Like its predecessors, the sixth edition of this concise text reflects Rick Schaefer's mission to bring readers a comprehensive, up-to-date presentation that teaches them how to think critically about society and their own lives from a wide range of classical and contemporary perspectives. Combining balanced coverage of theory with current research findings, distinctive social policy sections, examples and issues of interest to students, and abundant learning aids and exercises, this text will help students develop a sociological imagination. A complimentary copy of Contexts: Understanding People in Their Social Worlds, the American Sociological Association?s groundbreaking magazine, is packaged with every new copy of the sixth edition.



Table of contents:

List of Chapter Opening Excerpts

List of Boxed Features and Photo Essays

List of Social Policy Sections

List of Maps and ?Summing Up? Tables

Preface

Sixth Edition Walk-through



1 UNDERSTANDING SOCIOLOGY

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

The Sociological Imagination

Sociology and the Social Sciences

Sociology and Common Sense

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY?

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

Early Thinkers

?mile Durkheim

Max Weber

Karl Marx

Modern Developments

MAJOR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

Functionalist Perspective

Conflict Perspective

Interactionist Perspective

The Sociological Approach

Research in Action: Looking at Sports from Three Theoretical Perspectives

DEVELOPING A SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

Theory in Practice

Research in Action

The Significance of Social Inequality

Speaking across Race, Gender, and National Boundaries

Sociology in the Global Community: Women in Public Places Worldwide

Social Policy throughout the World



2 SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?

Defining the Problem

Reviewing the Literature

Formulating the Hypothesis

Collecting and Analyzing the Data

Developing the Conclusion

In Summary: The Scientific Method

MAJOR RESEARCH DESIGNS

Surveys

Research in Action: Polling in Baghdad

Observation

Experiments

Use of Existing Sources

Sociology on Campus: Does Hard Work Lead to Better Grades?

ETHICS OF RESEARCH

Confidentiality

Research Funding vValue Neutrality

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH vTaking Sociology to Work: Dave Eberbach, Research Coordinator, United Way of Central Iowa

SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH: Studying Human Sexuality



3 CULTURE

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURE AROUND THE WORLD

Cultural Universals

Innovation

Globalization, Diffusion, and Technology

Sociology in the Global Community: Life in the Global Village

Sociobiology

ELEMENTS OF CULTURE

Language

Norms

Sanctions

Values

Sociology on Campus: A Culture of Cheating?

CULTURE AND THE DOMINANT IDEOLOGY

CULTURAL VARIATION

Aspects of Cultural Variation

Attitudes toward Cultural Variation

SOCIAL POLICY AND CULTURE: Bilingualism



4 SOCIALIZATION

THE ROLE OF SOCIALIZATION

Social Environment: The Impact of Isolation

The Influence of Heredity

THE SELF AND SOCIALIZATION

Sociological Approaches to the Self

Psychological Approaches to the Self

Sociology on Campus: Impression Management by Students

SOCIALIZATION AND THE LIFE COURSE

The Life Course

Anticipatory Socialization and Resocialization

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

Family

Sociology in the Global Community: Raising Amish Children

School

Peer Group

Mass Media and Technology

Workplace

The State

SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIALIZATION: Child Care around the World



5 SOCIAL INTERACTION AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE

SOCIAL INTERACTION AND REALITY

Defining and Reconstructing Reality

Negotiated Order

ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Statuses

Social Inequality: Disability as a Master Status

Social Roles

Groups

Social Networks and Technology

Research in Action: Social Networks among Low-Income Women

Social Institutions

SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Durkheim?s Mechanical and Organic Solidarity

T?nnies?s Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft

Lenski?s Sociocultural Evolution Approach

SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE: The AIDS Crisis



6 GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS

UNDERSTANDING GROUPS

Types of Groups

Research in Action: Pizza Delivery Employees as a Secondary Group

Studying Small Groups

UNDERSTANDING ORGANIZATIONS

Formal Organizations and Bureaucracies

Characteristics of a Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy and Organizational Culture

Sociology in the Global Community: Amway, the Chinese Way

Voluntary Associations

THE CHANGING WORKPLACE

Case Study: Bureaucracy and the Space Shuttle Columbia

Organizational Restructuring

Telecommuting

Electronic Communication

SOCIAL POLICY AND ORGANIZATIONS: The State of the Unions



7 THE MASS MEDIA

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE MEDIA

Functionalist View

Conflict View

Social Inequality: The Color of Network TV

Feminist View

Interactionist View

THE AUDIENCE

Who Is in the Audience?

