Sociology Week 8: Cities and Urban Life
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Questions and Answers

What is the term used to describe a cluster of densely settled areas around one major city?

  • Conurbation
  • Metropolitan city
  • Megacity (correct)
  • Suburban area

    • Which sociologist co-founded the German Society for Sociology alongside Max Weber?

  • Anthony Giddens
  • Ferdinand Toennies
  • Georg Simmel (correct)
  • Pierre Bourdieu

    • By what year is the global urban population forecasted to reach 70 percent?

  • 2040
  • 2030
  • 2060
  • 2050 (correct)

    • What is the primary focus of the Chicago School of Sociology?

    <p>Urbanization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of the world's population were urban dwellers in 1950?

    <p>30%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes a conurbation?

    <p>A cluster of cities and towns forming a continuous network</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which city was Georg Simmel born and lived?

    <p>Berlin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which term refers to the increased diversity in religious beliefs within urban areas?

    <p>Religious pluralism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does urban ecology theorize about communities?

    <p>New forms of communities are growing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which aspect of urban sociology deals with the differences between groups and classes?

    <p>Social inequalities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Wirth suggest is greater than the ratio of the urban population?

    <p>The social influences of cities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theoretical perspectives are combined in modern urban sociology according to Giddens and Sutton?

    <p>Conflict theory and social interactionism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the content, what is NOT a characteristic of the city?

    <p>A physical mechanism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which term refers to the interactions occurring between individuals in an urban setting that are not tied to close familial relationships?

    <p>Secondary contacts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What contradiction exists between Wirth's and Park's approaches?

    <p>Wirth theorizes the diminishing of communities while Park theorizes the growth of new forms of communities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of urban ecology, what do weak inter-personal bonds signify?

    <p>Weak solidarity can coexist with urban life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to urban ecology, what process occurs as a community grows?

    <p>A development from simple to complex organization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What phenomenon is highlighted by the notion of 'inner-city decay'?

    <p>The decline in social cohesion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does urbanism as a way of life suggest about communities?

    <p>Communities are diminishing in significance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the Chicago School of sociology suggest about urban settlements?

    <p>Their site selection is based on systematic principles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How can the empirical demonstrations of urbanism as a way of life and urban ecology be compared?

    <p>Both approaches can explain different phenomena depending on methods used.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What phenomenon does Parks identify as a feature of urban populations?

    <p>An automatic sorting of individuals based on suitability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What outcome does the process of differentiation and segregation lead to within urban areas?

    <p>Distinct neighborhoods suitable for different groups</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of the ecological approach to studying human communities?

    <p>The balance and equilibrium between social groups</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theorists are categorized under 'Interactionism'?

    <p>Max Weber and Simmel</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of urban sociology?

    <p>Human interaction in urban areas</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following theorists is associated with Feminism?

    <p>Simone de Beauvoir</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What defines a 'sanctuary city'?

    <p>A city that limits cooperation with national immigration enforcement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which chapter of the textbook would you find information on 'Feminist perspectives'?

    <p>Chapter 7</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a major characteristic of urban studies?

    <p>It encompasses both human and nonhuman interactions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theorists are categorized under 'Theoretical synthesis'?

    <p>W.E.B. Du Bois, Norbert Elias, and Anthony Giddens</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What categories are discussed in the readings for Week 9?

    <p>Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Theories</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is emphasized in the sociological perspective of city life according to Simmel?

    <p>The individuality of existence and social forces</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Simmel suggest about the mindset of metropolitan individuals?

    <p>They react primarily in a rational manner.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What sentiment did Max Weber, Georg Simmel, and Ferdinand Toennies share regarding modernization?

    <p>It leads to enhanced individualism and rationalism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What concept did Robert Park study that is influenced by Simmel?

    <p>Urban sociology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In 'METROPOLIS', what triggers Freder's desire to help the workers?

    <p>Discovering the conditions of the underworld</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes urbanism according to Louis Wirth?

    <p>A way of life characterized by social relationships and density</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of city life does Simmel contrast with rural life?

    <p>Fluid social relations and rapid change</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following factors is NOT associated with the sociological view of urban life discussed by Simmel?

    <p>Stability of rural environments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Sociology Week 8: Cities and Urban Life

    • Week 8 focuses on cities and urban life
    • Session 8/1: The Chicago School of Sociology on urbanization
    • Session 8/2: Religious pluralism in the city
    • Valeria Fabretti teaches those sessions
    • Guest lecture (session 9/3): Prof. Patrick Le Galès on "The Rise and Fall of the Sociology of the Global City"
    • Readings for Week 8
      • Giddens, Anthony & Sutton, Philip W. (2021). Sociology. 9th Edition, London: Polity. Chapter 13 "Cities and urban life"—Theorizing urbanism, Community and urban personality, The Chicago School, City spaces, surveillance and inequality, classic studies and sociological imagination, pp. 516-525
      • Simmel, Georg: “The Metropolis and Mental Life”, in Giddens, Anthony & Sutton, Philip W. (2022). Sociology: Introductory Readings. 4th Edition, London: Polity, pp. 93-97
      • Fabretti, Valeria et al. (2019). “Increasing plurality and neglected pluralism: Religious Diversity in the Suburbs of Rome”, in Bock, J.J.; Fahy, J. and Everett, S. (eds.) Emergent Religious Pluralisms, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 167-193.

