Essentials of Sociology

by Lindsey, Linda L.; Beach, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780130456038
• ISBN10: 0130456039
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

This brief introduction to sociology helps readers understand that issues of diversity affect each of us on a daily basis. The authors examine the implications on diversity while looking at the intersection of race, class, and gender throughout. Learners will explore the crossover between theory and applications in their everyday life and will be exposed to today's most relevant issues without losing track of the classical theoretical work that defines the core of the discipline. Keeping these three core beliefs, this book delivers a view of sociology that truly develops a strong sociological perspective. Chapter topics cover culture; social structure and formal organizations; socialization and social interaction throughout the life course; sexuality; deviant behavior; crime and criminal justice; stratification in modern societies; racial and ethnic minorities; gender; the family and religion; education and health; politics, economics, and work; population, urbanization, and the environment; and collective behavior, social movements, and social change. For individuals interested in an introduction to sociology.

Table of Contents

Box Features	xvi
Preface	xix
About the Authors	xxv
The Sociological Perspective	2	(40)
What is Sociology?	3	(1)
The Sociological Perspective	4	(5)
Sociology as a Science	4	(3)
Debunking	7	(1)
Diversity	7	(2)
Globalization	9	(1)
The Development of Sociology	9	(5)
The Sociohistorical Context	9	(1)
European Origins of Sociology	10	(2)
Sociology in the United States	12	(2)
Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology	14	(4)
Functionalism	14	(2)
Conflict Theory	16	(1)
Symbolic Interactionism	16	(1)
The Feminist Perspective	17	(1)
Using Sociology	18	(1)
Research and the Science of Sociology	19	(2)
Steps in the Research Process	21	(5)
Formulating the Problem	21	(2)
Measurement	23	(1)
Choosing a Research Design	24	(1)
Collecting Data	24	(1)
Analyzing and Interpreting Data	25	(1)
Evaluating the Results	26	(1)
Research Design	26	(10)
Experimental Design	26	(3)
Surveys	29	(2)
Secondary Research	31	(2)
Field Research	33	(3)
Life Connections: Gender and the Wage Gap	36	(1)
Society Connections: The Ethics of Research	37	(5)
Losing Self-Identity	37	(1)
Observing Very Private Behavior	37	(1)
Informed Consent and the Need to Know	37	(2)
Summary	39	(1)
Key Terms	40	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	40	(2)
Culture	42	(22)
Culture and Society	43	(4)
Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism	44	(1)
Values and Beliefs	44	(2)
Norms and Sanctions	46	(1)
Culture as a Symbol System	47	(5)
The Emotional Impact of Symbols	47	(1)
Language	48	(4)
Cultural Change	52	(1)
Processes of Cultural Change	53	(1)
Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and Cultural Change	53	(3)
Functionalism	53	(1)
Conflict Theory	54	(2)
Symbolic Interactionism	56	(1)
Cultural Diversity	56	(2)
Subcultures: The Significance of Being Different	56	(1)
Countercultures: Different but Opposed	57	(1)
Life Connections: Who is an American?	58	(2)
Society Connections: Cultural Change and Cultural Survival	60	(4)
Summary	62	(1)
Key Terms	63	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	63	(1)
Social Structure and Formal Organizations	64	(26)
Social Structure	66	(1)
Status and Role	66	(3)
Status	66	(1)
Role	67	(2)
Social Groups	69	(5)
Types of Groups	69	(2)
Group Dynamics	71	(3)
Larger Elements of Social Structure	74	(1)
Networks	74	(1)
Communities	75	(1)
Strata	75	(1)
Institutions	75	(1)
Societies	75	(1)
The Evolution of Societies	75	(4)
Emile Durkheim: Mechanical and Organic Solidarity	75	(1)
Ferdinand Tonnies: Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft	76	(1)
Gerhard and Jean Lenski: Sociocultural Evolution	77	(2)
Formal Organizations and Bureaucracies	79	(7)
Types of Formal Organizations	80	(1)
Bureaucracy	81	(4)
Refining Weber's Model	85	(1)
Life Connections: Social Structure and Technology	86	(2)
Society Connections: Inequality and the Internet	88	(2)
Summary	88	(1)
Key Terms	89	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	89	(1)
Socialization and Social Interaction Throughout the Life Course	90	(40)
Theoretical Perspectives on Socialization	91	(8)
Nature Versus Nurture	92	(1)
