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Our Social World
Introduction to Sociology

Eighth Edition

Other Titles in:
Sociology (General)

July 2022 | 592 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
The Eighth Edition of Our Social World: Introduction to Sociology inspires students to develop their sociological imaginations, to see the world and personal events from a new perspective, and to confront sociological issues on a day-to-day basis. The text is organized around the "Social World" model, a conceptual framework that demonstrates the relationships among individuals (the micro level); organizations, institutions, and subcultures (the meso level); and societies and global structures (the macro level). The consistent application of the Social World Model across chapters (represented in a visual diagram in the chapter openers) helps students develop the practice of using three levels of analysis, and to view sociology as an integrated whole, rather than a set of disparate subjects.

This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package. Contact your SAGE representative to request a demo.
  • Digital Option / Courseware
    SAGE Vantage is an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality SAGE textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support. It’s a learning platform you, and your students, will actually love. Learn more.
    • Assignable Video with Assessment
    • Assignable video (available in SAGE Vantage) is tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life. Watch a sample video now.
  • LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.  Learn more.
 
Part I: Understanding Our Social World
 
Chapter 1: Sociology: A Unique Way to View the World
 
Chapter 2: Examining the Social World: How Do We Know What We Know?
 
Part II: Social Structure, Processes, and Control
 
Chapter 3: Society and Culture: Hardware and Software of Our Social World
 
Chapter 4: Socialization: Becoming Human and Humane
 
Chapter 5: Interaction, Groups, and Organizations: Connections That Work
 
Chapter 6: Deviance and Social Control: Sickos, Weirdos, Freaks, and Folks Like Us
 
Part III: Inequality
 
Chapter 7: Economic Inequality: Rich and Famous—Or Rags and Famine?
 
Chapter 8: Racial and Ethnic Inequality: Beyond “Us” and “Them”
 
Chapter 9: Gender Inequality: She/He/They—Who Goes First?
 
Part IV: Institutions
 
Chapter 10: Family: Partner Taking, People Making, and Contract Breaking
 
Chapter 11: Education: What Are We Learning?
 
Chapter 12: Religion: The Social Meaning of Sacred Meaning
 
Chapter 13: Health Care: An Anatomy of Health and Illness
 
Chapter 14: Politics and Economics: Probing Power, Dissecting Distribution
 
Part V: Social Dynamics
 
Chapter 15: Environmental Sociology: Population, Urbanization, and Climate Change
 
Chapter 16: Process of Change: We Can Make a Difference!

Supplements

Instructor Site
edge.sagepub.com/ballantine8e

For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative. 

LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle

The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title’s instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
  • Test banks
  • Editable chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides
  • Sample course syllabi
  • Lecture notes
  • All tables and figures from the textbook
Don’t use an LMS platform? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.
 
Student Site
edge.sagepub.com/ballantine8e
 

The open-access Student Study Site makes it easy for students to maximize their study time, anywhere, anytime. It offers flashcards that strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts, as well as learning objectives that reinforce the most important material.

“This book introduces sociology to students in an exciting, relevant way that makes it come alive for them. [It] helps them to relate the field of sociology to their lives in an understandable manner.” 

Kristina Jensen
Boise State University

“An excellent resource for anyone teaching an Introduction to Sociology course.” 

Leslie Lamb
State University of New York, Empire State College Center for Distance Learning

This text resonates with students who are new or returning students and those who are continuing their education.” 

Natasha Vannoy, Ph.D.
Logan University
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION: 
  • The new edition is available in SAGE Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality SAGE textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support. Learn more.
  • A thoroughly revised Chapter 15, brings Urban Sociology and Population under the umbrella of Environmental Sociology and adds a new section on climate change.
  • Revised the Engaging Sociology features, provide students with opportunities for data analysis.
  • Updated Contributing to Our Social World: What Can We Do? features provide new recommendations for how students can get involved.
  • New and updated figures and maps.
  • New topics include, the influence of COVID-19 on socialization and numerous social institutions, the impact of the pervasiveness of social media and technology on the socialization of children, race- and class-based bias in policing and criminal justice, expanded discussion of transgender and nonbinary identities and asexuality, and updated trends in marriage in the U.S., among others.
KEY FEATURES: 
  • Chapters open with the Our Social World model, a full-page diagram that shows how the key concepts and issues in that chapter fit into the book’s micro-to-macro framework.
  • Sociologists in Action boxes profile “public” sociologists who are making a difference, illustrating the practical side of sociology.
  • Contributing to Our Social World sections at the end of each chapter highlight volunteer opportunities for sociology students at the local, institutional, and national/global level.
  • The text describes a range of research strategies and illustrates concrete examples of the method being used, encouraging critical thinking, and helping students develop a more sophisticated epistemology.
  • Think About It questions, relevant to everyday life and posed at the outset of each chapter, encourage students to be curious, active, and reflective readers.
  • Opening vignettes help students connect to the chapters’ content through personalized stories.
  • Thinking Sociologically questions ask students to apply material to some aspect of their lives or the social world and can be the basis for productive discussions with classmates, friends, and family.
  • Engaging Sociology features provide opportunities for students to analyze research data, apply what they’ve learned to new situations, or reflect on their personal experiences and those of others.

In this major revision we have updated all data, added many new studies, and added new emphases in sociology, such as environmental sociology. The following list provides a summary of key changes:

·       Thoroughly revised Chapter 15, bringing Urban Sociology and Population under the umbrella of Environmental Sociology and adding a new section on climate change.

·       Revised the Engaging Sociology features, with opportunities for data analysis by students.

·       Updated the Contributing to Our Social World: What Can We Do? features to provide new recommendations for how students can get involved.

·       Added new and updated figures and maps.

·       Added many new topics, including the influence of COVID-19 on socialization and numerous social institutions, the impact of the pervasiveness of social media and technology on the socialization of children, race- and class-based bias in policing and criminal justice, expanded discussion of World Systems Theory, the Uberization of the job market, expanded discussion of transgender and nonbinary identities and asexuality, updated trends in marriage in the U.S., the impact of COVID-19 on education and schooling, issues of water quality and its effects on health, disparities in access to health care and health outcomes by racial and ethnic group, disinformation on social media and its effects on politics, and the rise in domestic terrorist organizations.

For instructors

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