Essentials of Sociology : A Down-to-Earth Approach

by Henslin, James M.

• ISBN13: 9780205763122
• ISBN10: 020576312X
• Edition: 9th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-13
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach is heralded by students and instructors alike as the most friendly and inviting introduction to sociology available. James Henslin guides students on an intellectual voyage through the sociological imagination, helping them better understanding both themselves and their world. With humor, personal reflection and illuminating examples, he shares with readers his passion for sociology.

Six central themes run throughout the text: down-to-earth sociology, globalization, cultural diversity, critical thinking, the new technology and the influence of mass media on everyday life. Each of these themes is reflected in the central narrative, in boxed features throughout the text and in MySocLab. Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach 9th edition is the first edition of Henslin's to feature integration with MySocLab.

MySocLab now features diagnostic quizzing, Social Explorer activities, The Way We Live video actitivies, links to The Social Lens blog, and over 100 primary source readings.

Author Biography

James M. Henslin was born in Minnesota, graduated from high school and junior college in California and from college in Indiana. Awarded scholarships, he earned his Master’s and doctorate degrees in sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. After this, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health, and spent a year studying how people adjust to the suicide of a family member. His primary interests in sociology are the sociology of everyday life, deviance, and international relations. He has published widely in sociology journals, including Social Problems and American Journal of Sociology. While a graduate student, Jim Henslin taught at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. After completing his doctorate, he joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, where he is Professor Emeritus of Sociology. He says, “I’ve always found the introductory course enjoyable to teach. I love to see students’ faces light up when they first glimpse the sociological perspective and begin to see how society has become an essential part of how they view the world.” Henslin enjoys reading and fishing. His two favorite activities are writing and traveling. He especially enjoys visiting and living in other cultures, for this brings him face to face with behaviors and ways of thinking that he cannot take for granted, experiences that “make sociological principles come alive.”

Table of Contents

IN THIS SECTION :

1.) BRIEF

2.) COMPREHENSIVE

 

 

 

BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS:

 

Part I The Sociological Perspective

 

Chapter 1 The Sociological Perspective    

Chapter 2 Culture

Chapter 3 Socialization     

Chapter 4 Social Structure and Social Interaction   

Chapter 5 Social Groups and Formal Organizations                       

Chapter 6 Deviance and Social Control    

Chapter 7 Global Stratification     

Chapter 8 Social Class in the United States                      

Chapter 9 Race and Ethnicity       

Chapter 10 Gender and Age

Chapter 11 Politics and the Economy         

Chapter 12 Marriage and Family    

Chapter 13 Education and Religion 

Chapter 14 Population and Urbanization     

Chapter 15 Social Change and the Environment      

Epilogue: Why Major in Sociology?     

 

 

 

COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS :  

 

Part I  The Sociological Perspective

 

Chapter 1  The Sociological Perspective           

The Sociological Perspective    

     Seeing the Broader Social Context        

     The Global Context — and the Local     

Origins of Sociology    

     Tradition Versus Science         

     Auguste Comte and Positivism            

     Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism

     Karl Marx and Class Conflict   

     Emile Durkheim and Social Integration 

     Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic    

Sociology in North America     

     Sexism and Early Female Sociologists

     Racism at the Time: W.E.B. Du Bois

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: W.E.B. Du Bois: The Souls of Black Folk

     Jane Addams and Social Reform

     Talcott Parsons and C. Wright Mills: Theory Versus Reform  

     The Continuing Tension: Basic, Applied, and Public Sociology

     D own-to-Earth Sociology: Careers in Sociology: What Applied Sociologists Do           

     Cultural Diversity in the United States:

Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology   

     Symbolic Interactionism           

     Functional Analysis      

     Conflict Theory             

     Putting the Theoretical Perspectives Together

     Levels of Analysis: Macro and Micro

     How Theory and Research Work Together      

Doing Sociological Research

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Enjoying A Sociology Quiz: Sociological Findings Versus Common Sense A Research Model

Research

     Surveys

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Loading the Dice: How Not to Do Research

     Participant Observation (Fieldwork)

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Gang Leader for a Day: Adventures of a Rogue Sociologist

     Case Studies

     Secondary Analysis

     Documents

     Experiments

     Unobtrusive Measures

Gender in Sociological Research

Ethics and Values in Sociological Research

      Ethics: Protecting the Subjects — The Brajuha Research

      Ethics: Misleading the Subjects — The Humphreys Research

      Values and Controversy in Research

Summary and Review  

  

Chapter 2  Culture           

What Is Culture?      

