Discover Sociology: Core Concepts

Second Edition

Daina S. Eglitis - George Washington University, USA
William J. Chambliss - George Washington University, USA

Available with:

Courses:
Introductory Sociology | Introductory Sociology

December 2019 | 536 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

The authors are proud sponsors 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.

Discover Sociology: Core Concepts explores sociology as a discipline of curious minds, with the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical tools needed to understand, analyze, and even change the world. It is adapted from Discover Sociology, Fourth Edition and offers in-depth coverage of 12 high-priority topics that are at the core of almost all introductory sociology courses.

The Second Edition of Core Concepts maintains its reader-friendly narrative and the hallmark themes of the parent book, including the unequal distribution of power in society (“Inequality Matters”), the sociological imagination (“Private Lives, Public Issues”), career skills (“What Can I Do With a Sociology Degree?”) and civil discourse (“Discover and Debate”). In response to reader’s requests, this edition features expanded coverage of issues such as intersectionality, popular culture, and changes in the contemporary population of college students in the U.S. Additionally, updated social indicators bring in the latest data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Pew Research Center, among others, to ensure that discussions and figures remain timely.

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ISBN: 9781544372327	Paperback	Suggested Retail Price: $156.00	Bookstore Price: $124.80
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Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

CHAPTER 1. DISCOVER SOCIOLOGY

A Curious Mind

The Sociological Imagination

Critical Thinking

The Development of Sociological Thinking

What Is Sociological Theory?

Principal Themes in This Book

Why Study Sociology?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 2. DISCOVER SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

No Roof Overhead: Researching Eviction in America

Sociology and Common Sense

Research and the Scientific Method

Doing Sociological Research

Doing Sociology: A Student’s Guide to Research

Why Learn to Do Sociological Research?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 3. CULTURE AND MASS MEDIA

Superheroes and Sociology

Culture: Concepts and Applications

Culture and Language

Culture and Mass Media

Culture, Class, and Inequality

Culture and Globalization

Why Study Culture and Media Through a Sociological Lens?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 4. SOCIALIZATION AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

My Robot, My Friend

The Birth of the Social Self

Agents of Socialization

Socialization and Aging

Total Institutions and Resocialization

Social Interaction

Why Study Socialization and Social Interaction?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 5. GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND BUREAUCRACIES

Groupthink: A Case of Deadly Consequences

The Nature of Groups

The Power of Groups

Economic, Cultural, and Social Capital

Organizations

Bureaucracies

Why Study Groups and Organizations?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 6. DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL

To Solve a Murder

What Is Deviant Behavior?

How Do Sociologists Explain Deviance?

Types of Deviance

Social Control of Deviance

Why Study Deviance?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 7. SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY

Poverty and Prosperity in the United States Today

Stratification in Traditional and Modern Societies

Sociological Building Blocks of Social Class

Class and Inequality in the United States: Dimensions and Trends

The Problem of Neighborhood Poverty

Why Do Stratification and Poverty Exist and Persist in Class Societies?

Dimensions of Global Inequality and Poverty

Theoretical Perspectives on Global Inequality

Why Study Inequality in the United States and Globally?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 8. RACE AND ETHNICITY

Violence and U.S. History

The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity

Minority and Dominant Group Relations

Theoretical Approaches to Ethnicity, Racism, and Minority Status

Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination

Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States

Race and Ethnicity in a Global Perspective

Why Study Race and Ethnicity From a Sociological Perspective?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 9. GENDER AND SOCIETY

I Am a Woman, and I Am Fast

Concepts of Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Constructing Gendered Selves

Gender and Society

Gender and Economics: Men, Women, and the Gender Wage Gap

Classical Theories, Feminist Thought, and the Sociology of Masculinities

Women’s Lives in a Global Perspective

Why Study Gender From a Sociological Perspective?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 10. FAMILIES AND SOCIETY

Millennials and Marriage

How Do Sociologists Study the Family?

Theoretical Perspectives on Families

U.S. Families Yesterday and Today

Socioeconomic Class and Family in the United States

Globalization and Families

Why Study Family Through a Sociological Lens?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 11. EDUCATION AND THE ECONOMY

Robots and Jobs

Education, Industrialization, and the “Credential Society"

Theoretical Perspectives on Education

Education, Opportunity, and Inequality

The Economy in Historical Perspective

The Technological Revolution and the Future of Work

Why Study Education and the Economy?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 12. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Activist America?

Sociological Perspectives on Social Change

Sources of Social Change

Social Movements

Why Study Social Change?

Summary

Key Terms

Discussion Questions

Glossary

References

Index

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 enable students to better prepare for class. Learn more.
New data analysis activities (available on the SAGE Vantage platform, linked through SAGE Coursepacks) in each chapter, using interactive data visualization tools from SAGE Stats, help students build essential data literacy skills.
A new Discover Intersections feature illustrates a key sociological insight: how race, class, gender, and other statuses often combine to shape our life chances and the organization of power in society.
New openers drawn from contemporary issues and events speak to the real-life experiences or concerns of today’s students.
Every chapter in the book integrates the latest empirical research from sociology, highlighting the point that sociology is about the scientific understanding of the social world—rigorous research can illuminate the sociological roots of diverse phenomena and institutions, ranging from poverty and deviance to capitalism and the nuclear family.
Expanded coverage of issues such as intersectionality, popular culture, and changes in the contemporary population of college students in the U.S. give students a deeper understanding of key sociological concepts.
The What can I do with a sociology degree? feature has been revised to reflect greater gender, geographic, age, and career diversity.

KEY FEATURES:

Comprehensive coverage of 12 key topics that are most often assigned in introductory courses is provided.
A unique chapter, “Education and the Economy”, explores the connections among our educational system, occupational opportunity, the economy, and the types of work we do.
The “Discover and Debate” feature offers students both interesting issues and points for debate, and models evidence-based arguments and a respectful exchange of ideas.
“What Can I Do with a Sociology Degree?” demonstrates how studying sociology develops specific and marketable career skills.
Social Life/Social Media essay boxes provide a sociological perspective on pervasive social media.
“Behind the Numbers” help guide students to become critical consumers of information on topics such as how stats on poverty and unemployment figures are calculated.
SAGE Coursepacks enables instructors to import high-quality content, such as exceptional teaching resources from A.S.A.’s TRAILS (Teaching Resources and Innovation Library for Sociology), into their school’s learning management system (LMS) with no access codes.
SAGE Edge provides students helpful tools, including an MCAT Guide for students that maps chapter content to sociology standards on the MCAT test and connects students with free online MCAT study-and-review websites.