Living Sociologically is built around a contemporary, applied framework that is designed to help students find their place in a complex and contradictory social world. Students who enroll in today's introductory sociology courses are already familiar with such concepts as inequality, privilege, conflict, power, and structure--yet they do not realize how a sociological understanding of these concepts can help them to make sense of and enact change in their diverse social worlds.
Living Sociologically pairs central sociological concepts together--Power and Resistance; Inequality and Privilege; Solidarity and Conflict; Structure and Contingency; and Global and Local--giving students a framework and a set of tools to help them develop their sociological imaginations. For example, to understand the sociological and cultural meaning of wealth, you also need to understand the sociological and cultural meaning of poverty. These pairings, illustrated and reinforced through abundant contemporary examples and case studies, offer students relevant opportunities for thinking intersectionally and discovering the many ways in which sociological forces are at play in their lives.
Arvustused
I like the "paired concepts" approach to really hit home what is happening in the real world." I appreciate the emphasis on intersectionality as it matches my approach and teaching focus." The immediacy of examples; the recognition that life is complicated and that countervailing forces created complicated situations (the paired concepts)." The applied focus; connections to issues students care about; the diverse theoretical scope; attention to "complexity and contradiction"; tools for reading/following the news sociologically."
PART
1. THE BASICS
1. What Is Sociology?
2. American Sociology: Theory and Methods
PART
2. STRUCTURE AND CONTROL
3. Culture
4. Socialization, Social Interaction, and Group Life
5. Deviance, Crime, and Punishment
PART
3. DIFFERENCE AND INEQUALITY
6. Inequality, Mobility, and Social Change
7. Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
8. Gender, Sexuality and the Body
PART
4. INSTITUTIONS AND ISSUES
9. Marriage, Family, and the Law
10. Science, Religion, and Knowing
11. Education, Work, and Recreation
12. Health, Illness, and Medicine
13. Politics, the Economy, and Social Movements
14. Media and Technology
PART
5. CHANGE, ISSUES, AND THE FUTURE
15. Climate Change and Sustainability
Ronald N. Jacobs (Ph.D, UCLA) is Professor of Sociology at the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Eleanor Townsley (Ph.D., UCLA) is the Andrew A. Mellon Professor of Sociology and the Director of the curriculum to career program, Nexus, at Mount Holyoke College.