Discription

The goal of Introduction to Sociology 12e is to demonstrate the vitality, interest, and utility associated with the study of sociology. Examining society and trying to understand how it works is an exciting and absorbing process, but in order to understand society, we need to understand how it shapes people and how people in turn shape society. The author threads two basic ideas throughout the book: sociology is a rigorous, scientific discipline and basic knowledge of sociology is essential for understanding social interaction in many work and social settings. Sociology is a highly organized discipline shaped by several theoretical perspectives or schools of thought. It is not merely the study of social problems or the random voicing of opinions. In this book, no single perspective is given greater emphasis; a balanced presentation of both functionalist theory and conflict theory is supplemented whenever possible by the symbolic interactionist viewpoint.