There is no correct place to begin to dissect society – the analysis doesn’t necessarily start at ‘one’ or with ‘A’. Demographers may also study spread of disease within a given population or epidemiology. I found the glossary and summaries at the end of each chapter very helpful. The level of writing was appropriate for introductory students. All to often, I will completely disregard a text if I feel it is above the students heads so to speak. [53] In 1883 Lester F. Ward, who later became the first president of the American Sociological Association (ASA), published Dynamic Sociology—Or Applied social science as based upon statical sociology and the less complex sciences, attacking the laissez-faire sociology of Herbert Spencer and Sumner. I did not find any errors or inconsistencies. 2010. As with other sub-fields of sociology, scholarship in environmental sociology may be at one or multiple levels of analysis, from global (e.g. The book’s many examples and “Making Connections” features keep the text from becoming too dry or inaccessible. This title includes innovative features designed to enhance student learning, including Insider Perspective features and a Get Connected module that shows students how they can get engaged in the political process. 12, the 3 paradigms should be presented just once, as applied to both gender AND sex. Reviewed by Jill Sturges, Instructor of Record, Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus on 2/1/18, This textbook is an excellent introductory text for Sociology. Comparing the table of contents to other widely-used Intro texts, this text is equally comprehensive. I wonder if it would be possible to embed videos and other activities to aid students in understanding the concepts. Public sociology is also part of the broader field of science communication or science journalism. Interface with this textbook is simple and straightforward. There are other times where sections are missing headings or some clarifying designation. Students have told me that the page numbers and graphic numbers do not match when viewing online compared to the downloaded pdf. The book provides an excellent overview of the sociological topic with clear objectives. Weber established the first department in Germany at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1919, having presented an influential new antipositivist sociology. Students are given a Section Summary that enhances the comprehensiveness of the material covered in each section. I used the OpenStax CNX interface to view this book. Leisure includes a broad array of activities, such as sport, tourism, and the playing of games. Easy to extract separate chapters to compile for student use. As discussed above, some of the figures could use more explanation and examples but all images within the text are free of any distortions and showed up on my Nook reader well (even though I downloaded the 10MB version of the text). I wish the CreativeCommons block at the bottom was either collapsible or smaller (read: less visually intrusive). The textbook presents section reviews with rich questions, discussions that help students apply their knowledge, and features that draw learners into the … [166] In the United States, social anthropology is commonly subsumed within cultural anthropology (or under the relatively new designation of sociocultural anthropology). I believe the textbook provides excellent modularity. The reviews and summaries at the end of the each chapter provided a helpful... It seems to me that one aspect of this problem could be fixed fairly easily, as the US illustrations and examples could be replaced by Canadian ones, although I would keep some of the US illustrations, as they lead into examination of similarities and differences between these two very closely linked cultures. It is not heavily laden with unnecessary jargon that might confuse or distract from student learning. I think it could be used this way. Where each teacher has a different style, and way to teach, if the overall book is acceptable for them, they always have options to change what personally they feel needs needed. Chapter 20 should address biodiversity, forests, & oceans, AND the scientific consensus on climate change! Lastly the use of the word “transsexual” in chapter 12 should be removed. I didn't notice any real variation in tone or framework from chapter to chapter. Synchrony and diachrony (or statics and dynamics) within social theory are terms that refer to a distinction that emerged through the work of Levi-Strauss who inherited it from the linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure. For example, I'm writing this review as the coronavirus (COVID 19) hits the U.S. Obviously, the sections of the book on pandemics and epidemics and globalization need to be updated now. [75] Classical functionalist theory is generally united by its tendency towards biological analogy and notions of social evolutionism, in that the basic form of society would increase in complexity and those forms of social organization that promoted solidarity would eventually overcome social disorganization. I personally would reorder the chapters (perspective/theory/methods, social inequality, social institutions, social change) but it's quite easy to do that with the way the book is laid out. This book presents as your standard sociology textbook in terms of content and organization, starting with an introduction and then chapters on theory and research, and then content areas. Then it broke it down to each chapter and section where I could find feminism. [58] Parsons consolidated the sociological tradition and set the agenda for American sociology at the point of its fastest disciplinary growth. Labour migration in China is fundamentally different from such migration in Mexico. [125] The sociology of