Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (9th Edition) [Hardcover]

James M. Henslin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205570232 | ISBN-13: 978-0205570232 | Publication Date: December 9, 2007 | Edition: 9

This best selling comprehensive text shares the excitement of sociology with the acclaimed "down-to-earth" approach that highlights the sociology of everyday life. The 9th Edition of this highly regarded text retains all the features that have made previous editions so successful. The author has a unique ability to engage students without sacrificing content or talking down to them. With wit, personal reflection, and illuminating examples, Henslin shares his passion for sociology with his readers like no other author of an introductory text can.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Henslin hooks students on learning about the world around them, and suggests they seek answers to the question ‘Why should I care?””

Roger Nemeth, Hope College

 

“My students tell me that they love the varied scenarios Henslin provides in the book.”

 Kristie Palmer, Richland Community College

  

“Henslin begins each chapter with an interesting vignette.  The text is accessible and easy to read.”

Lucy Ogburn, Middlesex Community College

 

“Henslin offers an introduction to research and his heavy inclusion of research shows its importance.  He does this at just the right level.”

Jan Poppendieck, City University of New York, Hunter College

 

“I appreciate Henslin’s balanced theoretical approach, good topic coverage, and that the book is very readable.”

Derral Cheatwood, University of Texas, San Antonio

 

“The boxed features in Henslin often explore controversial issues that generate great on-line discussions among my distance learning students.”

Kristie Palmer, Richland Community College

 

“The boxed examples in Henslin add a new dimension to the course.  He truly has a down-to-earth approach.”

Sue Dowden, El Camino College

 

“Students like this book because the reading level is just right, the examples are relevant, and the strong visuals keep them interested.  My students also like [Henslin’s] accounts of his many travels; they give the book a global feel.”

 Romana Pires, San Bernadino Valley College

From the Back Cover

&n>

Study Smarter!

Need Additional Help Studying?

Use these great tools to help you get a better grade!

 

Study Guide Plus

This manual includes general study and test-taking tips; learning objectives for each chapter in the text; chapter summaries and outlines; key terms and people; and self
tests with multiple choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and essay  questions.
An answer key for all self tests is provided. Check with your bookstore or order online
(www.mypearsonstore.com). ISBN: 0-205-57039-9.

 

MySocLab

If your text came with a MySocLab student access code, register today and activate
your subscription to MySocLab for Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach, Ninth Edition (www.mysoclab.com). MySocLab is an interactive online resource that will help you study, review, and engage with sociology in some new and exciting ways. MySocLab for this text includes:

• A complete e-book version of the text.
• Self-scoring practice tests, to help you prepare for quizzes and exams.
• Individualized study plans, to show you what you mastered–and what you should work on.
• Video excerpts from interviews with prominent sociologists.
• “Sociology in the News”–relevant articles from recent issues of the New York Times.
• Research Navigator– a searchable database of scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers.
• A tutorial on “Writing About Sociology” that covers the research process, avoiding plagiarism, and documenting sources.

 

…and much more!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 677 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 9 edition (December 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205570232
• ISBN-13: 978-0205570232
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James M. Henslin, who was born in Minnesota, graduated from high school and junior college in California and from college in Indiana. Awarded scholarships, he earned his Master's and doctorate degrees in sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. After this, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health, and spent a year studying how people adjust to the suicide of a family member. His primary interests in sociology are the sociology of everyday life, deviance, and international relations. Among his numerous books are Sociology: A-Down-to-Earth Approach (Allyn & Bacon, available in three versions); Social Problems (Allyn & Bacon); and Down-to-Earth Sociology: Introductory Readings (Free Press). He has also published widely in sociology journals, including Social Problems and American Journal of Sociology. While a graduate student, Jim Henslin taught at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. After completing his doctorate, he joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, where he is Professor Emeritus of Sociology. His two favorite activities are writing and traveling. He especially enjoys visiting and living in other cultures, for this brings him face to face with behaviors and ways of thinking that he cannot take for granted, experiences that "make sociological principles come alive."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you use this book to teach intro soc, be aware of an error in it, October 31, 2009

By 

Pennsylvania Reader - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (9th Edition) (Hardcover)

This review is written for other instructors considering or using this textbook to teach introductory sociology. It's not a general review of the book from a student perspective.

Henslin writes various sizes of the down-to-earth textbooks, small (core concepts), medium (essentials), and large (the main textbook, this one). All of them feature Henslin's real-life approach and emphasize common sense vs. social knowledge based on facts and on use of sociological concepts. But it is sloppily edited. In every edition of these books that I have seen, including the new 10th edition, and in each size (s, m, l), an important error is repeated in the gender chapter: the claim that most victims of homicide are female. The error is in the chapter text, the chapter-end summary, and the test bank (watch out for that question). It matters because a) I'm trying to teach students that facts are more reliable than guesses, stereotypes, and media-based perceptions, b) the particular error reflects the slant of the gender chapter, which is women-as-victims-of-men, when the truth is more complex (women are also victimized by women in many ways, in many countries; and men are most often the targets of violence by men), and c) if students are paying this much for a book, the basic facts should be right.

I've communicated this error repeatedly over the past year to my rep, who is unwilling or unable to pass it on to the publisher. I tried to find a way to contact the publisher via the website and gave up. I don't want to knock the book as a whole--it has many good features--but I won't use it again until this is fixed. There are too many similar alternatives, and I can always discuss some of Henslin's common sense vs. reality points in class without using it as a required text. I like the TestGen system, and the testbank for this book is good with the exception of the question I've pointed out here. (On the other hand, there may be other factual errors in the book that I haven't noticed.)

As an instructor, I've found that the password-protected study site is a disadvantage of this book and publisher. The study site is high quality and is great if the student buys the book with the password card still attached. But students who buy it used without the card get upset when they can't access the site and blame me for the problem. Open-access study sites are the way to go, publishers! This is one of those textbooks in which continual new editions are not really needed but get published anyway because of the changing structure of the textbook market. That practice is so common that although it creates incredible book costs for students, there are few ways to get around it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for class, December 12, 2008

By 

B. Arvin (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (9th Edition) (Hardcover)

I bought this book for a required class. With most classes, I have trouble reading the textbook. With this book, I had trouble putting it down! This book has some great details and stories that seem to link together with other psyc classes. My ONLY complaint is it does NOT come with an access code to the website and the fee to use the website is around $70! Too expensive for a student!

5.0 out of 5 stars A really nice book, September 9, 2011

By 

Zino (Virginia beach, VA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (9th Edition) (Hardcover)

I had to take a Sociology class as an elective and I had to use this book. Despite that I hated the class, but the book itself made it less harder on me. I'm not into either literature or philosophy or sociology or all this, but once I started reading the first couple pages, I found myself kind of I want to read more and more. The author made it very appealing, by giving a very nice examples (as short stories) from all around the world. His example makes you realize things you live everyday and their impacts on your life and others life, without you noticing it.
It's so good written, that my wife did not allow me to sell it back after I finish the class (I got 'B')