Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings

The Effects of Question-Answer-Relationship (QAR) Instruction on Standardized Reading Comprehension Test Scores of Third-Grade Students

“…Michel Foucault's Power as Knowledge Theory provides a powerful lens through which to examine the effects of QAR as a strategy not only to improve the standardized test scores of third-grade students but also as a method of empowering all students through increased educational opportunities. Michael Foucault, a postmodern theorist, explored the ways in which political power was subtly invested in the mechanisms of knowledge in the modern world (Lemert, 2016). For Foucault, power and knowledge were not seen as separate entities but as irrevocably connected.…”

“…He believed that power and knowledge were constructed by truths created within societies and that these truths became a standard set of rules accepted by societies, providing power to those who had the status to create these truths. Foucault believed that these truths were reinforced through societal institutions, like schools, but believed that these truths were not static but rather marked by a constant battle where individuals pushed the boundaries of power (Lemert, 2016).…”

“…Although he believed that the relationship between power and knowledge was constraining and often limited behaviors, he also recognized the potential it also held to open new ways of thinking and behaving. Foucault recognized the potential for power to be a productive force in society, believing that power produces a reality that shapes individuals within societies through the attainment of knowledge (Lemert, 2016). Foucault viewed power as a fully socialized phenomenon and contended that power and the norms it creates are so embedded within our society that they tend to be unthinkingly followed by individuals who fail to fully realize the control it has over their daily actions (Lemert, 2016).…”

“…Foucault recognized the potential for power to be a productive force in society, believing that power produces a reality that shapes individuals within societies through the attainment of knowledge (Lemert, 2016). Foucault viewed power as a fully socialized phenomenon and contended that power and the norms it creates are so embedded within our society that they tend to be unthinkingly followed by individuals who fail to fully realize the control it has over their daily actions (Lemert, 2016). He focused not only on the power of institutions and their ability to discipline but also on how these norms often create advantages for some while placing many at a great disadvantage.…”

“Loitering” with Unconcerned Clicks: Class Nature and Social Exclusion of Sina Weibo Users in Representing Chinese Migrant Workers

“…For Marx, class is a result of a combination of objective factors, such as the means of production and the social economic status one holds, as well as the subjective factors, such as the self-consciousness of one's class identity based on the set of shared views and interests regarding how a particular group of people view themselves and the society (Milios, 2000). In Marxist theory, the class struggle in a capitalist society mainly involves the conflict between two major classes, the bourgeoisie (the capitalists who dominate the means of production) and the much larger proletariat (the working classes who sell their labor), which constitutes the fundamental structure of class stratification (Lemert, 2004).…”