the Internet in the broad sense concerns the analysis of online communities (e.g. Contrary to patterns south of the border, Canadian unemployment is not at record highs, foreclosures have not significantly increased in Canada, and subprime mortgages remain relatively rare in Canada. Each chapter is complete with a chapter summary and key terms, which allows students in an introductory class to become better acquainted with the chapter materials. Argyris and Schön’s theory on congruence and learning. From this I know, firsthand, how much the standard US sociology book needs to be changed to work as an effective learning aid in Canada (compare George Ritzer’s Introduction to Sociology, Sage Publications with George Ritzer and Neil Guppy’s Introduction to Sociology, Canadian Version, Sage Publications). The text overall does a great job covering the relevant content for an introductory course and provides a detailed glossary for key terms at the end of each chapter, while also including a comprehensive index in the back of the book. This provides a text that could be used by a wide range of educators given its scope. The topics are listed in a logical progression for student learning with basic chapter and introduction fist and special focus on topics in the later chapters. I found descriptions of "theory," "hypothesis," and "interpretive framework" to be awkward and oddly off-base. As I make my own Power Point presentations, it would be helpful if I could also borrow the same pictures as found in the text to include in my PP presentations other than printing the screen. For example, the explanation of the difference between belief and value is confusing. Supposing rearrangement of material is possible when necessary, it will work well. Furthermore, this book can be realistically taught in any order that professors deem more appropriate for their class and does not need to be read from front to back. [129] A classic 1966 study in this field by James Coleman, known as the "Coleman Report", analysed the performance of over 150,000 students and found that student background and socioeconomic status are much more important in determining educational outcomes than are measured differences in school resources (i.e. This textbook seems to provide an excellent introduction to the basic theories and ideas in Sociology however, for those of us who teach a series of General Sociology courses over three terms, essentially dividing the text into thirds, additional content would most likely be needed. "Making Connections" has been green throughout the book for instance or blue for multiple choice questions at the end of each chapter. Art, aesthetics, culture, certainly were subjects of his interest, but his vast scholarship in sociology and other subjects are not captured by that description. For example, if they search "feminism" they should show matches for feminist, cyberfeminism, and other terms that relate to feminism. Example is the revision and definitions at the end of the chapter. The graphics are well integrated into the content and context of the course. I implemented this text in 2017; it is fairly relevant, has a lot of up to date issues and topics of debate, and I think adding new issues, or updating issues and topics should be fairly straightforward. I found no grammar errors. Being able to pick and choose modules very easily also makes this text very appealing, especially for newer instructors who aren't sure where to start. Some highly recommend them and others have chosen to stop using them. This is a solid introductory sociology textbook, and provides a great option for instructors who wish to relieve their students of the financial burden of buying an expensive text. This is very good quality for a multi-author, open source textbook. I like this book. [110] Using computer simulations, artificial intelligence, text mining, complex statistical methods, and new analytic approaches like social network analysis and social sequence analysis, computational sociology develops and tests theories of complex social processes through bottom-up modelling of social interactions. Social psychology may be taught with psychological emphasis. For Isaiah Berlin (1967), even though Marx did not consider himself to be a sociologist, he may be regarded as the "true father" of modern sociology, "in so far as anyone can claim the title. "[139] Important theorists in the sociology of science include Robert K. Merton and Bruno Latour. Although some of the specific examples may be several years old now, the themes and content that is covered continues to be relevant. Irving Louis Horowitz, in his The Decomposition of Sociology (1994), has argued that the discipline, while arriving from a "distinguished lineage and tradition," is in decline due to deeply ideological theory and a lack of relevance to policy making: "The decomposition of sociology began when this great tradition became subject to ideological thinking, and an inferior tradition surfaced in the wake of totalitarian triumphs. Databases for Academic Institutions. I am thankful that my students have free access to a QUALITY resource. A quick Google search reveals that they both held doctorates in psychology. I found the content to be very accurate. Much of the time, I'd also like the text to be more critical. There are examples that could be heavier on the basic concepts they connect, within the discussion of a particular case. 2, 'objectivity' needs to be qualified (its limits & the role of values) early in the chapter. Summary. There is an error regarding the Clarkes on page 19 of the text. I especially like the search box where you are able to search any topic and it tells you exactly how many matches for that word or topic and then you are able to click on the one you want and it takes you directly to that page. The