Description
Book SynopsisUnlike most introductory texts that take a topical approach to studying sociology, this smart, challenging, and accessibly written text looks at the core principles of the discipline, making links to a contemporary context.
Trade ReviewEngaging, accessible, and written in a lively and often humorous style. Highly recommended. -- CHOICE An introduction to the discipline and an exercise in critical thinking and learning. -- Teaching Sociology
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Part One: Why Think Sociologically? 1. Visions and Profiles of Students Today 2. Generation Z and the Promise of Sociology 3. The Light of Reason: Higher Education's Challenges Part Two: The Classical Tradition 4. Marx and the Dialectic of Dynamic, Unstable Social Formations 5. Marx, the Communist Manifesto, and Modernity 6. From Descartes to Durkheim: Toward a Science of Society 7. Durkheim and the Systematic Study of Social Facts 8. Weber and the Interpretive Understanding of Social Action 9. The Spirit of Capitalism, Modernity, and the Postmodern World Part Three: Sociology and Contemporary Popular Culture 10. Culture and Critique 11. The Dialectics of Popular Culture 12. Rock 'n' Roll as Complex Culture 13. The Promise of Sociology Glossary of Key Terms and Names Bibliography Index
