Urban Sociology - Coursework Example

Rainer Soenargo Robert Goldie LA 359 Urban Sociology: Final Project Essay Outline I. Introduction This is an introductory paragraph that will introduce the topic of urban sociology and create cohesion between the work that has been done earlier in this project. The work has involved looking at two districts and analyzing the symbols of culture and history as they apply to urban sociology. II. Urban Sociology Definition and linking to our preferred districts. Application of sociological aspects learnt in class to our project. This will involve using the work that was done in class and applying it in a relevant way to help us understand the social group that we are dealing with. III. Critical understanding of the work done by sociologists and relating it to our study. This will involve correlating our observations and views with the studies done by the sociologists in this field. In this study I will look at Jacob’s work which we did in class. IV. Conclusion This section will express our understanding of the concepts learnt and show whether the analysis rhymes with the earlier studies and work done in the field. Introduction The study of urban sociology has been a growing process that started in the 1970s with the evolution and the transition of the sociological theory. The sociological theory was born at the Chicago School in the early 1974s and it was succeeded with the publication of the book ‘Toward a Theory of Subculture Urbanism’ by Claude Fischer’s. This was done in 1975. The main theme that dominated the study of urban sociology was the transition by subcultures and the social groups in any social set up as was expounded by sociologist Barry Wellman in 1979. He tried to establish the position of an individual in a given society by looking at the way the person interacted with the institutions present and the community in that given area. This laid the basis of the studies done in the structure of the urban communities and the way they shape the interactions in the community. Our project involved visiting two districts that will help us form a strong basis in the understanding of urban sociology. I visited Los Angeles and San Marino which are both in California and the information I collected will be the one I shall use to support my argument in this project. Los Angeles was an ideal selection of my study due to the controversies surrounding its growth from a cluster of towns to one of the major cities in the world. This prompted the analysis of any symbolic and cultural things together with the historical aspects of the city. San Marino was another good choice as its growth has not been as fast as that of Los Angeles and so it was good to see whether the aspects we shall analyze eg. Economy, Social stratification and social Darwinism are the same in both of them. Social classes exist in any social set up and they are developed by the different living standards that exist between the people. This work will address the social groups that exist and the factors that lead to their formation. Urban Sociology Human Behaviors and Social Determinism This the theory of social determinism plays a very important role in explaining the way the interactions the people have play a role in their lives. The theory purports that people in a certain society tend to have synchronized ideologies that play a great part in defining their social interactions. This was an important part in our project. To start with I had to interview people in the given areas to have a deep knowledge of how they address issues and the things they take of concern. The people in Los Angeles have the norms and the symbols that define their living and identifies them with their source or their land. Sports When one enters Los Angeles he/she can be confused by the many sports that are taking place. It is like this city was established to harbor all the skaters in the world. For a person who is not used to such an environment it can be really irritating. This is one of the activities that I found out to be defining the people of this region. Majority of the skaters were middle aged and the youth. A group of skating youth. Adopted from; Concept of Survival In any given society there must be competition as the available resources are generally scarce. Due to this scarcity the concept of survival for the fittest peeps in. In sociology, social Darwinism tries to explain what will happen in a certain society when there is scramble for the available resources (Gregory, p. 223). The first thing that will happen is that the organisms (people) that are best fit for such an environment are the ones who will fit best unlike the others who will be struggling to fit in the new society. The available resources in Los Angeles include money to start business. Since Los Angeles is a mega city, the cost of living there is really high. This translates that in order to live there you must be earning quite a lump sum of money. This is what applies and it has helped in the social stratification of the society in that the people there are stratified into social classes according to the living standards. As Jane Jacobs puts it in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, there is life that is carried by the streets apart from carrying the vehicles day and night (p. 30). This is demonstrated in the above scenario where there is that survival to remain relevant by struggling in all manners possible. Security in Los Angeles As many people who have visited Los Angeles will bear proof is that security is a real concern in the City. It is common to find deviance in any normal society. This is better discussed and explained by the broken windows theory which gives the criminological traits and social disorder that is bound to be witnessed in any normal urban set up. The earlier discussed theory i.e. Social Darwinism contributes highly to the rise of the anti-social traits witnessed in these social set ups. Let’s look at an example; - The cost of living in Los Angeles is really high which calls for the people who live there to be earning much money in order to satisfy the needs that arise with each new day. In the same city, there is another group of people who want to thrive in the city despite having low income that can hardly satisfy their wants. This will translate to an increased rate of crime as the low income earners tries to cover up for the amount of income they need to keep them running in the city. Due to this, Los Angeles has been termed as one of the toughest cities to live in. However, this does not deter many visitors from all over the world to come and tour this historical city. Having a tremendous history that runs since long time ago, many people visit it to be part of it. Symbolism and History of Los Angeles Symbolism is an important part of urban sociology. The streets that we pass through every day and the buildings that we look at play a bigger role in defining a place (Jacobs, p. 30). Photo showing some carvings in Los Angeles. Courtesy of It is because of them that we can be associated with a specific location or place where we are living. In my visit to understand the place better I needed to know the symbols that are there in the city that help the people to be associated with it. To do this I needed the assistance of a native who had vast knowledge of the city and who was always updated on the occurrences in this large city. I learnt that one of the things that identify the people of this city is music. Over the years the city has produced famous musicians and bands and in the process the people here have a soft spot for music. When you move through the streets it is common to hear low music which is almost alike being played from various joints retailing in different commodities. Cinema is another important feature that is evident in this district and that is used to define these people. The largest company in video shooting and distribution is found in this region. Hollywood: Adopted from Hollywood is important in defining the tastes of these people and the life that is lived in this specific region. It has also helped in sourcing visitors from all over the world to this magical city. Relevance of the Study to the Work Done in Class The study done in this project was important in linking the sociological concepts learnt in class with the real life situations. With the application of the theories that define any society it was easy to establish the way they are manifested in this group of people. To understand symbolism which was one of the objectives of the study, one had to be involved deeply with the people in this region and get to know how they live and the social classes that exist among them. This would help us to understand the theory of social stratification learnt in urban sociology. As learnt in our course work, symbolism is manifested in all the things that people interact with. In this study we looked at the people’s ways of living and the way that gives them a sense of being part of the society. This is because each society though set up differently will possess some fundamental aspects that must abide to the established social traits. Symbolic Interactionism is a theory that proposes that the people we are or our own selves are social products. This is why it was important to look at the symbols that are evident in this region and then relate them to the way the people live. In urban sociology, we started by defining the topic and what we shall look at so this topic proves to be so relevant. Conclusion Urban sociology is defined as the sociological study of life and human interaction in urban areas (Fischer, p. 1322). This project was aimed at expounding on the topic and giving me an opportunity to relate the sociological study learnt in the course with real life living. The main area that have been covered is symbolic interactionism which explains the significance of symbols in a given social set up in identifying these people. Cited Work Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books. P. 30-39. Print. Fischer, C.S. (1975). Toward a Subculture: Theory of Urbanism. American Journal of Sociology, California: University of California, (80), page 1319–1341. Print. Gregory, C. (2000). The Survival of the Fittest and the Origins of Social Darwinism. Journal of the History of Ideas. Vol. (61)2, page. 223–240. Print. Read More