US experience is simply not directly transferable to the Canadian context. Structures are the 'real things' beneath the surface or the appearance of meaning. It lends itself to be useful for professors who deliver a lot of additional detail in either lecture or in-class activities. [46], The first formal Department of Sociology in the world was established in 1892 by Albion Small—from the invitation of William Rainey Harper—at the University of Chicago. Comparing the table of contents to other widely-used Intro texts, this text is equally comprehensive. It's difficult to keep it fresh though, so this is something all textbooks suffer. Each chapter is formated similarly and each contains global and U.S. centered information and explanations of theoretical applications once past the basic history, theory and methods chapters. Though book is not culturally offensive, it could be more culturally inclusive, particularly in the examples and illustrations. I was specifically looking for cyberfemism and it came up in one search but not the other. As mentioned previously, given the structure of my Intro class and the weeks in the semester, i would likely not utilize every chapter in this book for my class - however, i believe it would be easy to select 15-16 chapters from the 21 to use, and that using such a selection would not yield any problems in terms of flow. First, the title: why inequality instead of inequities or stratification? Most introductory sociology instructors will not be able to cover all 21 chapters in a 15-week semester, so the ready modularity of this text is a positive feature. However, while the history of each theory and their criticisms are covered in great depth, there aren't clear examples provided right away for students to see how the theories actually apply to the social world. 7, 'Social Disorganization Theory', & 'Cultural Deviance Theory' are no longer widely studied and have largely been supplanted by Control Theories & Differential Association Theory. How will this affect their socialization overall? This is the standard and will not shock nor awe anyone. It's a solid and relevant textbook. [100] A perennial question within this debate is that of "social reproduction": how are structures (specifically, structures producing inequality) reproduced through the choices of individuals? Some argue that the synchrony of social structure is a methodological perspective rather than an ontological claim. As 'pull-out' illustrations of ideas are included in this text to supplement learning, these appear to be easy to replace as updates are needed. The textbook is written in a very accessible way, overall the authors do a great job explaining the concepts and illustrating them with relevant examples. The term first came into widespread use in the 1920s, when a number of German-speaking theorists, most notably Max Scheler, and Karl Mannheim, wrote extensively on it. The terminology also is accurate, and laid out in a way that one term adds on to another, making it easily connected. It also includes some topics that are often not included such as sexuality. Chapter 2 provides very clear explanations and illustrations of the different stages of the research process, in particular the explanations of hypotheses, x and y variables , and how to develop operational definitions. I find no problems with the text in terms of consistency and framework. The content is up to date and edits to include updated statistics would be easy to incorporate in the future. At the end of each chapter the authors discuss the topic from the point of view of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. [35][4]:94–8, 100–4 While Émile Durkheim rejected much of the detail of Comte's philosophy, he retained and refined its method. And the power-elite (conflict) theory of power should discuss MILLS at least as much as Domhoff. read more. Not a huge deal, but a slight annoyance. Reviewed by Shelley Koch, Associate Professor of Sociology, Emory and Henry College on 4/10/19, This book presents as your standard sociology textbook in terms of content and organization, starting with an introduction and then chapters on theory and research, and then content areas. I am not sure, but I also think that it may be way to use a screen reader for students that require accessibility. In Anthony Giddens' introduction to Central Problems in Social Theory, he states that, "in order to show the interdependence of action and structure…we must grasp the time space relations inherent in the constitution of all social interaction." Other textbooks often give too much credence to the "American Dream" even when the evidence suggests otherwise; I didn't see that bias here. A common analogy (popularized by Herbert Spencer) is to regard norms and institutions as 'organs' that work towards the proper-functioning of the entire 'body' of society. Some Sociology texts struggle with cultural sensitivity, but I did not encounter that problem with this text. I think that the inclusion of their contributions is crucial to dismantling the Eurocentric model of knowledge and knowledge production (i.e. It err's a bit on the side of neutrality actually, and in doing so avoids some of the heavy lifting in challenging stereotypes and inequalities, which may mean the faculty member has to do a bit more. Relatively isolated from the sociological academy throughout his lifetime, Simmel presented idiosyncratic analyses of modernity more reminiscent of the phenomenological and existential writers than of Comte or Durkheim, paying particular concern to the forms of, and possibilities for, social individuality. It is nicely organized and makes sense to the reader - including the instructor. In my experience, in an intro class, brining in example related to pop culture can additionally help to engage many of the students in the classroom (in helping them think through the sociological relevance of things they are already paying attention to) - so i could perhaps see some slight room for improvement here, but, overall, the text provides relevant content that i believe could be easily updated. Also, it seemed to be framed in a" the U.S. is better than the 'third world'" way. Randall Collins' well-cited survey of sociological theory[68] retroactively labels various theorists as belonging to four theoretical traditions: Functionalism, Conflict, Symbolic Interactionism, and Utilitarianism. Conversely, the impossibility of random sampling sometimes necessitates nonprobability sampling, such as convenience sampling or snowball sampling.