Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

• Business and/or government takes control of functions that were previously done at home • Communities become interrelated and no longer self-sufficient • Media causes the urban culture to dominate the rural cultures Views Classical sociologists viewed urban life pessimistically. It was thought to strain human relationships. Ferdinand Tonnies was the first to explore the differences between rural and urban living. In his theoretical continuum, there were two distinct sectors: • Gemeinschaft: A small population where there existed a simple division of labor and most people knew each other. • Gesellischaft: A large population where there is loose associations and a complex division of labor. Louis Wirth examined how city life affects a person’s emotions, thoughts, and interactions. Wirth noticed three specific characteristics that led to this difference: • Size: Leaves individuals feeling lost and anonymous • Population density: Forces individuals into specific interactions (not whole relationships) • Social diversity: Opens individuals to different viewpoints and cultures Modern sociologists have less pessimistic views of society. Some now view the urban environment as one ripe with opportunity. Herbert Gans painted the city as a mosaic of cultures and neighborhoods to explore and experience. Ernest Burgess developed the concentric zone model that stated that cities grow outward in a series of concentric circles radiating out from the central business district. Moving away fromthe central core of the city is viewed as upward mobility. Urban/Rural Comparisons Research is not conclusive, but certain generalizations seem to be supported. For examples, urban areas tend to have higher crime rates than non-urban communities. The institution of the family is weaker in urban areas, and those living in cities tend to have fewer friends – even though they are surrounded by more people on a daily basis. City-dwellers are considered less helpful and more inconsiderate to strangers than rural-dwellers. They also tend to show less contentment with their surroundings. In the 1960s, the suburbs were thought to be the home of conformist colonies seeking statuses. This was later debunked by Herbert Gans, who showed that suburban culture is a direct product of the kinds of people who inhabit them. Suburban living has its own set of drawbacks. There is a lack of public transportation and employment opportunities. Jobs are constantly being added to suburbia, however, minimizing those drawbacks. As they grow, though, suburbs will face more and more of the

©2018

Achieve Test Prep

Page 133

of 172