Contemporary Sociology

Contemporary Sociology is an introductory textbook with angles and arguments.
 
Responding to the need for a different kind of introductory textbook, it provides more focused, in-depth explorations of the most exciting and contemporary aspects of sociology.
 
The 21 chapters, written by leading experts in each field, offer a thought-provoking portrait of sociology. Each chapter tackles key issues at the centre of contemporary sociological research in an exceptionally clear, engaging and relevant way, focusing on critical approaches and analyses.
 
The book includes:
* A strong focus on making sociological thinking relevant to the contemporary world
* Illustrative examples and analysis of recent real-world events
* Coverage of all major sociological topics of continuing or emerging interest, from class, ethnicity and global social change to human rights, the environment, and science and technology
* Carefully thought-out questions and further readings to probe understanding and encourage critical thinking
* Additional, regularly updated online resources
 
Contemporary Sociology is a serious yet accessible text and should be required reading for both new and more advanced undergraduates. It will fire students' imaginations to explore the latest dynamics driving the study of our social world.

List of contents

Introduction
SECTION A: SOCIAL DIVISIONS
1 The Idea of Class: a measure of value
Beverley Skeggs
2 Sex, Gender and Sexuality: the case for critical analysis
Kath Woodward
3 Race, Ethnicity and Nationality: the future of multiculturalism in a global age
Andrew Pilkington
4 Age and the Life Course: continuity, change and the modern mirage of infinite choice
Lorraine Green
SECTION B: OPPORTUNITIES AND INEQUALITIES
5 Work: experience, identities and meanings
Tim Strangleman
6 Health, Illness and the Body: what lies beneath
Graham Scambler and Sasha Scambler
7 Education: beyond meritocracy and reproduction
Rob Moore
8 Poverty and the Welfare State: economic, social and political intersections
Mary Daly
SECTION C: GLOBALIZATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE
9 Globalization: experiencing social change on a global scale
Darren O'Byrne
10 The Environment: sociology at its (natural) limits
Philip W. Sutton
11 Science, Technology and Social Change: knowledge, expertise and practices
Mark Erickson
12 Development and Underdevelopment: rethinking the shape of a globalizing world
Paul Hopper
SECTION D: CULTURE AND PERSONAL LIFE
13 Leisure and Consumption: a critical analysis of 'free time'
Sheila Scraton & Beccy Watson
14 Religion and Sources of Significance: the dawning of a secular age?
Paul Heelas
15 The Sociology of the Mass Media: circuits of communication and structures of power
Greg Philo, David Miller and Catherine Happer
16 Families and Personal Life: all change?
Vanessa May
SECTION E: THE STATE, VIOLENCE, CRIME AND CONTROL
17 Power and the State: flourishing union, divorce or metamorphosis?
Michael S. Drake
18 Violence, Coercion and Human Rights: understanding organized brutality
Sinisa Malesevic
19 Crime: concepts, causes, control
Robert Reiner
SECTION F: THEORY AND METHODS
20 Sociological Theory: formal and informal
William Outhwaite
21 Methodology: the essence of sociology?
Martyn Hammersley
References

About the author

Martin Holborn is Associate Lecturer in Social Sciences at The Open University. He is co-author of a major introductory school-level sociology textbook, as well as several study guides for A-level students.

Summary

Contemporary Sociology is an introductory textbook with angles and arguments. Responding to the need for a different kind of introductory textbook, it provides more focused, in-depth explorations of the most exciting and contemporary aspects of sociology.

Report

"Chapters are written with clarity, at an undergraduate academic level that would challenge the most able A level student. Each chapter ends with a range of seminar questions that could help a teacher of A level Sociology think of extension questions for their students.The lists of further reading are very useful and up to date. This book can be recommended as one for teachers' own subject updates (eg: the entries on the identity and disability were easy to find and very useful for my own subject update needed)."
The Sociology Teacher
 
"Wide in their scope, up to date in orientation, the chapters gathered here are an excellent introduction to sociology. The authors are experts in their respective fields and communicate the engagement and urgency of the sociological imagination in our present times."
John Holmwood, University of Nottingham and President of the British Sociological Association
 
"Lively and engaging, Contemporary Sociology provides students with in-depth insights into today's pressing sociological concerns. Written by experts in their field, each chapter avoids simple summary and instead raises questions to spark the sociological imagination."
Ellen Annandale, The University of York and member of the Executive Committee of the European Sociological Association

Product details

• Authors: Michael Drake, M Holborn, Martin Holborn, Martin Drake Holborn, Holborn Martin, Beverley Skeggs
• Publisher: Polity Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 24.04.2015
• EAN: 9780745661834
• ISBN: 978-0-7456-6183-4
• No. of pages: 720
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; Soziologie, Sociology, Einführung in die Soziologie, Allg. Soziologie, Introduction to Sociology, Spezialthemen Soziologie, Sociology Special Topics