, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE ONLY
SECTION A
QUESTION 1
1.1 Define social reproduction in your own words.
Social reproduction is the process by which a society ensures its own continuation by passing on its
established culture, norms, values, and social structures—including its economic and class
systems—from one generation to the next. This is not merely about teaching skills and knowledge,
but about maintaining the existing social order. For example, this can involve preparing young
people to accept their future roles in the workforce or to understand their position within a class
hierarchy, often through institutions like schools. This process can occur intentionally, but often
works through subtle means that make the existing social arrangements appear natural, fair, or
inevitable (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
1.2. Indicate whether each statement is True or False.
a) True. Functionalism views education as contributing to social stability. Functionalists see schools
as serving a "latent" or not so visible function of producing people who share the basic economic,
political, and cultural practices and norms of the society, which is vital to its continuation and
survival (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
b) False. Hegemony depends not only on direct physical force. According to the text, hegemony
means having a preponderance of influence and authority over others, expressed through concepts
and institutional arrangements. Marxists argue it is established when the dominant class controls the
thinking of another class through cultural forms such as the media, the church, or the schools, not
just through force (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
c) True. The hidden curriculum may teach learners obedience, discipline and attitudes towards
authority. The text explains that the hidden curriculum refers to the organizational features and
routines of school life, such as waiting in line and sanctions against cheating, which develop
psychological dispositions appropriate for work and citizenship in industrial society (Feinberg &
Soltis, 2009). For example, Jean Anyon's study showed that in working-class schools, the hidden
curriculum taught students to follow rules without question and to obey external authority (Feinberg
& Soltis, 2009).
d) True. Interpretivism focuses on the meanings that social actors attach to their actions.
Interpretivists see the social world as made up of purposeful actors who acquire, share, and interpret
a set of meanings, rules, and norms that make social interaction possible. A central concern is how
individuals interpret and understand their social situations (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
e) False. Student resistance does not always eliminate social inequality. Paul Willis's study of "the
lads" shows that while their resistance to school authority was a form of opposition, it ultimately
prepared them for unskilled or semiskilled working-class jobs, effectively reproducing the class
structure rather than eliminating social inequality (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
, Choose the correct answer for each question
1.3 b) Hegemony
1.4 b) Marxism
1.5 b) Hidden curriculum
1.6 b) Interpretivism
1.7 b) Resistance can unintentionally contribute to social reproduction
1.8 Briefly explain what is meant by false consciousness.
False consciousness, as understood within the Marxist tradition discussed in the text, refers to a
situation where members of a subordinate or oppressed class come to adopt and accept the values,
beliefs, and perspectives of the dominant or ruling class, rather than recognizing their own class
interests. This prevents them from seeing their true position in society and from understanding the
structures that oppress them (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009). For example, a worker who carries the values
of the owner, believing that the existing class system is fair and that rewards are distributed based on
merit, is experiencing false consciousness. The text also illustrates this with the example of a slave
who espouses the values of the master, believing that they are the master's property (Feinberg &
Soltis, 2009). This acceptance of the dominant class's worldview impedes the development of true
class consciousness, where individuals become aware of their shared interests and common position
in the class struggle. False consciousness is closely linked to the concept of hegemony, where the
dominant class successfully establishes its own mode of thinking among most members of
subordinate classes (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
1.9 Briefly explain the contradiction between resistance and social reproduction.
The contradiction between resistance and social reproduction, as demonstrated in Paul Willis's study
of "the lads," lies in the fact that acts of resistance against the dominant system can paradoxically
lead to the reproduction of the very social structures being resisted (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009). "The
lads" actively resisted the authority of the school and rejected its values, such as the value of
theoretical knowledge and the promise of upward mobility through credentials. However, this
resistance had the unintended consequence of preparing them for unskilled or semiskilled
working-class jobs. By rejecting the school's "bargain" and adopting an oppositional culture that
valued practical, masculine know-how over theoretical learning, they became well-prepared for life
on the shop floor, where authority was also resisted and where their expectations were limited to
wages, not meaningful work or advancement (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009). Thus, while their resistance
was a form of critical "penetration" into the logic of the capitalist system, it simultaneously trapped
them in the very class positions the system sought to reproduce, creating a contradiction where
individual resistance serves to perpetuate broader social inequality (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
