Sociology : a brief introduction / Richard T. Schaefer

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Chapter-Opening Excerpts xiii -- Boxed Features xiii -- Social Policy Sections xv -- Maps xv -- Summing Up Tables xvi -- Photo Essays xvi -- Preface xvii -- 1 Understanding Sociology -- 2 Sociological Research -- 3 Culture -- 4 Socialization and the Life Course -- 5 Social Interaction, Groups, and Social Structure -- 6 The Mass Media -- 7 Deviance and Social Control -- 8 Stratification and Social Mobility in the United States -- 9 Global Inequality -- 10 Racial and Ethnic Inequality -- 11 Stratification by Gender -- 12 The Family and Intimate Relationships -- 13 Education and Religion -- 14 Government and the Economy -- 15 Health, Medicine, and the Environment -- 16 Social Change in the Global Community -- Glossary -- References -- Acknowledgments -- Photo Credits -- Name Index -- Subject Index.

"SOCIOLOGY: A Brief Introduction provides students with a comprehensive, up-to-date presentation of sociology. Students learn to think critically about society and their own lives from a wide range of classical and contemporary perspectives. The text combines balanced coverage of theory, current research findings, and examples that are relevant to studentsto encourage the development of the sociological imagination. Readability, effective pedagogy, distinctive Social Policy sections, and a full chapter on research ar e hallmark features of this introductory text. A new Thinking about Movies feature and an updated Chapter 16, "Social Change in the Global COmmunity," are a couple of the items new to this edition."