Katherine Drake
Graduate Student in Sociology
10/26/2008
- Research Interests
- Education, Social Class Inequality, Community Service, Asia
- Previous Degrees
- B.S. in Japanese, Georgetown University Faculty of Language and Linguistics
| Teaching Experience | ||
|---|---|---|
| Soc 129 | Education and Society | Teaching Fellow |
| FC 84 | Tokyo | Teaching Fellow |
| Soc 153 | Media and the American Mind | Teaching Fellow |
- Qualifying Paper Title
- In Japan, Volunteering Is Endearing but Networking Is not Working: Why group goals matter for bridging social capital
- Committee
- Mary Brinton, Jason Kaufman and Peter Marsden
- Abstract
- This paper makes use of conceptual tools from cultural sociology to ask how societies can increase their stock of “bridging social capital.” Bridging social capital is the form of social capital that facilitates collective action among disparate social groups. It is axiomatic that “bridging associations,” socially diverse networks and organizations, create bridging social capital by broadening their members’ outlooks. According to this premise, both wide-ranging social networks and volunteer organizations should generate bridging social capital. Research in cultural sociology, however, casts doubt on the causal ordering of the relationship between wide-ranging social networks and inclusive outlooks, and also on the ability of _all_ bridging associations to nurture inclusive outlooks. Scholarship in this field implies that the ability of a bridging association to broaden its members’ outlooks depends on the association’s goals. Bridging associations with “outward-looking” goals, those that work for the common good, might broaden their members’ outlooks but those with “inward-looking” goals, which serve their members' interests, might not. I explore these hypotheses using data from the 1995 Social Stratification and Mobility (SSM) survey from Japan. Results indicate that participation in volunteer groups (“volunteering”) broadens outlooks but that participation in wide-ranging social networks (“networking”) does not.
- Prospectus Title
- School Matters: Lessons from Asia
- Committee
- Mary Brinton, Peter Marsden, Jason Backfield
- Abstract
- A principal aim of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is to eliminate the achievement gap across social classes. At present, however, there is no consensus on the factors undergirding this achievement gap or on how best to address it. Research has tried to draw lessons from East Asia, where the overall level of achievement is high and the achievement gaps across social classes smaller. The standard view is that this success is due to the importance of education in Asian cultures, and therefore cannot be replicated here. However, other research suggests that some Asian educational practices, such as teaching styles and parental outreach programs, might be exportable. The purpose of this project is to analyze the impact of three of these practices on the size of the achievement gap across social classes in Asian and non-Asian nations. The main source of data is the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). By basing my analysis on existing theories from educational research, and by taking into account the social and economic context in each country, my study will explore not only which educational practices are successful but also indicate why they are successful.
Miscellaneous Additional Information
- Oral Exam Topic
- Comparative International Education
- House Tutor Position
- Resident Tutor in Sociology and Wellness at Mather House
Contact
617-496-5794 (FAX)
Mather House, Office 24
10 Copperthwaite St.
Cambridge, MA 02138