Essentials of Sociology

Fourth Edition

George Ritzer - University of Maryland, USA

Available with:

Courses:
Introductory Sociology | Introductory Sociology

December 2019 | 576 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

The author is a proud sponsor of the 2020 Sage Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award—enabling graduate students and early career faculty to attend the annual ASA pre-conference teaching and learning workshop. Join the conversation with one of sociology’s best-known thinkers.

In the fully updated Fourth Edition of Essentials to Sociology, bestselling author George Ritzer shows students the relevance of sociology to their lives. Adapted from Ritzer’s Introduction to Sociology, this text provides students with a rock-solid foundation in a shorter and more streamlined format. Students will learn about traditional sociological concepts and theories, as well as some of the most compelling contemporary social phenomena: globalization, consumer culture, the Internet, and the “McDonaldization” of society. Packed with current examples and the latest research of how “public” sociologists are engaging with the critical issues of today, this new edition encourages students to apply a sociological perspective to their worldview—empowering them to participate in a global conversation about current social problems.

This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package. Contact your Sage representative to request a demo.

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ISBN: 9781544388021	Paperback	Suggested Retail Price: $142.00	Bookstore Price: $113.60
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Letter from the Author

Acknowledgments

About the Author

CHAPTER 1: An Introduction to Sociology in the Global Age

A Sociology of Revolutions and Counterrevolutions

The Changing Nature of the Social World—and Sociology

Central Concerns for a Twenty-First-Century Sociology

Sociology: Continuity and Change

The Social Construction of Reality

Sociology’s Purpose: Science or Social Reform?

Sociology, the Other Social Sciences, and Common Sense

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 2: Thinking About and Researching the Social World

Do Sociological Theory and Research Help Us Understand Today’s Overheated Politics?

Theorizing the Social World

Contemporary Sociological Theory

Researching the Social World

Issues in Social Research

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 3: Culture

A Reflection of U.S. Culture

A Definition of Culture

The Basic Elements of Culture

Cultural Differences

Global Culture

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 4: Socialization and Interaction

Socialization and Variance

The Individual and the Self

The Individual as Performer

Socialization

Interaction

Micro-Level Social Structures

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 5: Organizations, Societies, and Global Relationships

Questioning Governmental Authority

Organizations

Contemporary Organizational Realities

Societies

Global Relationships

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 6: Deviance and Crime

Norms, Labels, and Judgment

Deviance

Theories of Deviance

Crime

Globalization and Crime

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 7: Social Stratification in the United States and Globally

Student “Haves” and “Have-Nots” in Higher Education

Dimensions of Social Stratification

Economic Inequality

Social Mobility

Theories of Social Stratification

Consumption and Social Stratification

Global Stratification

Other Global Inequalities

Changing Positions in Global Stratification

Theories of Global Stratification

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 8: Race and Ethnicity

Minorities Acquire Political Power

The Concepts of Race and Ethnicity

Majority–Minority Relations

Racism

Race and Ethnicity in a Global Context

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 9: Gender and Sexuality

Challenging Gender Stereotypes

Gender and Sex

The Sociology of Sexuality

Sexuality, Gender, and Globalization

Global Flows Related to Gender

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 10: Families

Fictional Families Get Real

Family, Marriage, and Intimate Relationships

Broad Changes in Marriage and the Family

Theorizing the Family

Problems in the Family

Global Families

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 11: Education and Religion

Science versus Religion in the Public Schools

Education

Inequality in Education

Globalization and Education

Religion

Types of Religious Institutions

Religion and Globalization

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 12: Politics and the Economy

The Interrelationship of Government and the Economy

Politics: Democracy or Dictatorship

Who Rules the United States?

Global Politics

The U.S. Economy: From Industrial to Postindustrial

Work, Consumption, and Leisure

Globalization and the Economy

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 13: The Body, Medicine, Health, and Health Care

The Opioid Crisis

The Sociology of Health

The Body

The Sociology of Medicine

Globalization and Health

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 14: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Too Few, Too Old

Population

Urbanization

Cities and Globalization

The Environment

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

CHAPTER 15: Social Change, Social Movements, and Collective Action

Workers’ Rights, Consumer Activism, and Social Change

Social Movements

Emergence, Mobilization, and Impact of Social Movements

Collective Action

Social Change: Globalization, Consumption, and the Internet

Summary

Key Terms

Review Questions

Glossary

References: Chapter-Opening Vignettes

References: Comprehensive List

Index

Supplements

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The open-access Student Study Site makes it easy for students to maximize their study time, anywhere, anytime. It offers flashcards that strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts, as well as learning objectives that reinforce the most important material.

Excellent survey text covering the field of sociology.

Dr Bill Brocato

Social Sciences Dept, Univ Of Maryland Eastern Shore

December 14, 2020

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Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

The new edition is available as a digital option through SAGE Vantage, an intuitive digital platform that offers auto-graded assignments and interactive multimedia tools-including video-all designed to ignite student engagement and drive critical thinking. Learn more.
Updated examples in the text and "Digital Living" boxes keep pace with changes in digital technology and online practices, including genealogy websites, Uber, Bitcoin, Tinder, the #MeToo movement, digital privacy, WikiLeaks, and cyberbullying.

New topics in the “Trending” boxes demonstrate the diversity of sociology's practitioners, methods, and subject matter. Featured authors include:
- Robert Wuthnow (The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America)
- Adam Reich and Peter Bearman (Working for Respect: Community and Conflict at Walmart)
- Bruce Western (Homeward: Life in the Year after Prison)
- Arlene Stein (Unbound: Transgender Men and Remaking of Identity)
- Tressie McMillan Cottom (Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy)
- Zevnep Tufekci (Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest)
- Arlie Hochschild (Strangers in Their Own Land)
- Lori Peek and Alice Fothergill (Children of Katrina)
- Caitlyn Collins (Making Motherhood Work: How Women Manage Careers and Caregiving)
- Jonathan Metzl (Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland)
New or updated subjects apply sociological thinking to the latest issues including:
- the 2016 U.S. election
- Brexit
- the global growth of ISIS
- climate change
- further segmentation of wealthy Americans as the "super rich"
- transgender people in the U.S. armed forces
- charter schools
- the legalization of marijuana
- the Flint water crisis
- fourth-wave feminism

KEY FEATURES:

The text focuses on several themes that help define social life today:
- Globalization—the flow of people, goods, institutions, and ideas across national borders.
- Consumer Culture—the meaning attached to getting and using material goods.
- Digital Living—social life mediated by digital technologies.
A conceptual foundation for understanding sociology is provided in the first chapter so students can build upon that foundation when they are introduced to different sociological theories.
Strong coverage of sociological theory is presented in an enhanced three-category system that is similar to the approach of most introductory sociology texts, but richer—encompassing classical theories as well as the most important offshoots of those theories developed in recent years.
Contemporary public sociologists, whose works and ideas have entered the national conversation, appear in "Trending" boxes to encourage students to join a public conversation by providing key insights about current sociological issues.
Global maps illustrate the global “flows” of people, goods, and ideas in the contemporary world.