A large metropolitan hospital has introduced a new staffing model. Many nurses now work rotating short-term contracts across multiple wards, and some shifts are filled through an app that offers last-minute work. To improve staff wellbeing and retention, management has also created a hospital-wide online platform where staff can join “micro-communities” (e.g. new graduates, night-shift workers, culturally and linguistically diverse staff, staff who commute long distances) that organise informal meet-ups and peer support. Some long-term staff argue that the hospital has “lost its community” because people no longer stay on one ward long enough to build trust and shared routines. Others argue that staff now belong to multiple communities at once and that these newer forms of belonging are just as real as ward-based ties.
a. Distinguish between Ferdinand Tönnies’ and Michel Maffesoli’s concept of community by identifying one key feature of each and using the scenario to illustrate the difference.
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Create Free Account Log inThis is a free VCE Units 3 & 4 Sociology practice question worth 4 marks, testing your understanding of Community concept changes. It falls under Community in Unit 4: Community, social movements and social change. Submit your answer above to receive instant AI-powered marking and personalised feedback.
In this unit, students explore the ways sociologists have thought about the idea of community and how various types of community are experienced. They examine the relationship between social movements and social change, including the nature, purpose, power, and outcomes of social movements.
Students examine the changing definitions and experiences of community, including the theories of Ferdinand Tonnies and Michel Maffesoli. They analyse factors influencing belonging, the impact of technology, economic, social, political, and geographical factors, and evaluate a specific community experience, considering ethical research methodology.
changes to the concept of community over time:
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