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Understanding Sociology


Understanding Sociology

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Chapter 8: The Nature of Specialization

The world we live in is much more specialized than it was for previous generations. For example, nowadays a car mechanic who can fix one problem may not be able to fix a different problem because it falls outside his area of expertise. Similarly, graduate students earn degrees in surprisingly small areas of study. Strictly speaking, the world is not one large bureaucracy, but it does exhibit some of the characteristics of one, including specialization.

Further investigate Max Weber's ideas about bureaucracy on the Web at http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/Theorists/Weber/Whome.htm Write a three-page essay in which you offer an opinion as to why the world is becoming more specialized. What other characteristics does the world share with a bureaucracy? How are people trying to change this structure? Be sure to cite your sources and to include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper.


Glencoe McGraw-Hill