[102]. I would use 12 chapters entirely, with smaller sections of 4-5 other chapters. read more. 9 needs more current (& detailed) income & wealth data. The book starts, quite reasonably, with an emphasis on how individuals act in crowds, and how crowds differ (e.g., rock concert crowds, political protest agitators, throngs of shoppers). The book covers all the major ares within sociology and in terms of comprehensiveness, is on part with other Intro texts. In a 1-semester [4 month] course, out of the 21 chapters, I would use 14 full chapters, and incorporate parts of other chapters. No issues with the interface. Each module can be used independently, however, reference to theory and consistent organization help the student to maintain focus through the entire book. The sales agent sees things differently than someone from accounting. I also like that the theoretical perspectives show up each chapter, demonstrating how to analyze the topic's through the major theoretical lenses. The text flows in a manner that is logical, clear, and easy to follow. However, they do offer a very concise understanding and is a good first step to allow the instructor to then provide more specifics. This is a comprehensive textbook in terms of key concepts and terms that would be covered in an introductory course. Charts and images are properly cited and provided with captions. The problem of subjectivity and objectivity can be divided into two parts: a concern over the general possibilities of social actions, and the specific problem of social scientific knowledge. The social worker would be focused on action; implementing theses strategies "directly" or "indirectly" by means of mental health therapy, counselling, advocacy, community organization or community mobilization. As a Sociology textbook it does a good job of looking at concepts from a cross-cultural perspective, thus it is culturally relevant and not offensive or insensitive to various races, ethnicities, sex, gender, and other groups of people. For example, the section on Bureaucracy (130-33) could be a useful when explaining Weber’s theories of the rationalization of modern society, and the section on “baby boomers”(282-84) could be useful for explaining population dynamics and social inequality and conflict. The prose is accessible, however, a little too accessible. Flow and organization support learning, allow the student to reinforce theory and themes, foster critical thinking and analysis. Reviewed by Lynda Cooksey, Adjunct Professor, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College on 1/13/20, The textbook covers all the usual topics in an introductory text for Sociology. But Comte's clear recognition of sociology as a particular science, with a character of its own, justified Durkheim in regarding him as the father or founder of this science, in spite of the fact that Durkheim did not accept the idea of the three states and criticized Comte's approach to sociology. In neither case is the 'meaning' to be thought of as somehow objectively 'correct' or 'true' by some metaphysical criterion. This text is highly consistent in terms of terminology and the framework. I did not notice any examples of inconsistency. I appreciate the emphasis on social justice and the deliberate inclusion of recent events used as examples throughout the text. read more,

Reviewed by Kim Smith, Sociology Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/25/20, I am very impressed with the overall summary of the core history, theories, methods, and concepts of Sociology. I feel this textbook limits the jargon and explains sociological concepts significantly more clearly than the textbook I have adopted. It instead focuses a great deal on new social movement theory (in addition to resource mobilization and framing, as it should), which is relatively marginal in the study of social movements compared to these two that are not even mentioned. [160] Perspectives concerning globalization, such as dependency theory, suggest this effect owes to the shift of workers to the developing countries.[161]. Grammar is consistent throughout the book and would be easily interpreted by undergraduates. They continue by discussing that a majority of people (52%) now favor legalizing marijuana. The chapters are concise and have clear headings when moving to a new topic or section within the chapter. Fairly standard organization of topic order. Each chapter is divided into easily digestible chunks. I did not see any obvious grammatical issues. In particular, I appreciate how many global examples are provided both in the text and in the images. There are some concepts that (as I referred to regarding comprehensiveness) I feel could be embellished in order to convey more abstract ideas. That sure makes it seem natural. Social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals. Very well done! Mostly excellent. The book lacks a chapter on power which is critical for student's understanding of how society works. Each chapter is divided into several smaller subsections related to the format described above. Chapter 7 needs Durkheim's 'anomie' concept. Please take some time and get those updated so students and instructors will respect the authenticity of the data. At times, statements are made that that either praise or criticize aspects of society, which might be more properly classified as opinions. I found the glossary and summaries at the end of each chapter very helpful. Each section under the chapter is titled due to what is specifically talked about, along with the multiple choice, the short answer and the reference section. 