Sociology: Symbolic Interactionism and the Development of the Self	93	(2)
Psychology: Socialization as Crisis	95	(4)
Socialization and the Life Course: Connecting Sociology and Psychology	99	(1)
Psychosocial Development	99	(1)
The Sociology of Adult Development and Aging	100	(9)
Early and Middle Adulthood	100	(2)
Later Adulthood and Old Age	102	(1)
Global Graying	103	(5)
The Life Course: A Critical Review	108	(1)
Agents of Socialization: Race, Class, and Gender Diversity	109	(2)
The Family	109	(1)
Education	110	(1)
Peers	111	(1)
Media	111	(1)
Life Connections: The Fear of Peers in U.S. Socialization	111	(2)
Society Connections: A Profile of the Aged in the United States	113	(5)
Links to Diversity	113	(1)
Retirement	114	(1)
Living Arrangements	115	(1)
The Marriage Relationship	115	(1)
Grandparenting	116	(1)
Widowhood	117	(1)
Social Interaction	118	(4)
Social Psychology	118	(1)
The Social Construction of Reality	118	(1)
Symbolic Interactionism	118	(1)
Ethnomethodology	119	(1)
Life-as-Theater	119	(1)
Impression Management	120	(2)
Critiquing the Social Construction of Reality	122	(1)
Nonverbal Communication	122	(2)
Cultural Variations in Nonverbal Communication	122	(1)
Gendered Nonverbal Communication	123	(1)
Theoretical Perspectives on Nonverbal Communication	123	(1)
Life Connections: Constructing Social Class on Television	124	(2)
The Race and Class Television Intersection	125	(1)
Television's Working Class	125	(1)
Society Connections: Reconstructing Social Reality	126	(4)
Sexual Harassment	126	(2)
Summary	128	(1)
Key Terms	129	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	129	(1)
Sexuality	130	(22)
Sexuality in a Diverse World	132	(1)
Sexuality as Socially Constructed	133	(2)
Defining Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation	134	(1)
Gender Identity	134	(1)
Sexual Orientation	135	(6)
So Who Is Gay? A Continuum of Sexual Orientation	135	(1)
Global Patterns	136	(2)
Transsexuals	138	(1)
Discrimination and Diversity	138	(3)
Sexuality: Attitudes and Behaviors	141	(3)
Gendered Sexuality	141	(3)
Sexuality in Later Life	144	(1)
Macrolevel Theoretical Perspectives on Sexuality: Functionalism and Conflict Theory	144	(1)
Functionalism	145	(1)
Conflict Theory	145	(1)
Life Connections: Sex and the College Student	145	(2)
Exploring Sexuality	146	(1)
Nonconsensual Sex	146	(1)
Society Connections: Sex for Profit	147	(5)
Pornography	147	(1)
Prostitution	148	(2)
Summary	150	(1)
Key Terms	150	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	151	(1)
Deviant Behavior	152	(22)
What is Deviance?	153	(4)
The Nature of Deviance	155	(1)
Deviance and Social Control	156	(1)
A Case Study in Deviance	157	(1)
Who Defines What is Deviant?	157	(3)
What are the Functions of Deviance?	160	(1)
Why Do People Deviate?	160	(7)
Biological Positivism	161	(1)
Psychological Positivism	162	(1)
Sociological Positivism	163	(4)
Social Reaction to Deviance	167	(2)
Life Connections: Mental Illness as Deviant Behavior	169	(1)
Society Connections: The Repression-Medicalization-Acceptance Cycle	170	(4)
Reversing the Cycle	171	(1)
Summary	172	(1)
Key Terms	172	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	173	(1)
Crime and Criminal Justice	174	(20)
Crime and Criminal Law	175	(4)
Measuring Crime	176	(1)
Crime Rates in the United States	176	(1)
Crime Rates in Cross-Cultural Perspective	177	(2)
Major Types of Crime	179	(3)
Violent Street Crime	179	(1)
Elite Crime	179	(2)
Victimless Crime	181	(1)
The Criminal Justice System	182	(4)
The Police	182	(1)
The Courts	182	(1)
The Purposes of Punishment	183	(2)
Corrections	185	(1)
The Fundamental Dilemma of Criminal Justice	186	(1)
Life Connections: Who are the Offenders, Who are the Victims?	186	(4)
Who Are the Offenders?	186	(3)
Who Are the Victims?	189	(1)
Society Connections: Capital Punishment and Drug Decriminalization	190	(4)
Capital Punishment	190	(1)
Drug Decriminalization	191	(1)
Summary	192	(1)
Key Terms	193	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	193	(1)
Stratification in Modern Societies	194	(38)
Legitimating Stratification	196	(1)
Ideology	196	(1)
Classism	197	(1)
Systems of Economic Stratification	197	(2)
Explaining Stratification	199	(6)
Deficiency Theory	200	(1)
Functionalism	200	(1)
Conflict Theory	201	(3)
Symbolic Interactionism	204	(1)
Global Stratification	205	(3)
Modernization Theory	206	(1)
Dependency Theory	206	(1)
World Systems Theory	207	(1)
Measuring Class	208	(2)
The Subjective Approach	208	(1)
The Reputational Approach	209	(1)
