Sociology Now

by Kimmel, Michael S.; Aronson, Amy

• ISBN13: 9780205404421
• ISBN10: 0205404421
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-17
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon

Summary

Sociology Nowreflects the discipline today and emphasizes the big questions about multiculturalism and globalization that sociologists ask. Sociology has always offered a way to make sense of the complex and sometimes contradictory forces that shape our social lives in any era. AsSociology Now explains sociology as both a body of knowledge and a "way of seeing", it shows how two such forces in particular have come to preoccupy sociologists and influence the way they look at the events and experiences of the early twenty first century: The first isglobalization--the economic, political, cultural, and social interconnections among people and institutions all over the world. The second ismulticulturalism--the recognition that race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, and other statuses are sources of social inequality, but also, the foundations of our identities. Michael Kimmel, a leading sociologist and gender researcher, and co-author Amy Aronson, a journalist and media scholar, address these questions head-on as they make a compelling case for the importance of sociology in the contemporary world.

Table of Contents

Brief

What is Sociology?

Culture and Society

Society: Interactions, Groups, and Organizations

How Do We Know What We Know? The Methods of the Sociologist

Socialization

Deviance and Crime

Stratification and Social Class

Race and Ethnicity

Sex and Gender

Sexuality

Age: From Young to Old

The Family

Economy and Work

Politics and Government

Religion and Science

The Body and Society: Health and Illness

Education

Mass Media

Sociology of Environments: The Natural, Physical, and Human Worlds

Comprehensive:

Chapter One: What is Sociology?

Sociology: A Way of Seeing

Beyond Either/Or: Seeing Sociologically

Making Connections: Sociological Dynamics

Sociological Understanding

Doing Sociology

Sociology and Science

Sociology and the Other Social Sciences

Getting Beyond "Common Sense"

Where Did Sociology Come From?

Before "Sociology"

The Invention of Sociology

Classical Sociological Thinkers

American Sociological Thinkers

The "Other" Canon

Contemporary Sociology

Symbolic Interactionism and the Sociology of the Self

Structural Functionalism and Social Order

Conflict Theories: An Alternative Paradigm

New Issues, New Lenses

Globalization and Multiculturalism: Interrelated Forces

Modernism, Post-Modernism, and "Pre-Modernism"Sociology and The Future, Sociology and You

Chapter Two: Culture and Society

Culture

Cultural Diversity

Subcultures and Countercultures

Elements of Culture

Material Culture

Symbols

Language

Ritual

Dimensions of Culture

Universal and Local

High Culture and Popular Culture

The Globalization of Popular Culture

Culture as a Tool Kit

Core Elements of Culture: Norms and Values

Folkways, Mores, and Laws

Values

Changing and Contradictory Values

What Are American Values?

Cultural Change

The Future of Culture

Chapter Three: Society: Interactions, Groups, and Organizations

The Social Construction of Reality

Cooley and the Looking-Glass Self

Goffman and the "Dramaturgical" Self

Nonverbal Communication

Verbal Communication

Patterns of Social Interaction

Elements of Social Structure

Status

Roles

Groups

Groups and Identity

Types of Groups

Social Networks

Globalization and Networks: Connection and Isolation

Dynamics of Groups

Organizations

Types of Organizations

The "Gender" of Organizations

Bureaucracy

Problems with Bureaucracy

The "Iron Cage" of Bureaucracy

Chapter Four: How Do We Know What we Know?

The Methods of the Sociologist

Sociology as a Social Science

Why Sociological Methods Matter

Sociology and the Scientific Method

The Qualitative/Quantitative Divide

Doing Sociological Research

Types of Sociological Research Methods

Observational Methods

Analysis of Quantitative Data

Content Analysis

Making the Right Comparisons

Social Science and the Problem of "Truth"Predictability

Causality

Issues in Conducting Research

Remain Objective and Avoid Bias

Avoid Overstating Results

Maintain Professional Ethics

Emergent Methodologies

Chapter Five: Socialization

Socialization

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