Sociology [Hardcover]

Richard T. Schaefer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0073404330 | ISBN-13: 978-0073404332 | Publication Date: September 18, 2009 | Edition: 12

The new edition of Sociology helps students take Sociology with them on campus, in their careers, and in their communities.

While still maintaining its well-balanced coverage of the 3 perspectives, this new revision has a strong focus on encouraging the student to think about their world with a sociological imagination. Through its strong coverage of globalization, race and ethnicity, careers in sociology and current topics like mass media and social policy, Sociology provides students with knowledge they can use at school, at work, in their neighborhoods, and in the global community.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Growing up in Chicago at a time when neighborhoods were going through transitions in ethnic and racial composition, Richard T. Schaefer found himself increasingly intrigued by what was happening, how people were reacting, and how these changes were affecting neighborhoods and people’s jobs. His interest in social issues caused him to gravitate to sociology courses at Northwestern University, where he received a B.A. in Sociology. "Originally as an undergraduate I thought I would go on to law school and become a lawyer. But after taking a few sociology courses, I found myself wanting to learn more about what sociologists studied and fascinated by the kinds of questions they raised." This fascination led him to obtain his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago. Dr. Schaefer’s continuing interest in race relations led him to write his masters’ thesis on the membership of the Ku Klux Klan and his doctoral thesis on racial prejudice and race relations in Great Britain. Dr. Schaefer went on to become a professor of sociology. He has taught introductory sociology for 30 years to students in colleges, adult education programs, nursing programs, and even a maximum-security prison. Dr. Schaefer’s love of teaching is apparent in his interaction with his students. "I find myself constantly learning from the students who are in my classes and from reading what they write. Their insights into the material we read or current events that we discuss often become part of future course material and sometimes even find their way into my writing." Dr. Schaefer is author of the third edition of Sociology: A Brief Introduction (McGraw-Hill, 2000). Dr. Schaefer is also the author of Racial and Ethnic Groups now in its eighth edition, and Race and Ethnicity in the United States, second edition. His articles and book reviews have appeared in many journals, including American Journal of Sociology, Phylon: A Review of Race and Culture, Contemporary Sociology, Sociology and Social Research, Sociological Quarterly, and Teaching Sociology. He served as president of the Midwest Sociological Society in 1994-1995. Dr. Schaefer’s advice to students is to "look at the material and make connections to your own life and experiences. Sociology will make you a more attentive observer of how people in groups interact and function. It will also make you more aware of peoples’ different needs and interests — and perhaps more ready to work for the common good, while still recognizing the individuality of each person."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 12 edition (September 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073404330
• ISBN-13: 978-0073404332
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rather Dull Book, December 5, 2009

By 

J. Bodah - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sociology (Sociology (McGraw-Hill)) (Hardcover)

First off I'd like to agree with all the other individuals that made a comment about how Amazon is a great place to shop. I've had a lot of positive stories with them.

That being said, I don't feel like this book was very good. I'm not a Sociology major by any means, but I felt that too much of the book was spent saying the same thing over and over again. For example, in most chapters there would be a point where the author would break down the subject at hand into the three major perspectives: functionalist, conflict, and interactionist. In almost every chapter the author repeats himself that the interactionist perspective cares about how the subject affects our daily lives. Now, this is essentially what the interactionist perspective is all about, but I don't see the need to be reminded of that with two paragraphs every chapter. I don't feel like the author really makes good use of the reader's time, and feel like this book could be tightened up a little bit and get the reader straight to the good stuff. Among the I really enjoyed about the book were the examples; the author brought the theories to life quite well a number of times, but you need to surf through a sea of trivial text to find them.

Another thing I would like to note about this book is the fact that a lot of it is written with an opinion and lacks scientific neutrality. Some of the statistics are questionable in regards to validity and reliability. One thing the author fail to recognize is the fact that statistics are extremely skewed if you have an uneven or biased sample group (as is typically the case with surveys), and will follow a normal distribution in variance, meaning that it is normal for the results this year to fluctuate with the results next year. This fact makes me weary of examples where the author compares a small number of sample statistics, say unemployment rates.

All in all, this book has too much fluff and not enough peanut butter (if you catch my drift).

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, Fast and No Issues, December 21, 2011

By 

Edmund D. Saldarini "Salded" (West Point, NY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sociology (Hardcover)

The item was exactly as explained. They were fast for delivery and had no issues with anything. Thank you for providing a great discounted price opposed to buying the books new and spending a fortune.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars soc book, November 14, 2011

By 

skylee - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sociology (Hardcover)

this book is in great shape. no markings or cover abnormalities. and i like how i can sell it back at the end of the semester