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The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology
The first “participatory” introduction to sociology textbook, The Real World is the perfect choice for today’s students. With a clever mix of popular culture, everyday life, and extensive student activities, The Real World fully realizes sociology’s unique ability to stimulate students intellectually as well as resonate with them personally.
450 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 18, 2020
تمّ بحمد الله. هذا كتابٌ أكاديمي مرجعيّ في علم الاجتماع. أردتُ من قراءته الولوج إلى علم الاجتماع من بابه، قبل الإطلالة من نوافذه الكثيرة.
وقد كان الكتاب نعم المدخل بفضل الله. أسلوبه تعليمي، وأمثلته كثيرة من الحياة، وإخراجه الفني رائع؛ من حيث تركيزه على المصطلحات وتعريفاتها، وكذلك تمارينه العملية للدارسين من الطلاب، واستطراداته في بعض المواضيع وقد جعل كلّ ذلك في خانات خاصة، لا تتداخل مع نص الكتاب ولكنها تغنيه.
بهذا فالكتاب غنيٌ شامل، وتأطير مناسب لكلّ سائل أو باحثٍ في "الحياة" كما يشير عنوانه. ويشكل الكتاب الفصل الأوّل في دراسة أي موضوع اجتماعي على اتساع مدى المواضيع التي يغطيها علم الاجتماع.
كان الإحساس بالغبن الذي يطال علم الاجتماع وتدريسه ودارسيه في عالمنا العربي المنكوب هو أحد أهمّ خلاصات الكتاب غير المباشرة.
ملاحظة: هي عادةٌ اتخذتها –بتوفيق الله-منذ ما يزيد على عام. أختار علمًا أودّ القراءة فيه بعمق واهتمام. أبحث عن كتبه الأكاديمية المرجعية، ثمّ أختار أحدها، مع الحرص على أن يكون وافيًا ومعتمدًا قدر الإمكان، ثمّ أقرأه متمهلاً ، كل يومٍ 5 إلى 10 صفحات. فأتمّه وأتعلّم منه على مهل، ويكون لي بابًا واسعًا إلى ما بعده من دهاليز.
تمّ بحمد الله. هذا كتابٌ أكاديمي مرجعيّ في علم الاجتماع. أردتُ من قراءته الولوج إلى علم الاجتماع من بابه، قبل الإطلالة من نوافذه الكثيرة.
وقد كان الكتاب نعم المدخل بفضل الله. أسلوبه تعليمي، وأمثلته كثيرة من الحياة، وإخراجه الفني رائع؛ من حيث تركيزه على المصطلحات وتعريفاتها، وكذلك تمارينه العملية للدارسين من الطلاب، واستطراداته في بعض المواضيع وقد جعل كلّ ذلك في خانات خاصة، لا تتداخل مع نص الكتاب ولكنها تغنيه.
بهذا فالكتاب غنيٌ شامل، وتأطير مناسب لكلّ سائل أو باحثٍ في "الحياة" كما يشير عنوانه. ويشكل الكتاب الفصل الأوّل في دراسة أي موضوع اجتماعي على اتساع مدى المواضيع التي يغطيها علم الاجتماع.
كان الإحساس بالغبن الذي يطال علم الاجتماع وتدريسه ودارسيه في عالمنا العربي المنكوب هو أحد أهمّ خلاصات الكتاب غير المباشرة.
ملاحظة وفكرة: هي عادةٌ اتخذتها –بتوفيق الله-منذ ما يزيد على عام. أختار علمًا أودّ القراءة فيه بعمق واهتمام. أبحث عن كتبه الأكاديمية المرجعية، ثمّ أختار أحدها، مع الحرص على أن يكون وافيًا ومعتمدًا قدر الإمكان، ثمّ أقرأه متمهلاً ، كل يومٍ 5 إلى 10 صفحات. فأتمّه وأتعلّم منه على مهل، ويكون لي بابًا واسعًا إلى ما بعده من دهاليز.
وقد كان الكتاب نعم المدخل بفضل الله. أسلوبه تعليمي، وأمثلته كثيرة من الحياة، وإخراجه الفني رائع؛ من حيث تركيزه على المصطلحات وتعريفاتها، وكذلك تمارينه العملية للدارسين من الطلاب، واستطراداته في بعض المواضيع وقد جعل كلّ ذلك في خانات خاصة، لا تتداخل مع نص الكتاب ولكنها تغنيه.
