Contemporary Society: An Introduction to Social Science

by Perry; John

• ISBN13: 9780205020898
• ISBN10: 0205020895
• Edition: 13th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-29
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This best-selling text offers an integrated social science view of the world, emphasizing that social and cultural change are the pervasive realities of our era.   One of the main themes of Contemporary Societyis that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in the modern world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose and often invites conflict and disunity. At the same time, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability, some shelter in the storm. Finally, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, a fact that propels separate groups of people into a global entity.

Table of Contents

IN THIS SECTION:

1.) BRIEF
2.) COMPREHENSIVE

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BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1:   Through the Lens of Science                   
Chapter 2:   The Beginnings of Life
Chapter 3:   Culture: Product and Guide to Life in Society  
Chapter 4:   How Is the Social System Organized and Structured? 
Chapter 5:   Becoming a Person: The Birth of Personality  
Chapter 6:   Deviance 
Chapter 7:   The Great Divide: Ranking and Stratification  
Chapter 8:   Majority–Minorities Relations: Defining the Terms 
Chapter 9:   Minority Status: Age, Gender, and Sexuality  
Chapter 10: From the Plow to the Computer: Change, Collective Behavior, and Social Movements  
Chapter 11: Population, Urbanization, and Environment
Chapter 12: Pivotal Institutions: Marriage and the Family  
Chapter 13: Pivotal Institutions: Religion 
Chapter 14: Pivotal Institutions: Education
Chapter 15: Government: The Institution and the Theories and Ideologies That Underlie It
Chapter 16: The Government of the United States of America  
Chapter 17: We The People: Democracy in Action
Chapter 18: The Economy: Concepts and History  
Chapter 19: Principles of Economic Behavior: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics 
Chapter 20: Nation among Nations: Perspectives on International Relations 

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COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS:
 
Chapter 1: Through the Lens of Science
The Social Sciences 
The Scientific Method 
The Social Science Disciplines 
Research Methods in the Social Sciences 
 
Chapter 2: In the Beginning
The Beginnings of Life 
The Emergence of the Theory of Evolution 
Genetics 
The Long Trek: Human Evolution 
Modern Humans: The Road to Homo Sapiens 
Agriculture: Cultivation and Domestication 
The Evolution of Human Nature 
 
Chapter 3:  Culture: Product and Guide to Life in Society  
Culture: Concept and Importance 
The Symbolic Nature of Culture 
Language:  The Most Important System of Symbols 
The Content of Culture 
The Components of Nonmaterial Culture: Cognitive and Normative 
Pivotal Institutions 
Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativity 
Cultural Differences and Universals 
 
Chapter 4: Group Interaction: From Two to Millions
How Is the Social System Organized and Structured? 
The Multiplicity of Statuses and Roles 
Groups 
Primary and Secondary Groups 
Society 
Interaction and Social Processes 
Formal Organizations 
Bureaucracy 
 
Chapter 5: Becoming a Person: The Birth of Personality 
Personality 
Becoming Human: Socialization
Theories of Socialization 
The Self and the Unconscious: Freud 
The Transitional Self: Erikson 
Developmental Theories: Piaget 
Moral Development: Kohlberg 
Agents of Socialization 
Socialization through the Life Cycle 
 
Chapter 6: Deviance and Criminality: The Need for Social Control
Deviance
The Relative Nature of Deviance 
Explaining Deviance 
Personality Disorders That May Cause Deviant Behavior 
Psychological Explanations 
Explaining Deviance from a Sociological Perspective 
Crime: Deviance That Hurts 
Crime Statistics: How Much Crime, and Who Commits It? 
The Criminal Justice System 
 
Chapter 7: The Great Divide: Ranking and Stratification
Social Differentiation, Ranking, and Stratification 
Stratification 
Theoretical Views on Stratification 
Dimensions of Stratification: Class, Status, and Power 
Systems of Stratification 
Determining Social Class: Occupational Prestige and Socioeconomic Status 
Social Classes in the United States 
Social Class and Its Consequences 
Social Mobility 
 
Chapter 8: Majority—Minorities Relations: Defining the Terms
Common Characteristics of Minorities 
The Making of Pluralist Society 
Majority and Minorities: Processes of Coexistence 
In the Way: Obstacles to Pluralism 
Racial Minorities 
Ethnic and Religious Minorities 
The New Face of America 
 
Chapter 9: Minority Status: Age, Gender, and Sexuality  
The Aging Society 
Women: Differentiation According to Gender 
The Cultural Construction of Gender 
Sexuality 
 
Chapter 10: From the Plow to the Computer: Change, Collective Behavior, and Social Movements  
Society and Change 
Processes of Social and Cultural Change 
The Industrial Revolution 
Modernization 
Collective Behavior 
Social Movements 
Revolutionary Movements 
 
Chapter 11: Population, Urbanization, and Environment  
Demographic Processes: Dynamics of Population Change 
Characteristics and Composition of a Population 
Population around the World 
The Urban Society 
The Industrial Revolution and the Growth of Cities 
Metropolitanization and Megalopolis 
The Urban Crisis 
Attempts to Reclaim the City 
The Natural Environment 
 
Chapter 12: Pivotal Institutions: Marriage and the Family  
The Basic Institution: The Family 
Marriage
Divorce 
The New American Family 
Some Unintended Effects of the Changing American Family 
 
Chapter 13: Pivotal Institutions: Religion
The Great Religions of the World 
Religion in the Social Sciences 
Religion and Social Control 
Religion in America 
Contemporary Trends 
 
Chapter 14: Pivotal Institutions: Education
Education 
Characteristics of American Education 

 

Chapter 15: Government: The Institution and the Theories and Ideologies That Underlie It  
The Institution of Government 
Government and Politics 
Political Power: Legitimacy and Authority 
The State 
The Nation-State 
The Ideologies Behind the Nation-State 
Autocratic Ideologies 
Democratic Ideologies: Democracy 
Socialism 
 
Chapter 16:  The Government of the United States of America  
The Constitutional Convention
What Is a Constitution? 
The Constitution of the United States 
Separation of Powers 
The Presidency: The Executive Branch 
Congress: The Legislative Branch 
The Supreme Court: The Judicial Branch 
The Importance of Limited Government
 
Chapter 17: We The People: Democracy in Action
American Democracy 
How Is America Governed? 
Interest Groups 
Political Parties 
The High Cost of Campaigning 
Voting 
Political Opinion Making 
 
Chapter 18: The Economy: Concepts and History
The Economic Institution 
Contemporary Economic Systems: How Choices Are Made 
Western Economies in Historical Perspective 
Aspects of Industrial Capitalism 
Diversification and Multinationalism 
The Nature of Work in the Industrial Society 
The Corporate Bureaucracy 
The American Labor Movement 
American Labor and the Global Economy 
 
Chapter 19: Principles of Economic Behavior: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
The Small Picture and the Large Picture 
Market Mechanisms 
Market Forces 
A Macroview 
Instruments of Public Policy 
Fiscal Policy 
Monetary Policy 
Incomes Policy 
Economic Problems and Government Response 
Business Cycles 
Fitting into the Global Economy 
 
Chapter 20: Nation among Nations: Perspectives on International Relations  
Regions of the World 
Interaction among Nations 
Participants in the International System 
The Goals of States 
Means of Achieving Goals: Foreign Policy 
The Role of Ideology
Who Makes Foreign Policy Decisions? 
Instruments of Foreign Policy 
Diplomacy and Diplomats 
Power 
The Balance-of-Power System 
 
References 
Photo Credits 
Index