     Culture and Taken-for-Granted Orientations to Life      

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: Culture Shock: The Arrival of the Hmong      

     Practicing Cultural Relativism

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: You Are What You Eat? An Exploration in Cultural Relativity

Components of Symbolic Culture      

     Gestures      

     Language      

     C ultural Diversity in the United States: Miami–Continuing Controversy Over Language

     Language and Perception: The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

     Cultural Diversity in the United States: Race and Language: Searching for Self-Labels

     Values, Norms, and Sanctions    

     Folkways and Mores       

Many Cultural Worlds 

     Subcultures      

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: 2-D: A New Subculture and a Different Kind of Love

     Countercultures    

Values in U.S. Society    

     An Overview of U.S. Values     

     Value Clusters    

     Value Contradictions  

     Emerging Values    

     Culture Wars: When Values Clash     

     Values as Distorting Lens    

     “Ideal” Versus “Real” Culture    

Technology in the Global Village     

     The New Technology    

     Cultural Lag and Cultural Change    

     Technology and Cultural Leveling    

Summary and Review    

 

Chapter 3  Socialization   

Society Makes Us Human    

     Down-to-Earth Sociology:Heredity or Environment? The Case of Jack and Oscar, Identical Twins    

     Feral Children  

     Isolated Children    

     Institutionalized Children    

     Deprived Animals    

Socialization into the Self and Mind      

     Cooley and the Looking-Glass Self    

     Mead and Role Taking    

     Piaget and the Development of Reasoning

     Global Aspects of the Self and Reasoning  

Learning Personality, Emotions, and Internal Control

     Freud and the Development of Personality     

     Socialization into Emotions                   

     Society Within Us: The Self and Emotions as Social Control

Socialization into Gender    

     Learning the Gender Map

     Gender Messages in the Family

     C ultural Diversity Around the World: Women Becoming Men: The Sworn Virgins    

     Gender Messages From Peers 

     Gender Messages in the Mass Media  

     Mass Media in Social Life: Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: Changing Images of Women in the Mass Media

Agents of Socialization    

     The Family     

     The Neighborhood    

     Religion    

     Day Care    

     The School and Peer Groups

     Cultural Diversity in the United States: Immigrants and Their Children: Caught Between Two Worlds  

     The Workplace    

Resocialization    

     Total Institutions    

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Boot Camp as a Total Institution    

Socialization Through the Life Course    

     Childhood (from birth to about age 12)    

     Adolescence (ages 13-17)    

     Transitional Adulthood (ages 18-29)    

     The Middle Years (ages 30-65)   

     The Older Years (about 65 on)            

Are We Prisoners of Socialization?    

Summary and Review    

 

Chapter 4  Social Structure and Social Interaction         

Levels of Sociological Analysis    

     Macrosociology and Microsociology    

     The Macrosociological Perspective: Social Structure

     The Sociological Significance of Social Structure    

     Down-to-Earth Sociology:College Football as Social Structure         

     Culture    

     Social Class    

     Social Status    

     Roles    

     Groups    

     Social Institutions    

     Societies — and Their Tranformation

     Sociology and the New Technology: Avatar Fantasy Life: The Blurring Lines of Reality

     What Hold Society Together?

     C ultural Diversity in the United States: The Amish: G emeinschaft Community in a Gesellschaft Society

The Microsociological Perspective: Social Interaction in Everyday Life 

     Symbolic Interaction    

     Down to Earth Sociology: Looks: The Last Frontier of Socially Acceptable Discrimination?