The Objective Approach	210	(1)
Dual Earner Households	210	(1)
Property and Prestige: Two Dimensions of Class	210	(2)
Property	210	(2)
Occupational Prestige	212	(1)
The Class System in the United States	212	(4)
The Upper Class	213	(1)
The Upper-Middle Class	214	(1)
The Lower-Middle Class	214	(1)
The Working Class	214	(1)
The Working Poor	215	(1)
The ``Underclass''	215	(1)
Poverty	216	(4)
How Many Poor?	217	(1)
Who Are the Poor?	217	(1)
Explaining Poverty	218	(2)
Social Mobility	220	(3)
Life Connections: The Difference Class Makes	223	(3)
Life Chances	223	(1)
Lifestyles	224	(2)
Society Connections: Welfare	226	(6)
Summary	230	(1)
Key Terms	231	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	231	(1)
Racial and Ethnic Minorities	232	(30)
Race, Ethnicity, and Minority Groups	234	(3)
Race: A Social Concept	234	(1)
Ethnic Groups	235	(1)
Minority Groups	235	(2)
Prejudice, Discrimination, and Racism	237	(3)
Prejudice	237	(1)
Discrimination	238	(2)
Racism	240	(1)
Theoretial Perspectives on Prejudice and Discrimination	240	(2)
Social Psychological Approaches	240	(1)
Symbolic Interactionism	241	(1)
Functionalism	241	(1)
Conflict Theory	242	(1)
Patterns of Minority--Dominant Group Relations	242	(4)
Genocide	242	(1)
Expulsion and Population Transfer	243	(1)
Open Subjugation	243	(1)
Legal Protection---Continued Discrimination	244	(1)
Assimilation	244	(1)
Pluralism	245	(1)
Minority Responses	245	(1)
Immigration	246	(2)
A Closer Look at Selected Minority Groups	248	(9)
African Americans	248	(3)
Latino Americans	251	(2)
Native Americans	253	(1)
Asian Americans	254	(1)
Catholics in Northern Ireland	255	(2)
Guest Workers in Germany	257	(1)
Life Connections: Toward a Multiracial United States	257	(1)
Society Connections: Affirmative Action	258	(4)
Summary	260	(1)
Key Terms	260	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	261	(1)
Gender	262	(26)
Sex and Gender	264	(1)
Theoretical Perspectives on Gender Roles	264	(3)
Functionalism	264	(1)
Conflict Theory	265	(1)
Symbolic Interactionism	265	(1)
Feminist Sociological Theory: Linking Race, Class, and Gender	266	(1)
Global Perspectives: Women and Development	267	(3)
Women's Economic Activities	268	(2)
Gendered Social Institutions	270	(8)
Family Life	270	(1)
Education	271	(3)
Gender and the Workplace	274	(4)
Reducing Gender Stratification: Politics and the Law	278	(2)
Employment	279	(1)
Domestic Relations	279	(1)
Gendered Messages in Media	280	(3)
Magazines and Advertising	280	(1)
Television	281	(1)
Music	281	(2)
Life Connections: The Men's Movement in the United States	283	(1)
Society Connections: The Gender Politics of Biology and Religion	284	(4)
Summary	286	(1)
Key Terms	287	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	287	(1)
The Family and Religion	288	(34)
What is a Family?	289	(2)
Family Functions	290	(1)
Family Structure	290	(1)
Global Perspectives	291	(1)
Love, Marriage, and Divorce---American Style	292	(6)
Mate Selection	292	(2)
Divorce	294	(3)
Remarriage	297	(1)
Emerging Lifestyles	298	(2)
Singlehood	298	(1)
Cohabitation	298	(1)
Single-Parent Families	298	(1)
Egalitarian Marriages	299	(1)
American Families in Multicultural Perspective	300	(2)
African American Families	300	(1)
Latino/Hispanic Families	300	(1)
Asian American Families	300	(2)
Native American Families	302	(1)
Life Connections: Family Violence in the United States	302	(1)
Society Connections: Gay and Lesbian Families	303	(1)
Theoretical Perspectives on Religion	304	(2)
Functionalism	304	(1)
Functions of Religion	305	(1)
Conflict Theory and Social Change	306	(1)
Religious Beliefs and Organization	306	(3)
Expressions of Religious Belief	307	(1)
Types of Religious Organization	307	(2)
World Religions and Social Change	309	(5)
Christianity	309	(1)
Islam	309	(1)
Judaism	309	(1)
Hinduism	310	(1)
Ethicalist Religions: Buddhism and Confucianism	311	(2)
Global Fundamentalism	313	(1)
Being Religious in the United States	314	(2)
Challenges to Secularization	314	(1)
Measuring Religiosity	315	(1)
Life Connections: U.S. Religious Diversity	316	(2)
Protestant Diversity	316	(1)
Catholic Diversity	317	(1)
Jewish Diversity	318	(1)
Society Connections: Challenges to Religious Pluralism	318	(4)
The New Christian Right	318	(1)
The Infuence of the NCR on U.S. Politics	319	(1)
Summary	319	(1)
Key Terms	320	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	321	(1)
Education and Health	322	(34)
Sociological Perspectives on Education	323	(6)