5, Cooley (L-G Self) & Mead's ideas (esp. [32], The term has long since ceased to carry this meaning; there are no fewer than twelve distinct epistemologies that are referred to as positivism. 1-3 (Psalm 33:6, 9).A Reservoir of Means—God spoke, and His words created His works in the natural world.God’s creation is but a reservoir of means made ready for Him to employ instantly to do His pleasure (Letter 131, 1897). read more. The Making Connections features provide a bit more interest, and provide some venues for more robust discussion. My only issue is that I wish the sidebar used indentations to help denote what is grouped together. After carefully reading multiple sections of the textbook, I am confident that the authors made the effort to provide accurate information. Ch. Suffers from white guy syndrome, but this feels like other textbooks as well and is somewhat difficult to remedy given the history of the discipline. Unpack the details of Dependency Theory (Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism) and add in World Systems Theory. Overall, I like the text. He is described as a "German art critic". Demographers or sociologists of population study the size, composition and change over time of a given population. Both the ASA and the BSA have sections devoted to the subfield of Science, Knowledge and Technology. This textbook provided a comprehensive study of introductory sociology. [148] Today political sociologists are as likely to be concerned with how identities are formed that contribute to structural domination by one group over another; the politics of who knows how and with what authority; and questions of how power is contested in social interactions in such a way as to bring about widespread cultural and social change. The modularity is good, and may help with my concerns with covering all the content in a semester long course. Each chapter is organized in a clear fashion and I think students would get used to the style and format of the chapters as they used this book. I think this could be very helpful for students in terms of reviewing the material. (Ch. It is the basic unit of social organization and plays a key role in socializing children into the culture of their society. [57] The American Journal of Sociology was founded in 1895, followed by the ASA in 1905. The jargon makes the text seem like more of a Middle School or High school text and not the text of a post-secondary institution. This preparedness is expressed in ways such as their imitation of facial gestures. This text does a good job including diverse perspectives across the topics presented. Moreover, I can open the text in class and jump directly to sections of text such as images or the quizzes with east and efficiency. It offers comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories. Everything works as intended. The ordering of the parts in chapters is possible for whoever had some chapters organized and would like the book to match prepared lessons. The book is really up to date with what a student in an introductory could should know and it is written in a style that catches attention. The hyperlinks to pages and chapters in the table of contents, index, etc. Reviewed by Ting Jiang, Professor of Sociology, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 9/5/20, It covers all the topics in the mainstream leading intro textbooks. The notion of "childhood" is also significant. The text is consistent in terminology as well as the framework of the chapters. The clarity of the images are also high, without any pixelation. The books is very culturally relative and this SHOULD be the case with a sociology text. Similar feedback to the modularity question. Content all seemed accurate and relevant. One could do much better just going to Wikipedia. For example, in chapter 10: Introduction to Global Inequality, the text discusses where close came from and how the business is outsourced for a cheap price. The text provides several current "real world" examples along with references to further scholarship. This would be very helpful for a hybrid or online course. The provided content examples and data is outdated. Social movements in the Arab world follow different rhythms than do related movements in the industrial west. I have rated this textbook 3/5 (good). Given the import of the terms culture, social structures, and social institutions in an introductory sociology class, these deficiencies give me pause in considering this textbook. I found it's comprehensiveness to be satisfactory with more than enough information. social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, etc.). While I can appreciate length-constraints, there are a considerable number of topics i feel could use more explanation in order to make the concepts accessible to introductory students. I tend to pay close attention to this type of issue, so it is encouraging that nothing stood out. In quantitative research, statistics are used to draw inferences from this sample regarding the population as a whole. This is a difficult one. They are consistently distributed. it hits all the "big items" in a typical Intro Sociology text). When viewing it in a pdf format, the images and charts are clear without any visible distortion.

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