"This text is intended for a one-semester introductory course."--Page 1.

"Introduction to Sociology was written by teams of sociology professors and writers and peer-reviewed by college instructors nationwide. The textbook was developed for OpenStax College as part of its Open Educational Resources initiative. This free online text meets standard scope and sequence requirements and incorporates current events such as the Occupy Wall Street movement. The text is designed for the Introduction to Sociology course at any two- to four-year school."--BC Campus website.

Comprehensive and engaging, this textbook introduces students not only to foundational sociological work, but also to insights from contemporary sociological theory and research. This combined approach ensures that students become familiar with the core of sociology: key concepts, theories, perspectives, methods, and findings. Students will acquire the ability to think like a sociologist, investigate and understand complex social phenomena. This text presents a complete sociological toolkit, guiding students in the art of asking good sociological questions, devising a sophisticated theory and developing methodologies to observe social phenomena. The chapters of this book build cumulatively to equip students with the tools to quickly understand any new sociological topic or contemporary social problem. The textbook also applies the sociological toolkit to selected key sociological issues, showing how specific sociological topics can be easily investigated and understood using this approach. Taking a global and comparative perspective, the book covers a rich diversity of sociological topics and social problems, such as crime, immigration, race and ethnicity, media, education, family, organizations, gender, poverty, modernization and religion. The book presents a range of helpful pedagogical features throughout, such as: Chapter overview and learning goals summaries at the start of every chapter; Thinking like a sociologist boxes, encouraging students to reflect critically on learning points; Principle boxes, summarizing key sociological principles; Theory schema boxes, presenting sociological theories in a clear, understandable manner; Stylized facts highlighting key empirical findings and patterns; Key concepts and summary sections at the end of every chapter; and Companion website providing additional material for every chapter for both instructors and students, including PowerPoint lecture notes, discussion questions and answers, multiple-choice questions, further reading and a full glossary of terms. This clear and accessible text is essential reading for students taking introductory courses in sociology. It will also be useful for undergraduate and graduate courses in other social science disciplines, such as psychology, economics, human geography, demography, communication studies, education sciences, political science and criminology.

In an era of human genome research, environmental challenges, new reproductive technologies, and more, students can benefit from an introductory sociology text that is a biologically informed. This innovative text integrates mainstream sociological research in all areas of sociology with a scientifically-informed model of an evolved, biological human actor. This text allows students to better understand their emotional, social, and institutional worlds. It also illustrates how biological understanding naturally enhances the sociological approach. This grounding of sociology in a biosocial conception of the individual actor is coupled with a comparative approach, as human biology is universal and often reveals itself as variations on themes across human cultures. Tables, Figures, Photos, and the author's concise and remarkably lively style make this a truly enjoyable book to read and teach.

This Fourth Edition of George Ritzer’s Introduction to Sociology shows students the relevance of sociology to their lives. While providing a rock-solid foundation, Ritzer illuminates traditional sociological concepts and theories, as well as some of the most compelling contemporary social phenomena: globalization, consumer culture, the digital world, and the “McDonaldization” of society. With examples on every page from current events and contemporary research, and stories about “public” sociologists who are engaging with the critical issues of today, the text demonstrates the power of sociology to explain the world, and the diversity of questions that sociologists seek to answer. New to this Edition New “Trending” boxes focus on influential books written by sociologists that have become part of the public conversation about important issues. Replacing “Public Sociology” boxes, these boxes demonstrate the diversity of sociology's practitioners, methods, and subject matter, and feature such authors as: Michelle Alexander (The New Jim Crow) Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton (Paying for the Party) Randol Contreras (The Stick-Up Kids) Matthew Desmond (Evicted) Kimberly Hoang (Dealing in Desire) Arlie Hochschild (Strangers in Their Own Land) Eric Klinenberg (Going Solo) C.J. Pascoe (Dude, You're a Fag) Lori Peek and Alice Fothergill (Children of Katrina) Allison Pugh (The Tumbleweed Society)Updated examples in the text and "Digital Living" boxes keep pace with changes in digital technology and online practices, including Uber, bitcoin, net neutrality, digital privacy, WikiLeaks, and cyberactivism. New or updated subjects apply sociological thinking to the latest issues including: the 2016 U.S. election Brexit the global growth of ISIS climate change President Trump's proposed Mexican border wall further segmentation of wealthy Americans in the "super rich" transgender people in the U.S. armed forces charter schools the legalization of marijuana the Flint water crisis fourth-wave feminism

This lively, introductory text provides nurses with the foundations of a sociological understanding of health issues, explaining the key theories and debates with humour and imagination in a way that will encourage an inquisitive and reflective approach.