for a range of different political views and opinions, and the need for a range of cultures to be represented in the media. Media

  • Word count: 1541
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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