Communities and Urbanization Essay -- essays research papers

COMMUNITIES & URBANIZATIONIntroductionGeorge Murdock once said that a community is one of the two truly commonplace units of society organization, the other one being family (Schaefer, 461). We ar all part of a community, and in numerous cases, we are a part of multiple ones. In chapter 20 of our textbook, we are looking at communities and urbanization. It discusses urbanization and how communities bulge out. It also looks at the assorted types of communities. Communities are defined as a spatial or governmental unit of social organization that gives people a sense of belonging (Schaefer, 548). It can be based on a place of residence, such as a city, neighborhood, or a particular school district. It could also be based on common identity, such as gays, the homeless, or the deaf. Lets take a look at communities and urbanization through the functionalist perspective, the difference of opinion perspective, and symbolic interaction. According to the functionalist perspective, com munities are very much structured to maintain their stability as a society. When you look at such things as urban ecology, it is a prime example, because it looks at how different elements in urban areas contribute to stability (Schaefer, 464). According to the conflict perspective, communities are very much structured in a way that separates different communities by certain conflicts. You have the upper class of a community, and then you have the lower working class. You have black and Jews, and then you have the KKK. All these things cause different communities to be separated and structured to unify each different community. One very example of the conflict perspective in this chapter is new urban sociology. Symbolic interaction can be viewed many different ways according to communities. Anywhere from the upper class using very proper etiquette and high posture, to gays wearing a piercing only on their ripe ear. You also have your working class that may look older and more rigi d than the officials and owners of companies who have not had to do a lot of manual of arms work throughout their lives. The list can go on and on. All of these are ways that symbolic interaction helps to set up different communities. How did communities originate?A community is a spatial or political unit of social organization that gives people a sense of b... ... way.ConclusionIn this chapter, we wise(p) about how different communities were developed. We learned about preindustrial cities, industrial cities, and postindustrial cities. We learned the process of urbanization through the functionalist and conflict perspectives. We also learned about the many different types of communities that there are. Communities are found everywhere. No matter where you go, you will eer find yourself in a community of some sort, and you will always belong to a community somewhere, whether it be residential or political, or both. Its amazing to think about all the different types of communitie s there are in this world, and which types of communities you yourself might be associated with. RESOURCESArmour Vivian. Personal Interview Treasure of a Small Town School. 18 Nov. 2004.Asset-Based Community Development Institute. http//www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd/abcdbackground.htmlCo-Intelligence Institute www.nwu.edu/IPR/abcd.htmlMifflin Company. published by Houghton Mifflin Company. Date Accessed 18 Nov. 2004Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology 8th EditionThe American Heritage. Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2000. Houghton