Introduction to Sociology

Join the conversation with one of sociology’s best-known thinkers.   The Third Edition of Introduction to Sociology, thoroughly revised and updated, continues to show students the relevance of the introductory sociology course to their lives. While providing a rock-solid foundation, Ritzer illuminates 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. As technology flattens the globe, students are challenged to apply a sociological perspective to their world, and to see how “public” sociologists are engaging with the critical issues of today.   Contributor to the SAGE Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award  

Table of Contents:
Letter from the Author Preface Acknowledgments About the Author Chapter 1: An Introduction to Sociology in the Global Age 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 Chapter 2: Thinking Sociologically The Giants of Classical Sociological Theory Other Important Early Theorists Contemporary Sociological Theory Chapter 3: Researching the Social World The Scientific Method The Development of Scientific Knowledge Sociological Research Secondary Data Analysis Issues in Social Research Chapter 4: Culture A Definition of Culture The Basic Elements of Culture Cultural Differences Emerging Issues in Culture Chapter 5: Socialization and Interaction The Individual and the Self The Individual as Performer Socialization Interaction Micro-Level Social Structures Chapter 6: Organizations, Societies, and the Global Domain Organizations Contemporary Organizational Realities Societies The Global Domain Chapter 7: Deviance and Crime Deviance Theories of Deviance Crime Chapter 8: Social Stratification in the United States Dimensions of Social Stratification Economic Inequality Social Mobility Theories of Social Stratification Consumption and Social Stratification Chapter 9: Global Stratification Positions in Global Stratification Global Economic Inequalities Changing Positions in Global Stratification Theories of Global Stratification Consumption and Global Stratification Chapter 10: Race and Ethnicity The Concepts of Race and Ethnicity Majority–Minority Relations Racism Race and Ethnicity in a Global Context Chapter 11: Gender and Sexuality Gender and Sex The Sociology of Sexuality Sexuality, Gender, and Globalization Global Flows Related to Gender Chapter 12: Families Family, Marriage, and Intimate Relationships Broad Changes in Marriage and the Family Theorizing the Family Problems in the Family Global Families Chapter 13: Education Thinking about Education Education and Consumption Inequality in Education Chapter 14: Religion Early Sociologists and Religion What Is Religion? Components of Religion Types of Religious Institutions Theorizing Religion Religion and Globalization Chapter 15: Politics and the Economy Politics: Democracy or Dictatorship Who Rules the United States? Global Politics The U.S. Economy: From Industrialization to Deindustrialization Work, Consumption, and Leisure Globalization and the Economy Chapter 16: The Body, Medicine, Health, and Health Care The Body The Sociology of Health and Medicine Globalization and Health Chapter 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment Population Urbanization The Environment Chapter 18: Social Change, Social Movements, and Collective Action Social Movements Collective Action Social Change: Globalization, Consumption, and the Internet Glossary References Photo Credits Index

About the Author :
George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and won a Teaching Excellence Award. He was awarded the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association, an honorary doctorate from LaTrobe University in Australia, and the Robin Williams Lectureship from the Eastern Sociological Society. His best-known work, The McDonaldization of Society (8th ed.), has been read by hundreds of thousands of students over two decades and translated into over a dozen languages. Ritzer is also the editor of McDonaldization: The Reader; and author of other works of critical sociology related to the McDonaldization thesis, including Enchanting a Disenchanted World, The Globalization of Nothing, Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society, as well as a series best-selling social theory textbooks and Globalization: A Basic Text. He is the Editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Theory (2 vols.), the Encyclopedia of Sociology (11 vols.; 2nd edition forthcoming), the Encyclopedia of Globalization (5 vols.), and is Founding Editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture. In 2016 he will publish the second edition of Essentials of Sociology with SAGE.