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Beauty May Be Only Skin Deep, But Its Effects Go On Forever

     Dramaturgy: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life    

     Mass Media in Social Life:You Can’t Be Thin Enough: Body Images and the Mass Media    

     Ethnomethodology: Uncovering Background Assumptions

     The Social Construction of Reality    

The Need for Both Macrosociology and Microsociology    

     Through the Author's Lens: When a Tornado Strikes  

Summary and Review    

 

Chapter 5 Social Groups and Formal Organizations    

Groups Within Society

     Primary Groups

     Seconary Groups

     In-Groups and Out-Groups

     Reference Groups

     Social Networks

     New Group: Electronic Communities

Bureaucracies

     The Characteristics of Bureaucracies

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: The McDonaldization of Society

     Goal Displacement and the Perpetuation of Bureaucracies

     Dysfunctions of Bureaucracies

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Group Pranking: Escaping the Boredom of Bureaucracy?

Working for the Corporation

     Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes in the “Hidden” Corporate Culture

     T hinking Critically: Managing Diversity in the Workplace

Group Dynamics

     Effects on Group Size on Stability and Intimacy

     Effects on Group Size on Attitudes and Behavior

     Leadership

     The Power of Peer Pressure: The Asch Experiment

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: The Power of Cascades: When Error Escalates

     The Power of Authority: The Milgram Experiment

     Thinking Critically:If Hitler Asked You to Execute a Stranger, Would You? The Milgram Experiment     

     Global Consequences of Group Dynamics: Groupthink

Summary and Review  

 

Chapter 6 Deviance and Social Control

What Is Deviance?      

     Cultural Diversity Around the World:Human Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective

     How Norms Make Social Life Possible

     Sanctions         

     Competing Explanations of Deviance: Sociobiology, Psychology, and Sociology

The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

     Differential Association Theory 

     Control Theory

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Shaming: Making a Comeback? Labeling Theory

     Mass Media in Social Life:Pornography and the Mainstream: Freedom Versus Censorship      

The Functionalist Perspective   

     Can Deviance Really Be Functional for Society?           

     Strain Theory: How Social Values Produce Deviance

     Illegitimate Opportunity Structures: Social Class and Crime

     Down-to-Earth Sociology:Islands in the Street: Urban Gangs in the United States      

The Conflict Perspective          

     The Law as an Instrument of Oppression          

Reactions to Deviance 

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: What Kind of Prison Is This?

     Street Crime and Prisons         

     T hinking Critically:“Three Strikes and You're Out!” Unintended Consequences of Well-Intended Laws   

     The Decline in Crime   

     Recidivism       

     The Death Penalty and Bias     

     Down-to-Earth Sociology:The Killer Next Door: Serial Murderers in Our Midst           

     Legal Change  

     T hinking Critically:Changing Views: Making Hate a Crime              

     The Medicalization of Deviance: Mental Illness 

     The Need for a More Humane Approach         

Summary and Review  

 

Chapter 7 Global Stratification  

Systems of Social Stratification 

     Slavery

     Mass Media in Social Life:What Price Freedom? Slavery Today

     Caste  

     Estate  

     Class   

     Global Stratification and the Status of Females  

     The Global Superclass

What Determines Social Class?

     Karl Marx: The Means of Production   

     Max Weber: Property, Power, and Prestige     

Why Is Social Stratification Universal? 

     The Functionalist View: Motivating Qualified People  

     The Conflict Perspective: Class Conflict and Scarce

     Resources       

     Lenski's Synthesis        

How Do Elites Maintain Stratification? 

     Soft Control Versus Force

Comparative Social Stratification          

     Social Stratification in Great Britain      

     Social Stratification in the Former Soviet Union

Global Stratification: Three Worlds       

     The Most Industrialized Nations           

     The Industrializing Nations       

     Thin king Critically:Open Season: Children As Prey  

     The Least Industrialized Nations

     Through the Author's Lens: The Dump People: Working and Living and Playing in the City Dump of Phnom Penh, Cambodia

How Did the World's Nations Become Stratified?        

     Colonialism      

     World System Theory              

     T hinking Critically:When Globalization Comes Home: Maquiladoras South of the Border

     Culture of Poverty       

     Evaluating the Theories

Maintaining Global Stratification           

     Neocolonialism

     Multinational Corporations       

     Technology and Global Domination      

Strains in the Global System     

Summary and Review

 

Chapter 8 Social Class in the United States     

What Is Social Class?  

