Which Social Science Concept Best Explains the Structure and Function of a Community?
The essay topic is: Which social science concept best explains the structure and function of a community?
• Develop an argument for why that particular concept best explains the form and function of a specific community of your choice. We generally recommend choosing a community that you are already familiar with or are part of.
A 750-word critical reflection essay. 12-point Times font, double-spaced, and with 1-inch margins and the word count written at the end of the essay. The word count is exclusive of the essay title and reference list. The essay should include references to at least three journal articles, books, or book chapters from the syllabus.
You are to define the chosen concept, reference key authors who developed the concept, and explain how you think the concept best explains the structure or function of that community. You are free to discuss the concept through a particular community you are familiar with, if you find that helpful.
• Some examples of key concepts include (but not limited to): Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, social networks, social capital, urbanization, suburbanization, technology, etc. If you would like to use a different concept from the course, please check your topic with your teaching assistant.
• Proper writing, argumentation, and APA referencing style are required. See the rubric below for more details.
Thank you for writing this paper. Please follow the rubric and APA. You need to choose one community and one concept and try to choose or come up with a shared community because your communities may be very different than mine. Besides the three references, please make linkages with the class lecture.
Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft in Amish Community
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Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft in Amish community
Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft is a classical concept that was developed by the German sociologist Ferdinand Toennies in the year 1887 (Aldous, Durkheim, & Tonnies, 1972). Tonnies defines Gemeinschaft as a group of individuals who associate themselves together because of common will, and natural authority and have the same homogeneity. The concept is greatly associated with rural, pre-industrial life in old age. On the other hand, Tonnies defines Gesellschaft as a society that is built on rationalism, choices, and heterogeneity. This concept of community is greatly attributed to the consequences of industrialization. The Old Order Amish community is identified to embody both concepts. The community has evolved from the Gemeinschaft way of living to Gesellschaft modern way of life.
The social changes that were being witnessed due to industrialization led to the development of the Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft concept of living by Ferdinand Tonnies. The author of the concept, Tonnies, had an interest in understanding the nature of social relationships and the impact of modernization within the communities. The Amish community has a deep-rooted old way of living, it was a great concept to study the transformation that the communities were realizing courtesy of industrialization. The development of the strategy was in addition influenced by urbanization and social change which was taking place worldwide. The concepts highlighted the social changes that were being witnessed through modernization and the change of the social structures.
The Amish community's way of living is a true testimony of Gemeinschaft's concept that upgraded to the Gesellschaft concept. The majority of the community is established through ties such as household, concept of kinship, blood ties, friendships, and neighborhood (Hustedde, 2009). Consequently, industrialization inspired changes which led to the introduction of the Gesellschaft concept of living. The Amish community's way of life has since changed. The distinctive way of life projected by these concepts has caused the Amish community to change from the old ways to modern ways.
The Amish community embodied the Gemeinschaft old way of living where the community cherished ties that existed among them. The Amish community is held together through honoring the Gemeinschaft concept while a significant number of the modern generation are believed to be guided by the Gesellschaft concept of community (Weber, 2010). As explained by the concept of Gemeinschaft, the main way of life for the Amish community was through agriculture and craftsmanship. A simple lifestyle that honored communal ties. The emphasis on close-knit fami...