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This is a thoroughly revised and updated edition of the best-selling introductory reader in sociology. The book offers a comprehensive, yet challenging, set of readings for students approaching the study of sociology for the first time. A strong emphasis has been placed upon readability and liveliness. The volume includes contributions from newspapers and weekly periodicals as well as extracts from academic journals and books. It is designed as a companion to the fourth edition of Giddens' Sociology but can also be used independently, or alongside other textbooks.
The book maintains the distinctive approach which Sociology pioneered. It is strongly comparative and stresses the influence of globalizing trends in social life. The readings range from studies of face-to-face interaction through to the analysis of large-scale global systems.
There are many new selections in this volume including those on the internet, the information revolution, poverty, social exclusion and ecological problems. The readings are broken up into sections and each section is preceded by a summary of the content in order to facilitate the students' comprehension. The introductory material has been written or updated by Anthony Giddens. The result is a text that is both wide ranging and exceptionally easy to follow.
Sociology: Introductory Readings will be an essential resource for anyone who wishes to acquire a basic understanding of the scope of sociological thought today.
765 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1982
"Consider, for instance, why you are turning the pages of this book at all - why did you decide to study sociology? You could be a reluctant sociology student, taking the course only to fulfil the degree requirement for a future career. Or you might just be enthusiastic to find out more about your society and the subject of sociology. Whatever your motivation, you are likely to have a good deal in common, without necessarily knowing it, with others who also study sociology. Your private decision reflects your position within the wider society."
"Durkheim's view is clearly in some respects valid. Social institutions do precede the existence of any given individual; it is also evident that they exert constraint over us. Thus, for example, I did not invent the monetary system which exists in Britain. Nor do I have a choice about whether I want to use it or not if I wish to have the goods and services that money can buy. The system of money, like all other established institutions, exists independently of every individual member of society, and it constrains the activities of each individual. ... While society is external to each individual taken singly, by definition it cannot be external to all individuals taken together. Moreover, although what Durkheim calls 'social facts' might constrain what we do, they do not determine what we do."
"Durkheim is a pivotal figure in the development of academic sociology ... Durkheim became the first ever Professor of the Science of Education and Sociology (Coser 1977). Sociology finally had a foothold within the academic establishment."
"Weber argued that the influence of culture on human behavior had to be taken into account. This even applied to the researchers themselves, who should be aware of how their own cultural biases could influence their research." (Openstax)
"Roles are patterns of behavior that we recognize in each other that are representative of a person’s social status. Currently, while reading this text, you are playing the role of a student." (Openstax)
"Socialization is not the same as socializing (interacting with others, like family and friends); to be precise, it is a sociological process that occurs through socializing." (Openstax)
"Thanks to the web, digital crowdsourcing is the process of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers. Web-based companies such as Kickstarter have been created precisely for the purposes of raising large amounts of money in a short period of time, notably by sidestepping the traditional financing process. This book, or virtual book, is the product of a kind of crowdsourcing effort. It has been written and reviewed by several authors in a variety of fields to give you free access to a large amount of data produced at a low cost." (Openstax)