بهذا فالكتاب غنيٌ شامل، وتأطير مناسب لكلّ سائل أو باحثٍ في "الحياة" كما يشير عنوانه. ويشكل الكتاب الفصل الأوّل في دراسة أي موضوع اجتماعي على اتساع مدى المواضيع التي يغطيها علم الاجتماع.
كان الإحساس بالغبن الذي يطال علم الاجتماع وتدريسه ودارسيه في عالمنا العربي المنكوب هو أحد أهمّ خلاصات الكتاب غير المباشرة.
ملاحظة: هي عادةٌ اتخذتها –بتوفيق الله-منذ ما يزيد على عام. أختار علمًا أودّ القراءة فيه بعمق واهتمام. أبحث عن كتبه الأكاديمية المرجعية، ثمّ أختار أحدها، مع الحرص على أن يكون وافيًا ومعتمدًا قدر الإمكان، ثمّ أقرأه متمهلاً ، كل يومٍ 5 إلى 10 صفحات. فأتمّه وأتعلّم منه على مهل، ويكون لي بابًا واسعًا إلى ما بعده من دهاليز.
تمّ بحمد الله. هذا كتابٌ أكاديمي مرجعيّ في علم الاجتماع. أردتُ من قراءته الولوج إلى علم الاجتماع من بابه، قبل الإطلالة من نوافذه الكثيرة.
وقد كان الكتاب نعم المدخل بفضل الله. أسلوبه تعليمي، وأمثلته كثيرة من الحياة، وإخراجه الفني رائع؛ من حيث تركيزه على المصطلحات وتعريفاتها، وكذلك تمارينه العملية للدارسين من الطلاب، واستطراداته في بعض المواضيع وقد جعل كلّ ذلك في خانات خاصة، لا تتداخل مع نص الكتاب ولكنها تغنيه.
بهذا فالكتاب غنيٌ شامل، وتأطير مناسب لكلّ سائل أو باحثٍ في "الحياة" كما يشير عنوانه. ويشكل الكتاب الفصل الأوّل في دراسة أي موضوع اجتماعي على اتساع مدى المواضيع التي يغطيها علم الاجتماع.
كان الإحساس بالغبن الذي يطال علم الاجتماع وتدريسه ودارسيه في عالمنا العربي المنكوب هو أحد أهمّ خلاصات الكتاب غير المباشرة.
ملاحظة وفكرة: هي عادةٌ اتخذتها –بتوفيق الله-منذ ما يزيد على عام. أختار علمًا أودّ القراءة فيه بعمق واهتمام. أبحث عن كتبه الأكاديمية المرجعية، ثمّ أختار أحدها، مع الحرص على أن يكون وافيًا ومعتمدًا قدر الإمكان، ثمّ أقرأه متمهلاً ، كل يومٍ 5 إلى 10 صفحات. فأتمّه وأتعلّم منه على مهل، ويكون لي بابًا واسعًا إلى ما بعده من دهاليز.
August 11, 2017
This is a good introductory textbook for a college sociology course. It's got a lot of information packed into 16 chapters, and includes a variety of examples from pop culture to help students understand the concepts. It seems relatively affordable compared to other sociology textbooks on the market.
April 24, 2023
While the information presented in the book is all valid and valuable (sources are cited, theories are marked as theories instead of fact, and writer opinion is kept somewhat to a minimum), I have one major issue with it. I see a lot of people decrying introductory sociology as "leftist indoctrination," which I think is hilarious. Learning about how societies function is not leftism. The issue that *I* have with the book is that it's just poorly written. I understand that it's an introductory textbook, so the writing is bound to be pretty surface-level, but some parts of it are written so genuinely poorly that I got confused multiple times throughout my reading of it.
December 13, 2014
This book is a fucking joke. Of all the books that are introductions to sociology, we had to read this shitty, biased one with myths and incorrect statistics. Also, this isn't gender-neutral. These writers use "she" and "her" to explain everything (like a lot of people use "mankind" or "he" to talk about humanity). Avoid this shit (well, if it's used for your sociology course, get ready to be pissed the fuck off).
December 15, 2019
Horribly bias!