The Segmented Audience

Audience Behavior

THE MEDIA INDUSTRY

Media Concentration

The Media?s Global Reach

Sociology in the Global Community: Al Jazeera Is on the Air

SOCIAL POLICY AND THE MASS MEDIA: Media Violence



8 DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL

SOCIAL CONTROL

Conformity and Obedience

Informal and Formal Social Control

Sociology on Campus: Binge Drinking

Law and Society

DEVIANCE

What Is Deviance?

Explaining Deviance

Social Inequality: Discretionary Justice

CRIME

Types of Crime

Taking Sociology to Work: Tiffany Zapata-Mancilla, Victim Witness Specialist, Cook County State?s Attorney?s Office

Crime Statistics

SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL CONTROL: Gun Control



9 STRATIFICATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE

UNDERSTANDING STRATIFICATION

Systems of Stratification

Sociology in the Global Community: Under Pressure: The

Caste System in India

Perspectives on Stratification

Is Stratification Universal?

STRATIFICATION BY SOCIAL CLASS

Measuring Social Class

Wealth and Income

Poverty

Research in Action: When Jobs Disappear

Life Chances

SOCIAL MOBILITY

Open versus Closed Stratification Systems

Types of Social Mobility

Social Mobility in the United States

STRATIFICATION IN THE WORLD SYSTEM

The Legacy of Colonialism

Multinational Corporations

Modernization

STRATIFICATION WITHIN NATIONS: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Case Study: Stratification in Mexico

SOCIAL POLICY AND STRATIFICATION: Rethinking Welfare in North America and Europe



10 RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY

MINORITY, RACIAL, AND ETHNIC GROUPS

Minority Groups

Race

Ethnicity

Research in Action: Prejudice against Arab American and Muslim Americans

PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION

Prejudice

Discriminatory Behavior

The Privileges of the Dominant

Institutional Discrimination

STUDYING RACE AND ETHNICITY

Functionalist Perspective

Conflict Perspective

Taking Sociology to Work: Prudence Hannis, Researcher and Community Activist, Quebec Native Women

Interactionist Perspective

PATTERNS OF INTERGROUP RELATIONS

Amalgamation

Assimilation

Segregation

Pluralism

RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE UNITED STATES

Racial Groups

Ethnic Groups

Social Inequality: The Latino Middle Class

SOCIAL POLICY AND RACE AND ETHNICITY: Global Immigration



11 STRATIFICATION BY GENDER AND AGE

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER

Gender Roles in the United States

Cross-Cultural Perspective

EXPLAINING STRATIFICATION BY GENDER

The Functionalist View

The Conflict Response

The Feminist Perspective

The Interactionist Approach

WOMEN: THE OPPRESSED MAJORITY

Sexism and Sex Discrimination

Research in Action: Communication Differences between Male and Female Physicians

Sexual Harassment

The Status of Women Worldwide

Women in the Workforce of the United States

Women: Emergence of a Collective Consciousness

AGING AND SOCIETY

EXPLAINING THE AGING PROCESS

Sociology in the Global Community: Aging Worldwide: Issues and Consequences

Functionalist Approach: Disengagement Theory

Interactionist Approach: Activity Theory

The Conflict Approach

AGE STRATIFICATION IN THE UNITED STATES

The ?Graying of America?

Wealth and Income

Ageism

Competition in the Labor Force

The Elderly: Emergence of a Collective Consciousness

SOCIAL POLICY AND GENDER STRATIFICATION: The Battle over Abortion from a Global Perspective



12 THE FAMILY AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS

GLOBAL VIEW OF THE FAMILY

Composition: What Is the Family?

Kinship Patterns: To Whom Are We Related?

Authority Patterns: Who Rules?

