SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY
It seems like every city has a "bad part of town" that has high crime and other related problems. Based on the reading and material covered in the presentations for this module, how would Shaw and McKay explain the "bad part of town?"
1. Summarize how Shaw and McKay would account for the high crime neighborhoods that seem to exist in almost every city.
2. Shaw and McKay developed their theory nearly 100 years ago. Do their arguments still apply today? What do the high crime neighborhoods look like now (versus early 1900s Chicago neighborhoods) and does this present any problems for their explanations of crime?
3. How has this theory changed since Shaw and McKay first presented their original ideas, and have these new developments helped fill in the gaps left by Shaw and McKay to explain high crime communities today?