Urban Sociological Theories Essay

Sociology is the study the different aspects of humanity and society. It encompasses a very broad and varying range of topics. It can be studied on a large world-wide scale spanning across several countries, which is called Macrosociology. It can also be studied on a small scale looking at only individual families or neighborhoods, which is called Microsociology. Not only does it peer into humans’ interactions with each other but examines why they act the way they do. It considers the environment, as well as how access to different luxuries can contribute to the people that we become. In this fascinating field there are three primary views on exactly what the fundamental driving force behind society is. Symbolic Interactionalism, the belief that symbols and the meaning that they are given, define how we will perceive life, in this philosophy these meanings are influenced by society and the events of individual lives. Functional Analysis, views society as any other organism, in this theory all parts of the whole must work together cohesively to function. Conflict theory takes a somewhat opposite view than Functionalism, this perspective suggests that rather than wanting to work in unison, society’s underlying motive is a power struggle for resources. Over the course of this paper the reader will explore these different perspectives.

All throughout society, the opinions of legalizing marijuana conflict with one another, placing people in the position to be on one side of the argument or the other. People either want to see the government legalizing it to the community or are totally against the subject; there is not really any ground in-between the matter. When I think of this topic I see it from two different perspectives, a symbolic interactionists point of view and Functionalism. To the symbolic interactionist’s perspective, people attach meaning to symbols and than they act according to their own interpretations of the meaning. In the case of legalizing marijuana half of people see the image of a cannabis leaf and they automatically

Urban studies aims to develop an understanding the modern city metropolis. As Savage et al. have pointed out, the urban encompasses far more than just the physical city itself; understanding the city help us to understand many aspects of modern life (2003, pp.4). Many of its features, such as mass media and public transport systems have spread throughout society over the past century. Sociological studies of urban life began with the landmark publication of 'The City' in 1925 by sociologists Robert Park, Ernest Burgess and Louis Wirth from the University of Chicago, students of Georg Simmel who shared his belief that the urban environment changed man's

This essay will compare and contrast and contrast two leading sociological theories: Marxism and Functionalism. Marxists predominantly believe that within society inequality and prejudice are rife, whereas Functionalists live under the impression that society operates in a state of social equilibrium wherein class and social status are necessities which we allow to transpire. This essay will explore the different viewpoints each theories take on subjects such as religion, community, family and education.

However, this definition is too grand to be applied directly to sociological research on urban community. Therefore, on the basis of the original conceptualizations, sociologists afterwards further develop and

This is a picture of Downtown Hyattsville Arts District along the U.S. Route One corridor.This specific revitalized part of the Hyattsville Arts District is a very good example of urban renewal and is part of the Prince George's County Gateway Arts & Entertainment District. The district is just one district of many cultural districts recognized by the national organization, Americans for the Arts. According to Americans for the Arts: “Cultural districts are defined as well-recognized, labeled areas of a city in which a high concentration of cultural facilities and programs serve as the main anchor of attraction. They help strengthen local economies, create an enhanced sense of place, and deepen local cultural capacity”. In other words, these

There is no critique of the structured system that dominates people of color and allows for privileges to be given to white people, nor is there any mention of the idea of capitalism being apart of the issue. “Finally, at the urban scale gentrification is predicated on long-term patterns of investment and disinvestment in urban neighborhoods. The spatiality of uneven development is witnessed in the coexistence of environments of value whose landscapes reflect wealth, investment and development and deteriorating natural and built environments that, under particular political economic circumstances, become targets for reinvestment and development.” (Katz, 12) In the history of the U.S there have been many times when the government has knowingly helped higher class white citizens

“gentrification has been and still continues to be a critical task when it comes to urban geography of cities, such as New York City and cities around the world as well” (Smith, pg.129).

As a result, real-estate development has become a keystone of a city’s productive economy. The systematized corporate-governmental restructuring of the urban landscape is difficult to oppose since a city’s productive economy is self-justifying. When ‘urban regeneration’ creates more jobs, taxes and tourism for a city, the beneficial socio-economic outcomes are attributed to the productive economy rather than from its regulation, thus perpetuating schematized

Since the earliest days of our history, cities have served as the center for economic activity, social diversity, and religious inquiry. As renowned sociologist Joel Kotkin would say, cities are sacred, safe, and busy. When we look at the modern city, we see these concepts in action. Today, cities are defined by mass populations surrounding and creating major centers of commerce and economic activity. This density creates a diverse social climate in which fosters creativity and conversation, which can often times feed into the religious historical significance of cities. This density brings along with it a whole host of issues and various challenges that must be faced by the community in which they involve. One such issue is the idea of socio- economical inequality that comes as a result of dense populations sharing the same resources within a certain area. Within any community there are limited resources, and one such resource within a city is that of land and property availability. Gentrification, or the process in which developers purchase cheap properties to turn them over into more expensive and desirable assets, is a common practice in modern cities in the effort to reclaim some of this precious resource. In looking at the city of Chicago in the United States as well as the city of Lisbon in Portugal, I will

Sociological theory creates ways to understand the social world by having different theories to explain understand social life. It aids to make sense of this social world. It draws together a wide range of perspectives to help provide the fullest picture. (Macionis & Plummer p.36) It shows that one theory can explain something that another cannot. My aim is to answer this question with reference to both functionalism and conflict theory. This will be done by comparing and contrasting both theories in relation to their perspectives on both suicide and gender discrimination as social issues relevant to this day and age. Functionalism and conflict perspectives are both macro theories. This means that they focus on the big picture, for

There are two sociological theories that are known to share and differentiate on certain perspectives. Conflict and functionalist are those following theories. Conflict theory also known as the Marxist theory consist of social inequality, dominant or elite groups, bourgeoisie, and subordinate groups. Conflict is also a perception towards sociology that accentuate the social, political, and disparity of a group. Functionalism contracts with social order functions, dysfunctions, social institutions, shared values, norms and social disorganization.

What is an urban revolution? Why is it important for cities to have one? What are that factors that cause these revolutions? In the articles The Urban Revolution by V.Gordon Childe, The Right to The City by David Harvey and lastly, What Type of Public Transit for What Type of Public? by Kafui A. Attoh, displays the different ways the residents in a city react to the social inequality and human rights.

The process of people moving into cities, which is called urbanisation, was happening around the world in past decades. It causes cities to have more labourers and resources than before. This makes a big contribution to the social development of cities. Thanks to these social developments, public services are becoming better in these areas. Citizens can enjoy a better life by access these public services such as better medical care, more education resources and well-built transport. It means an equitable society can be created. An equitable society means citizens can have more opportunities to access social resources and to live a better life. This essay will argue that

The sociological inquiry is the methodical analysis of the inspirations and behaviour of individuals within a group. It is the study of the social world as a whole and focusing on how elements such as the family, religion, school, community and government effect it. Sociological inquires most standard goal is to simply obtain a more clear understanding of the observable social world that we live in. In this essay I will be looking into the sociological theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim, and recognising if their approaches are still relevant today.