STUDYING THE FAMILY

Functionalist View

Conflict View

Sociology in the Global Community: Domestic Violence

Interactionist View

Feminist View

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Courtship and Mate Selection

Variations in Family Life and Intimate Relationships

Child-Rearing Patterns in Family Life

DIVORCE

Statistical Trends in Divorce

Factors Associated with Divorce

Impact of Divorce on Children

Research in Action: The Lingering Impact of Divorce

DIVERSE LIFESTYLES

Cohabitation

Remaining Single

Lesbian and Gay Relationships

Marriage without Children

SOCIAL POLICY AND THE FAMILY: Gay Marriage



13 RELIGION AND EDUCATION

DURKHEIM AND THE SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO RELIGION WORLD RELIGIONS

THE ROLE OF RELIGION

The Integrative Function of Religion

Religion and Social Support

Religion and Social Change

Religion and Social Control: A Conflict View

Social Inequality: The Stained Glass Ceiling

RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOR

Belief

Ritual

Experience

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION

Ecclesiae

Denominations

Sects

New Religious Movements or Cults

Comparing Forms of Religious Organization

Case Study: Religion in India

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON EDUCATION

Functionalist View

Conflict View

Sociology on Campus: The Debate over Title IX

Interactionist View

SCHOOLS AS FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS

Bureaucratization of Schools

Teachers: Employees and Instructors

Student Subcultures

Homeschooling

SOCIAL POLICY AND RELIGION: Religion in the Schools



14 GOVERNMENT, THE ECONOMY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

Capitalism

Socialism

The Informal Economy

Case Study: Capitalism in China

POWER AND AUTHORITY

Power

Types of Authority

POLITICAL BEHAVIOR IN THE UNITED STATES

Participation and Apathy

Research in Action: Why Don?t Young People Vote?

Women in Politics

MODELS OF POWER STRUCTURE IN THE UNITED STATES

Power Elite Models

Pluralist Model

WAR AND PEACE

War

Peace

Taking Sociology to Work: Richard J. Hawk: Vice President and Financial Consultant, Smith Barney

Terrorism

THE CHANGING ECONOMY

The Face of the Workforce

Deindustrialization

Sociology in the Global Community: Offshoring Service Jobs

E-Commerce

The Contingency Workforce

THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Problems: An Overview

Functionalism and Human Ecology

Conflict View of Environmental Issues

Environmental Justice

SOCIAL POLICY AND THE ECONOMY: Affirmative Action



15 POPULATION, COMMUNITIES, AND HEALTH

DEMOGRAPHY: THE STUDY OF POPULATION

Malthus?s Thesis and Marx?s Response

Studying Population Today

Taking Sociology to Work: Kelsie Lenor Wilson-Dorsett, Deputy Director, Department of Statistics, Government of Bahamas

Elements of Demography

WORLD POPULATION PATTERNS

Demographic Transition

The Population Explosion

Sociology in the Global Community: Population Policy in China

FERTILITY PATTERNS IN THE UNITED STATES

The Baby Boom

Stable Population Growth

HOW DID COMMUNITIES ORIGINATE?

Early Communities

Preindustrial Cities

Industrial and Postindustrial Cities

URBANIZATION

Functionalist View: Urban Ecology

Conflict View: New Urban Sociology

TYPES OF COMMUNITIES

Central Cities

Suburbs

Rural Communities

Research in Action: Store Wars

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON HEALTH AND ILLNESS

Functionalist Approach

Conflict Approach

Interactionist Approach

Labeling Approach

SOCIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AND HEALTH

Social Class

Race and Ethnicity

Gender

Age

SOCIAL POLICY AND POPULATION: Financing Health Care Worldwide



16 SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, SOCIAL CHANGE, AND TECHNOLOGY

SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

Relative Deprivation

Resource Mobilization

Sociology on Campus: Antiwar Protests

Gender and Social Movements

New Social Movements

THEORIES OF SOCIAL CHANGE

Evolutionary Theory

Functionalist Theory

Conflict Theory

Global Social Change

RESISTANCE TO SOCIAL CHANGE

Economic and Cultural Factors

Resistance to Technology

TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE

Computer Technology

Biotechnology

Research in Action: The Human Genome Project

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

Culture and Social Interaction

Stratification and Inequality

Social Control

SOCIAL POLICY AND TECHNOLOGY: Privacy and Censorship in a Global Village



Glossary

References

Acknowledgments

Photo Credits

Index