SECTION A
QUESTION 1
1.1 Define social reproduction in your own words.
Social reproduction is the process by which a society ensures its own continuation by passing on its
established culture, norms, values, and social structures—including its economic and class
systems—from one generation to the next. This is not merely about teaching skills and knowledge,
but about maintaining the existing social order. For example, this can involve preparing young
people to accept their future roles in the workforce or to understand their position within a class
hierarchy, often through institutions like schools. This process can occur intentionally, but often
works through subtle means that make the existing social arrangements appear natural, fair, or
inevitable (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
1.2. Indicate whether each statement is True or False.
a) True. Functionalism views education as contributing to social stability. Functionalists see schools
as serving a "latent" or not so visible function of producing people who share the basic economic,
political, and cultural practices and norms of the society, which is vital to its continuation and
survival (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
b) False. Hegemony depends not only on direct physical force. According to the text, hegemony
means having a preponderance of influence and authority over others, expressed through concepts
and institutional arrangements. Marxists argue it is established when the dominant class controls the
thinking of another class through cultural forms such as the media, the church, or the schools, not
just through force (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
c) True. The hidden curriculum may teach learners obedience, discipline and attitudes towards
authority. The text explains that the hidden curriculum refers to the organizational features and
routines of school life, such as waiting in line and sanctions against cheating, which develop
psychological dispositions appropriate for work and citizenship in industrial society (Feinberg &
Soltis, 2009). For example, Jean Anyon's study showed that in working-class schools, the hidden
curriculum taught students to follow rules without question and to obey external authority (Feinberg
& Soltis, 2009).
d) True. Interpretivism focuses on the meanings that social actors attach to their actions.
Interpretivists see the social world as made up of purposeful actors who acquire, share, and interpret
a set of meanings, rules, and norms that make social interaction possible. A central concern is how
individuals interpret and understand their social situations (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
e) False. Student resistance does not always eliminate social inequality. Paul Willis's study of "the
lads" shows that while their resistance to school authority was a form of opposition, it ultimately
prepared them for unskilled or semiskilled working-class jobs, effectively reproducing the class
structure rather than eliminating social inequality (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
, Choose the correct answer for each question
1.3 b) Hegemony
1.4 b) Marxism
1.5 b) Hidden curriculum
1.6 b) Interpretivism
1.7 b) Resistance can unintentionally contribute to social reproduction
1.8 Briefly explain what is meant by false consciousness.
False consciousness, as understood within the Marxist tradition discussed in the text, refers to a
situation where members of a subordinate or oppressed class come to adopt and accept the values,
beliefs, and perspectives of the dominant or ruling class, rather than recognizing their own class
interests. This prevents them from seeing their true position in society and from understanding the
structures that oppress them (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009). For example, a worker who carries the values
of the owner, believing that the existing class system is fair and that rewards are distributed based on
merit, is experiencing false consciousness. The text also illustrates this with the example of a slave
who espouses the values of the master, believing that they are the master's property (Feinberg &
Soltis, 2009). This acceptance of the dominant class's worldview impedes the development of true
class consciousness, where individuals become aware of their shared interests and common position
in the class struggle. False consciousness is closely linked to the concept of hegemony, where the
dominant class successfully establishes its own mode of thinking among most members of
subordinate classes (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
1.9 Briefly explain the contradiction between resistance and social reproduction.
The contradiction between resistance and social reproduction, as demonstrated in Paul Willis's study
of "the lads," lies in the fact that acts of resistance against the dominant system can paradoxically
lead to the reproduction of the very social structures being resisted (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009). "The
lads" actively resisted the authority of the school and rejected its values, such as the value of
theoretical knowledge and the promise of upward mobility through credentials. However, this
resistance had the unintended consequence of preparing them for unskilled or semiskilled
working-class jobs. By rejecting the school's "bargain" and adopting an oppositional culture that
valued practical, masculine know-how over theoretical learning, they became well-prepared for life
on the shop floor, where authority was also resisted and where their expectations were limited to
wages, not meaningful work or advancement (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009). Thus, while their resistance
was a form of critical "penetration" into the logic of the capitalist system, it simultaneously trapped
them in the very class positions the system sought to reproduce, creating a contradiction where
individual resistance serves to perpetuate broader social inequality (Feinberg & Soltis, 2009).
