Essentials of Sociology - Softcover

"The critical thinking questions are excellent. They take the student and put them personally into the concept that is being discussed in the chapter, thus, enabling the student to relate to the concept and understand it. This technique also makes the students learning more interesting and exciting." "The pedagogical features used in this text are excellent. Both students and instructors will no doubt benefit from them." "Environmental issues are becoming more and more important - salmon recovery, water shortages, pollution. I like the way the Brinkerhoff text begins to incorporate these issues into the chapters." "Socialization is presented in a manner that clearly separates it from the more dominant psychological theories. This should enable the student to better understand the differences between the two disciplines."

This is a core text that presents a balanced, unbiased treatment of the essential concepts for introductory sociology. All the perspectives are given equal treatment. This text has always been respected for its admirable author team, scholarship and brevity. This edition will have a new emphasis on the process of doing sociology and integrating material across chapters to show the intersection of concepts. This new feature, entitled Intersections, demonstrates and teaches how to think sociologically by using theoretical analysis and analytic apparatus via data sets (MicroCase). The new focus of this text will promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as apply sociological theory to real-world issues.