Functionalism and the Functions of Education	324	(2)
Conflict Theory and Educational Inequality	326	(2)
Symbolic Interactionism: Education as Socially Constructed	328	(1)
A Global View of Education	329	(1)
Educational Challenges	330	(3)
Multicultural Education	330	(2)
Segregation, Desegregation and Resegregation	332	(1)
Life Connections: Who Goes to College?	333	(3)
Diversity in Higher Education	333	(1)
Community Colleges	334	(1)
A Bachelor's Degree and a Job	335	(1)
Society Connections: Student Achievement	336	(2)
Defining and Measuring Health and Disease	338	(1)
Measurement Techniques	338	(1)
Social Epidemiology	338	(1)
Sociological Perspectives on Health in the United States	338	(5)
A Functionalist Perspective of Health	338	(3)
A Conflict Perspective of Health	341	(1)
Symbolic Interactionism: The Social Construction of Health	342	(1)
Development and Health	343	(3)
Health in the United States: Links to Diversity	346	(3)
The Demographics of Mortality	346	(2)
The Demographics of Morbidity	348	(1)
Life Connections: Alternative Medicine in the United States	349	(2)
Society Connections: The Health Care Crisis	351	(5)
Cost and Access	351	(1)
Organization	352	(1)
Toward Health Care Reform	352	(2)
Summary	354	(1)
Key Terms	355	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	355	(1)
The Political Economy and the Sociology of Work	356	(30)
Power and Authority	357	(3)
Three Types of Power	358	(1)
Three Types of Authority	358	(2)
Theoretical Models of the Political Economy	360	(1)
Liberalism	360	(1)
Socialism	360	(1)
Conservatism	361	(1)
Contemporary Economic and Political Systems	361	(3)
Economic Systems	361	(2)
Political Systems	363	(1)
Political Economies	364	(1)
The Distribution of Political Power	364	(5)
The Pluralist Model	364	(2)
The Elite Model	366	(2)
The Ruling Class Model	368	(1)
The State Autonomy Model	368	(1)
Toward a Synthesis	369	(1)
Current Trends in the Political Economy	369	(2)
Democratization	369	(1)
Race and Gender in the Political Economy	369	(2)
Life Connections: Low Voter Turnout in the United States	371	(1)
Society Connections: Globalization and the Political Economy	372	(3)
Local Governments and the Emerging World Economy	372	(1)
Protest and Terrorism	373	(1)
Nuclear Proliferation	374	(1)
The Changing Character of Work	375	(3)
The Three Sectors of the Economy	375	(1)
The Two Labor Markets	376	(1)
Change in the Primary Labor Market: Professionalization	376	(1)
Problems in the Secondary Labor Market	377	(1)
The Contingency Work Force	377	(1)
Sociological Theory and the Experience of Work	378	(3)
The Protestant Ethic	378	(2)
Alienation	380	(1)
Life Connections: Women in the Workplace	381	(1)
Society Connections: Unemployment and Downsizing	382	(4)
Unemployment	382	(1)
Downsizing	383	(1)
Summary	384	(1)
Key Terms	384	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	385	(1)
Population, Urbanization, and the Environment	386	(24)
Population: Demographic Interdependence	387	(5)
Studying Population: Demographic Tools	387	(1)
Understanding Development: The Demographic Transition	388	(3)
Explaining Population Trends: Sociological Theory	391	(1)
Urbanization	392	(8)
Global Urbanization	393	(3)
Urbanization in the United States	396	(1)
Suburbanization	396	(1)
Sociological Explanations for Urban Trends	397	(3)
Urbanism as a Way of Life	400	(1)
Environment: Ecological Interdependence	400	(4)
The Game of Ecopolitics	402	(1)
Strategies for Environmental Success	402	(2)
Sustainable Development	404	(1)
Life Connections: The U.S. City: Decline or Renaissance?	404	(2)
Society Connections: Population Control	406	(4)
The Status of Women	407	(1)
Malthus Revisited	407	(1)
Summary	408	(1)
Key Terms	409	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	409	(1)
Collective Behavior, Social Movements, and Social Change	410	(29)
Collective Behavior	411	(6)
Explaining Collective Behavior	411	(2)
Forms of Collective Behavior	413	(4)
Social Movements	417	(3)
Why Do People Join Social Movements?	418	(1)
Resource-Mobilization Theory	419	(1)
The Political-Process Approach	420	(1)
Movement Types and Careers	420	(2)
Varieties of Social Movements	420	(1)
Movement Careers	421	(1)
Life Connections: Training Movement Activists	422	(2)
Society Connections: Current Trends in Movement Development	424	(1)
Professional Social Movements	424	(1)
New Social Movements	424	(1)
What is Social Change?	425	(1)
Sources of Social Change	426	(1)
Theoretical Perspectives on Social Change	427	(2)