     Property

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: How the Super-Rich Live  

     Power 

     Prestige           

     Status Inconsistency

     Down-to-Earth Sociology:The Big Win: Life After the

     Lottery

Sociological Models of Social Class     

     Updating Marx

     Updating Weber                      

Consequences of Social Class  

     Physical Health

     Mental Health

     T hinking Critically: Mental Illness and Inequality in Medical Care    

     Family Life      

     Education        

     Religion           

     Politics

     Crime and the Criminal Justice

Social Mobility

     Three Types of Social Mobility

     Cultural Diversity in the United States:Social Class and the Upward Mobility of African Americans Women in Studies of Social

     Mobility    

Poverty           

     Drawing the Poverty Line         

     Do wn-to-Earth Sociology: Taking Another Fun Quiz: Exploring Stereotypes About the Poor    

      Who Are the Poor?     

      Children of Poverty      

      T hinking Critically: The Nation's Shame: Children in

      Poverty           

      The Dynamics of Poverty         

      Why Are People Poor?           

      Welfare Reform

      Where Is Horatio Alger? The Social Functions of a Myth  

Summary and Review  

 

Chapter 9  Race and Ethnicity      

Laying the Sociological Foundation      

     Race: Myth and Reality

     Cultural Diversity in the United States: Tiger Woods: Mapping the Changing Ethnic Terrain

     Ethnic Groups              

     Minority Groups and Dominant Groups

     How People Construct Their Racial-Ethnic Identity      

Prejudice and Discrimination    

     Learning Prejudice       

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: The Racist Mind   

     Individual and Institutional Discrimination          

Theories of Prejudice   

     Psychological Perspectives       

     Sociological Perspectives         

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: The Man in the Zoo

Global Patterns of Intergroup Relations            

     Genocide         

     Population Transfer      

     Internal Colonialism     

     Segregation     

     Assimilation     

     Multiculturalism (Pluralism)                   

Racial-Ethnic Relations in the United States      

     European Americans    

     Latinos (Hispanics)      

     Cultural Diversity in the United States: The Illegal Travel Guide

     African Americans       

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Stealth Racism in the Rental Market: What You Reveal by Your Voice     

     Asian Americans          

     Native Americans        

Looking Toward the Future     

     The Immigration Debate                       

     Cultural Diversity in the United States: Glimpsing the Future: The Shifting U.S. Racial-Ethnic Mix            

Summary and Review  

 

Chapter 10 Gender and Age        

INEQUALITIES OF GENDER [SUPER A HEAD]

Issues of Sex and Gender                    

     Gender Differences in Behavior: Biology or Culture?     

     Opening the Door to Biology   

Gender Inequality in Global Perspective

     Through the Author's Lens: Work and Gender: Women at Work in India           

     Mass Media in Social Life: Women in Iran: The Times Are Changing, Ever So Slowly

     The Origins of Patriarchy         

     Global Violence Against Women

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: Female Circumcision  

Gender Inequality in the United States  

     Fighting Back: The Rise of Feminism    

     Gender Inequality in Health Care          

     D own-to-Earth Sociology: Cold-Hearted Surgeons and Their Women Victims

     Gender Inequality in Education 

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Affirmative Action for Men

     Gender Inequality in the Workplace     

     Sexual Harassment–and Worse          

     Violence Against Women         

     The Changing Face of Politics  

     Glimpsing the Future–With Hope       

INEQUALITIES OF AGING [SUPER A HEAD]

Aging in Global Perspective       

     The Social Construction of Aging         

     Industrialization and the Graying of the Globe   

     The Graying of America             

The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

     Shifting Meanings of Growing Old        

     The Influence of the Mass Media         

     Mass Media in Social Life: Shaping Our Perceptions of the Elderly

The Functionalist Perspective   

     Disengagement Theory   

     Activity Theory

     Continuity Theory        

The Conflict Perspective          

     Fighting for Resources: Social Security Legislation          

     Intergenerational Competition and Conflict       

     Do wn-to-Earth Sociology: Senior Citizen Discounts: Stirrings of Resentment

Looking Toward the Future     

     New Views of Aging

Summary and Review  

 

Chapter 11 Politics and the Economy      

POLITICS: ESTABLISHING LEADERSHIP [SUPER A HEAD]      

Power, Authority, and Violence           

     Authority and Legitimate Violence        

     Traditional Authority    

     Rational-Legal Authority          

     Charismatic Authority  

     The Transfer of Authority         

Types of Government  

     Monarchies: The Rise of the State          

     Democracies: Citizenship as a Revolutionary Idea         

     Dictatorships and Oligarchies: The Seizure of Power   

The U.S. Political System           

     Political Parties and Elections                

     Voting Patterns  

     Lobbyists and Special-Interest Groups              

Who Rules the United States?  

