This specially priced comprehensive, introductory text emphasizes the increasing diversity and globalization of societies everywhere, and the special role of mass media and information technology in contemporary society. It offers balanced coverage of sociology's three major theoretical perspectives, and shows how other paradigms (including feminism) can deepen our understanding of complex issues.

Each chapter includes "Sociological Focus" boxes, a summary, and key terms. I. THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. 1. Discovering Sociology. What Is Sociology? Sociology and Critical Thinking. The Development of Sociology. Contemporary Sociology. Looking to the Future: Sociology in the Twenty-First Century. 2. Doing Sociology. Globalization, Diversity, and Types of Knowledge. Sociology and Scientific Knowledge. Types of Research and Research Designs. The Relationship between Theory and Methods. Social Research and the Media. Looking to the Future: Social Research in the Twenty-First Century. II. THE SOCIAL FRAMEWORK. 3. Culture and Society. What Is Culture? What is Society? Types of Societies. Technomedia and Postindustrial Societies. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism. Components of Culture. Globalization and Cultural Diversity. Sociological Approaches to Culture. Looking to the Future: Culture in the Twenty-First Century. 4. Socialization. The Socialization Process. Major Agents of Socialization: A Global View. Socialization and the Life Course. Desocialization and Resocialization. Understanding Socialization: A Comparative Analysis. Looking to the Future: Socialization in the Twenty-First Century. 5. Social Interaction in Everyday Life. <