Cyclical Theory	427	(1)
Evolutionary Theory	428	(1)
Functional Theory	428	(1)
Conflict Theory	429	(1)
Social Change in the Developed World	429	(1)
Social Change in the Developing World	430	(3)
Foreign Aid, Capitalism, and Democracy	430	(2)
The Global Economy	432	(1)
Life Connections: Microenterprise	433	(1)
Society Connections: The New Consensus on Human Rights	434	(5)
Summary	436	(1)
Key Terms	437	(1)
Critical Thinking Questions	437	(2)
Glossary	439	(8)
References	447	(41)
Photo Credits	488	(2)
Name Index	490	(9)
Subject Index	499

Excerpts

Sociology is about connections. The groups in which we live--our families, our peer groups, or our societies--connect us to one another in profound ways. We are also connected by the explosion of information technology and the Internet, still in its infancy, that has transformed the globe. At the same time, our membership in these groups creates a diversity that helps us explore and celebrate how and why we are different from people in other groups. We are diverse because we are female or male, African American or Native American, rich or poor, young or old, gay or straight. We are also diverse because we are Catholic or Muslim, urban or rural, born in the developed or developing world. Diversity is what's happening globally as well as in the United States. Groups are more diverse yet more connected to one another than at any other time in human history.Essentials of Sociologyemphasizes this reality and encourages students to grasp the three-dimensional nature of these connections. The fundamental goal of the text is to take students on a sociological journey through the United States and across the globe that clearly shows how social diversity and social connections intersect their daily lives. TEXT FEATURES Students become excited about sociology through the introductory course. We have developed a text that forges a partnership between professors who teach the course and their students, who are its ultimate beneficiaries. Through its distinctive approach to the field, its readability and its relevance to students' lives,Essentials of Sociologyassists professors in developing the sociological imagination in their students by encouraging them to see all dimensions of sociology. Material is presented in ways that allow students to become active learners and help professors translate the sociological perspective to the classroom. In telling sociology's story to students, each author brings over 20 years of teaching the introductory sociology course to a variety of students, in large and small classes, and at a variety of institutions. The text, therefore, is grounded in teaching. The following text features demonstrate this foundation. Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender.The key elements of society--race, class, and gender--are intertwined and inseparable. Our combined experiences contribute to our view of the world and to how we interact with others. The growing theoretical concept of "intersections" is used throughout the book to highlight the cumulative effect of our diversity within society. Diversity within the United States is stressed, but no complete view of diversity can be seen without the contributions of cultures across the world. Theoretical Applications.Theory is the core of sociology. The major sociological perspectives are introduced in Chapter 1 and are applied throughout the text.Essentials of Sociologyreflects an expanded discussion of the feminist theoretical perspective and includes it throughout the text to extend coverage and explanations of diversity. Most chapters feature separate theory sections integrated with many research examples. Theoretical perspectives are applied repeatedly throughout the text. This approach helps students make connections between theory and their own lives, as reflected in the text's discussion of human sexuality (Chapter 5) and deviant behavior (Chapter 6). This text is thus both student friendly and sociologically rigorous. Life Connections.Focusing on diversity, all chapters have a "Life Connections" section highlighting recent research on multicultural life in the United States. This material was carefully chosen to reflect the latest trends in the various social institutions that are especially relevant for college students. Topics include American socialization through family, peers, and media; how gender, race, and class affect socialization; college li