    Enrolment and Resources

    • Enrolment 8/1 one day in Luiss Library scheduled for week 8
    • Quiz on urban sociology topics: https://etc.ch/jBzC

    Quiz Debriefing

    • Settlement sizes and terminologies: villages, towns, cities, megacities (a cluster of densely settled areas around a major city forming a continuous network) e.g. Mexico City, conurbation (a cluster of cities and towns forming a continuous network) e.g., Milan metropolitan area, Ruhrgebiet in Germany
    • Rome is somewhat in-between a city and megacity, metropolitan city is sometimes used as terminology
    • Mobility: In 1950, only 30% of the global population was urban, by 2007, it overtook the rural population, and by 2050, it's projected to reach 70% (UN 2010)
    • Graph of urban population % from 1950 to 2050

    Georg Simmel (1958-1918)

    • Born and lived in Berlin; studied philosophy
    • Remained an academic outsider in a largely antisemitic German academy
    • Co-founder of the German Society for Sociology with Max Weber and Ferdinand Toennies
    • Interested in social interaction particularly in the city
    • Influenced the Chicago School of Sociology
    • The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903)

    Sociological Perspective on the City

    • Sociological perspective (CW Mills): human agency, personal troubles, biography and social structures, history
    • Simmel's argument long before mills that the individual is in-between two forces: individuality of existence and social forces.
    • The city as a space shaping mindset and social relations

    Simmel's Attributes to City and Rural Life

    • City life: Urbanism—rapid telescoping of changing images, pronounced differences within what is grasped at a single glance, unexpected violence stimuli, and reacts primarily in a rational manner
    • Rural life: feelings and emotional relationships, steady equilibrium of unbroken customs, peaceful and stable milieu

    Nostalgia of Community in German Sociology

    • Max Weber, Georg Simmel, and Ferdinand Toennies had a sociological perspective on social interactions
    • Shared a concern with the loss of community and spontaneity with modernization
    • Emphasized the rise of individualism, rationalism, and bureaucratic relations
    • Projected this pessimism into urban sociology

    Film Metropolis

    • Influential German science-fiction film (highly stylized) about a futuristic, culturally developed Utopia and a bleak underworld of mistreated workers
    • Shows the conflict and struggles of the rebellious class versus the privileged class

    Chicago School of Urban Sociology

    • 1920s to 1940s
    • Key names & concepts to remember:
    • Peter Park: urban ecology, studied with Simmel in Germany
    • Louis Wirth: urbanism as a way of life, influenced by Simmel and Toennies; born in Germany, grew up in a rural setting before moving to the U.S.A as a teenager

    Urbanism as a Way of Life (Wirth)

    • Influences of cities on social life are greater than the ratio of urban population, not only a dwelling-place and workplace, but center of economic, political, and cultural life.
    • Secondary contacts (salespeople, public transport) are dominant
    • Weak interpersonal bonds and weak solidarity and fast pace of life

    Urban Ecology (Parks)

    • In the natural world, organisms tend to be distributed systematically, achieving balance or equilibrium
    • Cities are sorting mechanisms selecting for individuals best suited to various regions
    • Ecological concepts (competition, invasion, and succession) help understand urban areas
    • Neighborhoods shift in adjusting to livelihoods, showing distinct and contrasting social characteristics

    Urban sociology & Human Geography

    • Urban sociology: Study of human interaction in urban areas
    • Urban geography: Impact of urban processes on the physical and human world
    • Urban Studies are transdisciplinary fields.
    • Cities are generators of economic growth, ideas, entrepreneurism and have frequently surpassed national policies in enacting stringent climate change and social justice policies.

    Sanctuary Cities

    • Municipalities that limit or deny cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law

    Discussion and Feedback on Mid-term Exam

    • Discussion and feedback session on the mid-term

    Outlook to Week 9: Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality

    • Session 9/1: Feminism, gender identity, and social constructionist theories
    • Session 9/2: Book presentation ("The Global Fight Against LGBTI Rights" by Phillip Ayoub and Kristina Stoeckl)

    Readings for Week 9

    • Giddens, Anthony & Sutton, Philip W. (2021). Sociology, 9th Edition, London: Polity. Chapter 5—Theories and perspectives, Feminist theories and Poststructuralism and postmodernity, pp. 88–93; Chapter 7—Gender and Sexuality, Gender, sex, and sexuality, Gender identity, Social constructions of gender and sexuality, pp. 245-250, Gender inequality, Feminist perspectives, Feminist movements, pp. 256–266
    • Beauvoir, Simone. "Woman—The Second Sex?" in Giddens, Anthony & Sutton, Philip W. (2010). Sociology, Introductory Readings, 3rd Edition, London: Polity, pp. 143–146
    • Butler, Judith. (2011). Gender Trouble. Taylor and Francis. Preface (1999) and Section 1.1 "Woman"

    Additional Concepts (from scattered parts of document)

    • Gentrification
    • Inner-city decay
    • Social inequalities in the city
    • Theoretical synthesis (combining conflict and social interactionist perspectives)
    • Mapping the city (mapparoma)

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    Sociology Past Paper - Week 8 2024

    Description

    This quiz covers key concepts from Sociology Week 8, focusing on cities and urban life. Topics include the Chicago School of Sociology, religious pluralism in urban areas, and insights from guest lecturer Prof. Patrick Le Galès. Test your understanding of the readings and theories discussed throughout the sessions.

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