     The Functionalist Perspective: Pluralism

     The Conflict Perspective: The Power Elite

     Which View is Right?   

War and Terrorism: Implementing Political Objectives  

     Why Nations Go to War          

     Terrorism        

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Who Are the Suicide Terrorists? Testing Your Stereotypes

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Child Soldiers

THE ECONOMY: WORK IN THE GLOBAL VILLAGE [SUPER A HEAD]

The Transformation of Economic Systems        

     Preindustrial Societies: The Birth of Inequality   

     Industrial Societies: The Birth of the Machine    

     Postindustrial Societies: The Birth of the Information Age   

     Biotech Societies: The Merger of Biology and Economics  

     Implications for Your Life        

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: The Child Workers

World Economic Systems        

     Capitalism         

     Socialism         

     Ideologies of Capitalism and Socialism             

     Criticisms of Capitalism and Socialism  

     The Convergence of Capitalism and Socialism  

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: The New Capitalism in China    

The Globalization of Capitalism

     A New Global Structure and the Global Oppression of Workers     

     Through the Author’s Lens: Small Town USA

     Stagnant Paychecks     

     The New Economic System and the Old Divisions of Wealth

     The Global Superclass

A New World Order? 

     Trends Towards Unity 

     Strains in the Global System  

Summary and Review    

 

Chapter 12 Marriage and Family

Marriage and Family in Global Perspective       

     What Is a Family?

     What Is Marriage?       

     Common Cultural Themes        

     Sociology and the New Technology: Finding a Mate: Not the Same as It Used to Be  

Marriage and Family in Theoretical Perspective

     The Functionalist Perspective: Functions and Dysfunctions  

     The Conflict Perspective: Struggles Between Husbands and Wives  

     The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective: Gender, Housework, and Child Care            

The Family Life Cycle  

     Love and Courtship in Global Perspective          

     Marriage         

     Childbirth

     Child Rearing   

     Family Transitions

Diversity in U.S. Families                     

     African American Families       

     Latino Families

     Asian American Families          

     Native American Families        

     One-Parent Families    

     Families Without Children        

     Blended Families         

     Gay and Lesbian Families        

Trends in U.S. Families

     Postponing Marriage and Childbirth     

     Cohabitation    

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: “You Want Us to Live Together? What Do You Mean By That?”

Divorce and Remarriage          

     Ways of Measuring Divorce     

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: “What Are Your Chances of Getting Divorced?”      

     Children of Divorce     

     Grandchildren of Divorce         

     The Absent Father and Serial Fatherhood        

     The Ex-Spouses          

     Remarriage      

Two Sides of Family Life         

     The Dark Side of Family Life: Battering, Child Abuse, Marital Rape, and Incest          

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: “Why Doesn't She Just Leave?” The Dilemma of Abused Women           

     The Bright Side of Family Life: Successful Marriages    

     Symbolic Interactionism and the Misuse of Statistics

The Future of Marriage and Family      

Summary and Review    

 

Chapter 13 Education and Religion         

EDUCATION: TRANSFERRING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS [SUPER A HEAD]

     Education and Industrialization 

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: Community Colleges Old and New Education in the Most Industrialized Nations: Japan    

     Education in the Industrializing Nations: Russia    

     Education in the Least Industrialized Nations: Egypt   

The Functionalist Perspective: Providing Social Benefits

     Teaching Knowledge and Skills

     Cultural Transmisssion of Values          

     Social Integration         

     Gatekeeping (Social Placement)

     Replacing Family Functions        

The Conflict Perspective: Perpetuating Social Inequality

     The Hidden Curriculum  

     Tilting the Tests: Discrimination by IQ        

     Stacking the Deck: Unequal Funding    

     The Bottom Line: Family Background

The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective: Teacher Expectations  

     The Rist Research                     

     How Do Teacher Expectations Work? 

