WDW101Y1 Lecture Notes - Gunnar Myrdal, Social Disorganization Theory, Class Stratification
17 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
Natural areas: zones or neighborhoods with shared characteristics that develop as a result of social forces operating in urban areas; some become natural areas of crime. Chicago school: pioneering research on the social ecology of the city and study of urban crime developed in the early 20th century by colleagues in sociology at the university of chicago. The concern about the ecological distribution of crime, the effect of social change, and the interactive nature of crime itself has made sociology the foundation of modern criminology. All societies are characterized by stratification into social classes. These social classes are created by the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige in society. People who are in the same classes share similar possessions and attitudes, values, norms and lifestyles. Upper class is reserved for a small number of individuals in society. Lower-class slum areas are scenes of inadequate housing and healthcare, disrupted family lives, underemployment, depression and despair.
