Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

a population larger than the food supply can support will erupt into social chaos. The flaw in Malthusian theory is that it does not take into consideration technological advances in birth control or agriculture. • Demographic Transition Theory: In this theory, sociologists insist that populations tend to stabilize after a certain level of economic development is achieved. Three stages of development are associated with this theory: o High birth rate & high death rate: In traditional societies, large numbers of children are born, but medical care is insufficient, resulting in high death rate as well, especially in infants. Populations tend to remain stabilized during this stage. o High birth rate & low death rate: In developing societies, the birth rate remains high, but improvements in medicine force the death rate to drop. Rapid population growth occurs. o Low birth rate & low death rate: In advanced industrial and emerging postindustrial societies, birth rate drops as the desire for large families diminishes (and is seen as a liability). The deathrate remains low due to medical advancement. Populations become stable once again. 6.2 Rural/Urban Patterns In America, life revolves around cities. They are the centers of finance, industry, and government. Thousands of years ago, the first towns developed around agricultural production and trade zones. Cities emerged and the social process of urbanization emerged. Urbanization is the movement of the masses from rural areas to urban areas. In the mid-nineteenth century America, rapid urbanization took place and continued until the 1960s. This trend in the modern age has drastically changed the way the last few generations have lived. In developing countries, when the population explodes, overurbanization can occur (a condition where population exceeds the ability of the society’s resources). Historically, cities were small, but industrialization prodded the growth of cities. In less developed societies, cities have a very affluent center and are surrounded by slums. In industrialized societies, a central city is surrounded by several suburbs. This economic and geographic entity of city centerand suburbs is called a metropolis. A suburb is a residential area on the outskirts of a central city that enables the expansion of the urban lifestyle into previously rural areas. A megalopolis is two ormore major metropolitan areas that are linked either politically, economically, socially, or geographically. The process of urbanization follows specific patterns. Environmental and social factors interplay to form cities. Urbanism is the study of cultural and social characteristics of cities. As observationswere made, several points were identified as the results of the shift from small town to urban city. Theyare as follows: • Organizations grow larger and more bureaucratic • Relationships fragment

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