I used this textbook for my Sociology class. I've never seen a more corrupt and left-leaning discipline. The authors make several mistakes and fail to back up many of their claims. Take one example. Discrimination in the job market. Given that Black Americans make up 13% of the population and 12% of the labor force, the authors roughly say "If jobs were really given fairly, we would expect these same distributions across jobs." The problem is that their own data contradicts this. So, they expect that Black Americans would make up 12% of jobs. Unfortunately for them, they also list statistics on the percentages of Blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics who possess a college degree and what kind. Only 9% of Black Americans hold a Master's degree or higher. So, multiply 9% by 12 or 13% (.09 x .13) and you get about .0108. What that means is that only 1% of the population is Black with a Master's degree or above. So, the authors expect that 13% of all doctors, surgeons, and dentists in the country (and everything requiring a Master's degree or higher) are supposed to be made up by just 1.08% of the population... Impossible. Apparently, you can get a PhD and publish a textbook without doing that basic math. That says a lot about Sociology.
Just for reference, 1% of the population is roughly how many people identify as LGBTQ. If I told you that LGBTQ folk should make up 13% of jobs, it would immediately sound absurd. I wish I could meet these authors and unpack some of this nonsense.
I used this textbook for my Sociology class. I've never seen a more corrupt and left-leaning discipline. The authors make several mistakes and fail to back up many of their claims. Take one example. Discrimination in the job market. Given that Black Americans make up 13% of the population and 12% of the labor force, the authors roughly say "If jobs were really given fairly, we would expect these same distributions across jobs." The problem is that their own data contradicts this. So, they expect that Black Americans would make up 12% of jobs. Unfortunately for them, they also list statistics on the percentages of Blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics who possess a college degree and what kind. Only 9% of Black Americans hold a Master's degree or higher. So, multiply 9% by 12 or 13% (.09 x .13) and you get about .0108. What that means is that only 1% of the population is Black with a Master's degree or above. So, the authors expect that 13% of all doctors, surgeons, and dentists in the country (and everything requiring a Master's degree or higher) are supposed to be made up by just 1.08% of the population... Impossible. Apparently, you can get a PhD and publish a textbook without doing that basic math. That says a lot about Sociology.
Just for reference, 1% of the population is roughly how many people identify as LGBTQ. If I told you that LGBTQ folk should make up 13% of jobs, it would immediately sound absurd. I wish I could meet these authors and unpack some of this nonsense.
December 15, 2019
Horribly bias!
I used this textbook for my Sociology class. I've never seen a more corrupt and left-leaning discipline. The authors make several mistakes and fail to back up many of their claims. Take one example. Discrimination in the job market. Given that Black Americans make up 13% of the population and 12% of the labor force, the authors roughly say "If jobs were really given fairly, we would expect these same distributions across jobs." The problem is that their own data contradicts this. So, they expect that Black Americans would make up 12% of jobs. Unfortunately for them, they also list statistics on the percentages of Blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics who possess a college degree and what kind. Only 9% of Black Americans hold a Master's degree or higher. So, multiply 9% by 12 or 13% (.09 x .13) and you get about .0108. What that means is that only 1% of the population is Black with a Master's degree or above. So, the authors expect that 13% of all doctors, surgeons, and dentists in the country (and everything requiring a Master's degree or higher) are supposed to be made up by just 1.08% of the population... Impossible. Apparently, you can get a PhD and publish a textbook without doing that basic math.
Just for reference, 1% of the population is roughly how many people identify as LGBTQ. If I told you that LGBTQ folk should make up 13% of jobs, it would immediately seem absurd. I wish I could meet these authors and unpack some of this nonsense.
I used this textbook for my Sociology class. I've never seen a more corrupt and left-leaning discipline. The authors make several mistakes and fail to back up many of their claims. Take one example. Discrimination in the job market. Given that Black Americans make up 13% of the population and 12% of the labor force, the authors roughly say "If jobs were really given fairly, we would expect these same distributions across jobs." The problem is that their own data contradicts this. So, they expect that Black Americans would make up 12% of jobs. Unfortunately for them, they also list statistics on the percentages of Blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics who possess a college degree and what kind. Only 9% of Black Americans hold a Master's degree or higher. So, multiply 9% by 12 or 13% (.09 x .13) and you get about .0108. What that means is that only 1% of the population is Black with a Master's degree or above. So, the authors expect that 13% of all doctors, surgeons, and dentists in the country (and everything requiring a Master's degree or higher) are supposed to be made up by just 1.08% of the population... Impossible. Apparently, you can get a PhD and publish a textbook without doing that basic math.
Just for reference, 1% of the population is roughly how many people identify as LGBTQ. If I told you that LGBTQ folk should make up 13% of jobs, it would immediately seem absurd. I wish I could meet these authors and unpack some of this nonsense.
