AQA critisiced over 'jewish prejudice' question

Scroll to see replies

You think that “Jews are evil” will be on the marking scheme?

I was being facetious, but I can't help but feel the standard of dialogue won't be high on a low level answer. And a question like that that'd be pretty much what such an answer would amount to.

Reply 41

miser

Of course anti-semitism can be explained. It has happened - the answer to why it happened must therefore exist. The question does not imply that the answer to why anti-semitism became popular in some cultures was to do with some quality intrinsic to Jewish people. It is, as the article notes, based on irrationality and scapegoating.

Once again this would seem to be an issue of someone leaping at the opportunity to take offence for someone else.

Reply 42

The Mr Z

The question is very bad. Not necessarily as a subject matter, but as a matter of wording and the level and discipline it is being asked within.

I'd say it's a fine question to ask as an essay at Undergraduate level History, Sociology or Politics etc, or with different wording, but that's because there is a definite requirement for a specific approach to the question, requiring reasoned argument and evidence based approach to cut through the mist of disinformation and get to root causes.

If asked about the Nazis in a History paper it's ok because it's looking for factual historical narrative.

However this is GCSE Religious Study, it's a subject area that is neither specific nor a rigorous discipline, and the question is worded in a very poor way.

The wording invited the candidate to list the justifications given for anti-semitism, rather than making a cynical and critical appraisal of the root causes. Also, because it's at GCSE level, the level of critical analysis which would actually be needed to tackle the topic properly is just not required. It doesn't require factual evidence either, in depth discussion of the historical aspect is not required because that's not on the syllabus.

And as a GCSE level paper is has to make allowances for highly subjective and opinionated responses, because again an academic answering style is not expected or required.

And the candidates just don't have the knowledge to answer this question in the right way. They don't have knowledge of the deeper sociological and historical causes.

It's also dreadfully one-sided, not requiring candidates to make any criticisms of the reasons people give for anti-semitic behaviour, not requiring any recognition of the validity or invalidity of various arguments, or the historical accuracy, or evident bias.

So all the question does, with this wording and at this level, is invite publicly given justification of anti-Semitic behaviour.

Much better wordings:

"What were the origins of prejudice against Jews"
"Explain briefly why(/how) Jews have come to suffer persecution"

Reply 43

Bardamu

Original post by big-bang-theory

I was being facetious, but I can't help but feel the standard of dialogue won't be high on a low level answer. And a question like that that'd be pretty much what such an answer would amount to.

It's often hard to tell online.

I still don't entirely understand your objection. Marks will still be awarded for clarity of thought, argument and expression. Or, since this is GCSE, the ability to regurgitate the “facts” on the syllabus. Nobody's going to get an A for some rabid, racist rant.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 44

Inverse

Who gives a ****? If those mongrels decide to be offended, they can **** off and do so in the corner of their own secluded homes.

Reply 45

big-bang-theory

Original post by Bardamu

As you wish, consider the following couple paragraphs.

The creation of the state of Israel is a major contributor to contemporary anti-semitism. Israel's actions have been seen as setting themselves up in a war against Islam in which they have denied Palestinians Muslims basic standards of living and forced them out of their homes. Indeed the entire state of Israel is seen as illegitimate by some given it was forcibly created after the war by ejecting the original local populations.

This all technically answers and the question and would probably be a B/C sort of answer. If you remove the first line and remove odd phrases like "having been seen" this is the exact rhetoric some use to hate Jews as a whole. An answer does not have to engage in any side of the "why is this nonsense" whatsoever in order to properly answer the question. Indeed you change the word Israel for Jews or even some Jews and your answer doesn't significantly depreciate in quality of answering the question but is massively magnified in terms of giving grounding and thought to the racist rhetoric that fuells anti-semitism.

Then by contrast an answer to my hypothetical "How has confusion between the state of Israel and Jews as a whole contributed to anti-semitism", an alright answer would have to run something like this:

Israel has been criticised for actions such as illegally building on Palestinian grounds, and being illegitimate in its foundation. This has fuelled a confusion and blurring of the lines between criticising the actions of Israel and, given its position as a Jewish state, the support of a collective of all Jews. Thus the criticism of Israel policy and Jews is easily mixed together in anti-Semitic rhetoric.

I don't doubt that good answers on both those questions would be significantly more nuanced and engage in the issue of popular Jewish zionism as opposed to necessarily Israel and both would adequately demonstrate that anti-semitism is based on misunderstanding the issues involved. The point is the second question requires that to answer it all, the first question doesn't.

Reply 46

tashiepashie

Original post by Bardamu

God forbid that complicated issues should be part of the curriculum. Poor argument. Similar to Gove's.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

How many marks was that question worth? If it was an entire essay, then fine, great that complicated issues can be discussed in depth but for a question that was likely only worth a few marks, it's a ridiculous thing to ask!

Reply 47

Bardamu

Original post by big-bang-theory

The creation of the state of Israel is a major contributor to contemporary anti-semitism. Israel's actions have been seen as setting themselves up in a war against Islam in which they have denied Palestinians Muslims basic standards of living and forced them out of their homes. Indeed the entire state of Israel is seen as illegitimate by some given it was forcibly created after the war by ejecting the original local populations.

This all technically answers and the question and would probably be a B/C sort of answer. If you remove the first line and remove odd phrases like "having been seen" this is the exact rhetoric some use to hate Jews as a whole. An answer does not have to engage in any side of the "why is this nonsense" whatsoever in order to properly answer the question. Indeed you change the word Israel for Jews or even some Jews and your answer doesn't significantly depreciate in quality of answering the question but is massively magnified in terms of giving grounding and thought to the racist rhetoric that fuells anti-semitism.

That answer seems fine to me, as is.
Reasonable point though, but changing Israel to Jews does change things, in the same way that it isn't correct to equate Germans and Nazis. Even “some Jews” is wrong. “Some organs” wouldn't be awarded marks in a biology exam, if the answer is the kidneys...

Reply 48

Bardamu

Original post by tashiepashie

Why? This all-or-nothing mentality is stupid. Most issues are complicated in theology. There isn't universal consensus on much.

Reply 49

khaiser turian

Children in schools should study these topics, so they understand why some people may be prejudice against the Jews. It also stops such prejudices from occuring again

Reply 50

Snagprophet

''Education Secretary Michael Gove said to suggest anti-Semitism could ever be explained was "insensitive and, frankly, bizarre."''

Erm, what? Of course there's an explanation for 'anti-Semitism'. It's not random, it's not like anyone takes a random religion from out of a hat and proceeds to be 'anti-Semitic'. Obviously it mostly stems from bull**** conspiracies and whoever is the start of it simply doesn't like the different customs or appearance of Jews. That is the explanation, 'anti-Semitism' isn't not unexplainable. It sounds like some PC morons feigning ignorance towards those who don't like different people. Loads of people don't like different things. How stupid is it to say that not liking different things has limits.