Sociology

Collins identifies the shifts in social values, political power, and economic policy that have led to our current era of extreme inequality—particularly the way Wall Street has managed to rig the rules of the game in favor of the 1%—and surveys the havoc inequality has wreaked on virtually every aspect of society. Here, he offer common-sense proposals for closing the inequality gap and provides a guide to many of the groups that are working to bring about a society that works for everybody.

Derived in part from Joseph F. Healey's best-selling text Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class, this accessible 10-chapter text teaches concepts and theories through current, engaging topics, such as the Obama election and presidency and the economic recession. An analysis of minority-dominant relations is presented clearly, reinforced through case studies, and enhanced through gender and comparative perspectives. Particular emphasis is given to the history of race and ethnicity in the United States with more coverage than any other brief text.

Demographic trends in areas such as childbirth timing, cohabitation and marriage, divorce, remarriage, and new family forms mean we face more family choices than ever. In each chapter Cohen examines these changing patterns as well as the social forces that constrain the options available to many individuals. In particular, he examines how growing inequality challenges families in areas such as health, wealth, and well-being.

In every chapter, Ferris and Stein use examples from everyday life and pop culture to draw students into thinking sociologically and to show the relevance of sociology to their relationships, jobs, and future goals. Data Workshops in every chapter give students a chance to apply theoretical concepts to their personal lives and actually do sociology.

We're bombarded by messages telling us that bigger and better things are the keys to happiness-but after we pile up the stuff and pile on the work hours, we end up exhausted and broke on a planet full of trash. Sarah van Gelder and her colleagues at YES! Magazine have been exploring the meaning of real happiness for eighteen years. Here they offer fascinating research, in-depth essays, and compelling personal stories by visionaries such as Annie Leonard, Matthieu Ricard, and Vandana Shiva, showing us that real well-being is found in supportive relationships and thriving communities, opportunities to make a contribution, and the renewal we receive from a thriving natural world.

Social psychology is sometimes described as a scientific discipline consisting of loosely connected research topics with no "grand theory" to connect everything. Although we have no single theory that neatly packages social psychology for our students, each chapter concludes with a discussion of how these particular theories and studies "fit" into our overall understanding of social behavior.