Problems in U.S. Education–and Their Solutions        

     Mediocrity

     Cheating

     Violence

     Mass Media in Social Life: School Shootings: Exploring a Myth

Technology and Education

     Sociology and the New Technology: Internet University: No Walls, No Ivy, No All Night Parties

RELIGION: ESTABLISHING MEANING [SUPER A HEAD]

What Is Religion?        

The Functionalist Perspective   

     Functions of Religion    

     Dysfunctions of Religion             

The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

     Religious Symbols        

     Rituals     

   Through the Author’s Lens: Holy Week in Spain   

     Beliefs 

     Religious Experience    

The Conflict Perspective          

     Opium of the People    

     A Legitimation of Social Inequalities     

Religion and the Spirit of Capitalism       

Types of Religious Groups       

     Cult     

     Sect    

     Church

     Ecclesia           

     Variations in Patterns   

Religion in the United States     

     Characteristics of Members     

     Characteristics of Religious Groups      

     Cultural Diversity in the United States: Human Heads and Animal Blood: The Toleration of Religion   

     The Future of Religion    

      Mass Media in Social Life: God on the Net: The Online Marketing of Religion   

Summary and Review  

 

Chapter 14  Population and Urbanization 

POPULATION IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE [SUPER A HEAD]    

A Planet with No Space for Enjoying Life?       

     The New Malthusians  

     The Anti-Malthusians   

     Who Is Correct?         

     Why Are People Starving?       

Population Growth       

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: How the 2004 Tsunami Can Help Us to Understand Population Growth

     Why the Least Industrialized Nations Have So Many Children                       

      Implications of Different Rates of Growth         

      The Three Demographic Variables       

      Problems in Forecasting Population Growth     

      Cultural Diversity Around the World: Killing Little Girls: An Ancient and Thriving Practice           

URBANIZATION [SUPER A HEAD]           

     Through the Author's Lens: A Walk Through El Tiro in Medellin, Columbia

The Development of Cities       

     The Process of Urbanization      

     U.S. Urban Patterns    

     D own-to-Earth Sociology: Reclaiming Harlem: A Twist in the Invasion — Succession Cycle

     The Rural Rebound      

Models of Urban Growth         

     The Concentric-Zone Model      

     The Sector Model       

     The Multiple-Nuclei Model        

     The Peripheral Model    

     Critique of the Models

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: Why City Slums Are Better Than the Country: Urbanization in the Least Industrialized    

     Nations                 

City Life          

     Community in the City

     Who Lives in the City?              

     The Norm of Noninvolvement and the Diffusion of Responsibility  

Urban Problems and Social Policy       

     Surburbanization          

     Disinvestment and Deindustrialization    

     The Potential of Urban Revitalization    

Summary and Review  

 

Chapter 15 Social Change and the Environment

How Social Change Transforms Social Life      

     The Four Social Revolutions    

     From Gemeinschaft to Gesellschaft   

     The Industrialization Revolution and Capitalism 

     Conflict, Power, and Global Politics     

Theories and Processes of Social Change           

     Evolution From Lower to Higher          

     Natural Cycles 

     Conflict Over Power    

     Ogburn's Theory          

How Technology Changes Society       

     The Social Significance of Technology

     Sociology and the New Technology: From Electronic Toy to Political Weapon: Twittering in the Digital Age   

Social Movements as a Source of Social Change

     Types of Social Movements

     Propaganda and the Mass Media

     Down-to-Earth Sociology: “The Tricks of the Trade” — Deception and Persuasion in Propaganda

     The Stages of Social Movements

     Resurgence

     Thinking Critically: Which Side of the Barricades? Prochoice and Prolife as a Social Movement

The Growth Machine Versus the Earth 

     Environmental Problems in the Most Industrialized Nations         

     Environmental Problems in the Industrializing and Least Industrialized Nations   

     Cultural Diversity Around the World: The Rainforests: Lost Tribes, Lost Knowledge           

     The Environmental Movement  

     Thinking Critically: Ecosabatage        

     Environmental Sociology          

Summary and Review  

 

Epilogue: Why Major in Sociology?