Sociology Project, The: Essentials [Rental Edition]

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For courses in Introductory Sociology
 
An inquiry based approach to spark the sociological imagination
Organized around the big questions in the core subfields of the discipline, The Sociology Project: Essentials shows how sociologists analyze our world, and sets students off on their own journeys of sociological inquiry. Each chapter of this brief text has been authored by one or more faculty members from the NYU Sociology Department who write and teach in a specific subfield. This collaboration offers a unique approach that draws on the collective wisdom of a large, successful sociology department to reveal how individuals are shaped by the contexts in which they act and live. At its core, The Sociology Project: Essentials seeks to inspire each student’s sociological imagination, highlighting the personal relevance of key concepts and instilling in each reader a new determination to question the world around us.

Written collaboratively by members of the NYU Sociology Department, including: Jeff Manza, Richard Arum, Troy Duster, Paula England, Thomas Ertman, Kathleen Gerson, Lynne Haney, Steven Lukes, Gerald Marwell, Harvey Molotch, Ann Morning, Patrick Sharkey, and Florencia Torche.

I. Brief Table of Contents
 
1. The Sociological Imagination
2. Social Theory
3. Social Interaction
4. Social Structure
5. Inequality and Poverty
6. Race and Ethnicity
7. Gender and Sexuality
8. Families and Family Life
9. Markets, Organizations, and Work
10. Sociology of Religion
11. Crime, Deviance, and Social Control
12. Power and Politics
 
 
II. Comprehensive Table of Contents
 
1. The Sociological Imagination
by Jeff Manza, Lynne Haney, and Richard Arum
The Big Questions
1.1 What Is the Sociological Imagination, and Why Is It Worth Acquiring?
1.2 What Are Social Contexts, and Why Do They Matter?
1.3 Where Did Sociology Come From, and How Is It Different from Other Social Sciences?
Conclusion: Looking Ahead
The Big Questions Revisited 1
 
2. Social Theory
by Jeff Manza, Thomas Ertman, Lynne Haney, and Steven Lukes, with Harel Shapira
The Big Questions
2.1 What is Social Theory?
2.2 How Did the Early Social Theorists Make Sense of the World?
2.3 What Innovations in Social Theory Emerged in the Mid-Twentieth Century?
2.4 How Has a New Generation of Social Theory Evolved?
Conclusion: Social Theory and the Sociological Imagination
The Big Questions Revisited 2
 
3. Social Interaction
by Harvey Molotch
The Big Questions
3.1 How Do We Develop a Sense of Self?
3.2 How Do We Make Sense of Our Worlds?
3.3 What Challenges Do We Face as We Move from One Social Context to Another?
Conclusion: What We Know and What We Don’t Know
The Big Questions Revisited 3
 
4. Social Structure
by Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
4.1 What Is Social Structure?
4.2 How Do Roles and Social Hierarchies Shape Our Life Chances?
4.3 How Do Norms and Institutions Influence Social Life?
4.4 How Do Social Structures Influence Our Daily Lives and Social Interactions?
4.5 Why Are Social Structures Slow to Change?
Conclusion: Social Structure
The Big Questions Revisited 4
 
5. Inequality and Poverty
by Florencia Torche, Jeff Manza, Patrick Sharkey, and Richard Arum
The Big Questions
5.1 What Is Inequality?
5.2 Why Is America So Unequal?
5.3 Do We All Have an Equal Opportunity to Succeed in Life?
5.4 How Much Poverty Exists in the United States and Around the World?
Conclusion: Should We Be Concerned About Excessive Inequality?
The Big Questions Revisited 5
 
6. Race and Ethnicity
by Ann Morning
The Big Questions
6.1 What Is the Difference Between Race and Ethnicity?
6.2 Is Race Real?
6.3 What Is Racism?
6.4 Do Race and Ethnicity Matter Anymore?
6.5 How Are Race and Ethnicity Changing in the Twenty-First Century?
Conclusion: Developing a Sociological Imagination on Race and Ethnicity
The Big Questions Revisited 6
 
7. Gender and Sexuality
by Paula England
The Big Questions
7.1 Where Do Gender Differences Come from?
7.2 How Have the Lives of Women and Men Changed in the Last 50 Years?
7.3 How Are Our Sex Lives Shaped by Biology and Society?
7.4 How Has Sexual Behavior Changed in the Last 50 Years?
Conclusion: The Puzzle of Gender Inequality
The Big Questions Revisited 7
 
8. Families and Family Life
by Kathleen Gerson
The Big Questions
8.1 What Is a Family?
8.2 Why Are Families Changing?
8.3 What Challenges Do We Face as We Develop Relationships and Balance Family and Work?
8.4 What Is It Like to Grow Up in a Twenty-First-Century Family?
8.5 What Social Policies Around the World Best Support Changing Families?
Conclusion: The Future of Families
The Big Questions Revisited 8
 
9. Markets, Organizations, and Work
by Richard Arum and Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
9.1 How Do Social Factors Impact Markets?
9.2 Why Are Organizations Important for Social and Economic Life?
9.3 What Is the Relationship Between Organizations and Their External Environment?
9.4 How Is Work Inside Organizations Structured?
9.5 How Do We Measure Work Satisfaction?
Conclusion: Markets, Organizations, and Work in the Twenty-First Century
The Big Questions Revisited 9
 
10. Religion
by Gerald Marwell
The Big Questions
10.1 What Is Religion, and What Are Its Functions?
10.2 How Does Social Structure Impact Religious Choice?
10.3 Why Are Some People More Religious Than Others?
10.4 Why Do People Kill Each Other in the Name of Religion?
10.5 What Is the Future of Religion?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 10
 
11. Crime, Deviance, and Social Control
by Jeff Manza, Patrick Sharkey, and Troy Duster
The Big Questions
11.1 What Is Deviance and Social Control?
11.2 What Constitutes a Crime, and What Are the Different Offense Types?
11.3 How Much Crime, Particularly Violent Crime, Exists in America?
11.4 Why Is Mass Incarceration Controversial?
11.5 What Are the Consequences of Mass Incarceration?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 11
 
12. Power and Politics
by Steven Lukes and Jeff Manza
The Big Questions
12.1 What Are the Distinct Forms of Power?
12.2 What Is the State, and How Does It Distribute Power in a Society?
12.3 Who Has Power in the United States Today?
Conclusion
The Big Questions Revisited 12