September 23, 2023
I literally made profile to put this review in. They attempted to make the book easier for new generation students to read and understand and instead come off as writing opinions in between facts. The information is there but they continuously place random slogans and quotes you hear often in the political arena. My recommendation to the author is to focus on the information and data instead of trying to shove a political view in between the lines, it takes up to much time trying to find the real information. Write an opinion piece or book and focus on education. They make it sound like the poor are ignorant and could never rise above their social class in this book. It’s almost insulting to read.
October 23, 2015
The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology is an introductory textbook on sociology. Having no real knowledge of sociology, I decided to read this textbook to learn more about this social science. The book was helpful in explaining sociology, which is defined by the authors as "[t:]he systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions" (p. G12). Although the book was edifying in explaining, for example, the research methods of sociology and particular phenomena sociologists study, the presentation of sociology in this book, as the definition indicates, is that the discipline is a kind of systematized common sense, resulting in the kinds of findings anyone would reach if she studied the social world as impartially as possible. Most helpful were the explanation of various theories sociologists use to frame discussion, which, if a layperson (like myself) learns, would assist the layperson in thinking more critically about social phenomena.
Quick Update (02/08/13): So sociology is the study of social facts, basically, and uses traditional scientific methods to make new discoveries related to social phenomena. The goal is to find correlations between different social constructs, and the ultimate goal is to find causal relationships between the social constructs. For example, the current issue of American Sociological Reviewthis study investigates the links between men’s participation in core (traditionally female) and non-core (traditionally male) household tasks and sexual frequency. Results show that both husbands and wives in couples with more traditional housework arrangements report higher sexual frequency, suggesting the importance of gender display rather than marital exchange for sex between heterosexual married partners.In effect, it's a study comparing how often men and women have sex given a man's tendency today do traditionally male or female house chores and suggests that the more traditional the household roles are the more often the couple has sex. At the very least there's a correlation between traditional roles and sex frequency.
Traditionally in sociology, there was more of a tendency to interpret social phenomena through the lens of a larger theory and this might still be helpful. The book details three main theories: structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Structural functionalism views society as consisting of certain structures such as family, government, the economic system, and analyzes how people over time seek to make these structures cohere. Conflict theory interprets social phenomena in terms of class struggles. Symbolic interactionism looks at ways in which people make meaning in social situations through their interactions. Again, these are just some suggested theories but there is no necessity that these theories inform interpretation of all social phenomena.
Quick Update (02/08/13): So sociology is the study of social facts, basically, and uses traditional scientific methods to make new discoveries related to social phenomena. The goal is to find correlations between different social constructs, and the ultimate goal is to find causal relationships between the social constructs. For example, the current issue of American Sociological Reviewthis study investigates the links between men’s participation in core (traditionally female) and non-core (traditionally male) household tasks and sexual frequency. Results show that both husbands and wives in couples with more traditional housework arrangements report higher sexual frequency, suggesting the importance of gender display rather than marital exchange for sex between heterosexual married partners.In effect, it's a study comparing how often men and women have sex given a man's tendency today do traditionally male or female house chores and suggests that the more traditional the household roles are the more often the couple has sex. At the very least there's a correlation between traditional roles and sex frequency.
Traditionally in sociology, there was more of a tendency to interpret social phenomena through the lens of a larger theory and this might still be helpful. The book details three main theories: structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Structural functionalism views society as consisting of certain structures such as family, government, the economic system, and analyzes how people over time seek to make these structures cohere. Conflict theory interprets social phenomena in terms of class struggles. Symbolic interactionism looks at ways in which people make meaning in social situations through their interactions. Again, these are just some suggested theories but there is no necessity that these theories inform interpretation of all social phenomena.
August 1, 2008
Ok, I don't usually include textbooks on my list of books I've read, but since I have read LITERALLY every single word in this book, I'm including it.
It's a great book, easy to read and understand, with lots of "real world" anecdotes.
It's a great book, easy to read and understand, with lots of "real world" anecdotes.
April 13, 2015
This is the best intro book I've ever read. Tons of interesting research and real-life examples and does a good job relating theory to every topic. The Data Workshops are excellent sources of ideas for class activities and assignments as well.
November 26, 2015
Read this for introductory Sociology class. Really nice - easy to understand, relevant examples and wide but thorough coverage of the topic. Stressed very much the interpretation of different topics through all of the major sociological perspectives/theories. Very happy that I had this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews