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Welcome to Introduction to Sociology, a new form of textbook. OpenStax College created this and its other textbooks with several goals in mind—accessibility, affordability, customization, and student engagement—all while encouraging students to reach toward high levels of learning. Instructors and students alike will find that this textbook offers a strong foundation in introductory Sociology—and is available free online and in low-cost print options.
OpenStax Collegestrives to create learning resources that make higher education accessible to all. Created by a team of educators, editors, subject-matter experts, and professional writers, this OpenStax College textbook is built specifically to address student learning needs in Sociology. Unlike traditional textbooks, OpenStax College’sresourceslive online and are owned by the community of educators who use them. We encourage you to make suggestions for improvement by contacting us at info@openstaxcollege.com. Community curation is important; therefore, you will find the status of this Sociology project, as well as alternate versions, corrections, and more, on the StaxDash, which can be found at www.openstaxcollege.com. While OpenStax College provides essential supplemental resources, we have pared down the number of supplements available to keep costs low.
Introduction to Sociology can be used as is or can be easily customized for your course. Simply select the content most relevant to your curricula and create a textbook that speaks directly to the needs of your class. This textbook has been developed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY) that makes texts open and available to students and their instructors. As part of the booming open-source movement, OpenStax College’s goal is to create a textbook that can be easily updated and refined. Because this type of resource is owned by the community of educators using it, scholars are invited to submit examples, include emerging research, and offer feedback to enhance and strengthen the content, keeping it current and relevant for today’s students.
This book is written for you and is based on the teaching and research experience of numerous sociologists. In today’s global socially networked world, the topic of Sociology is more relevant than ever before. We hope that through this book, you will learn how simple, everyday human actions and interactions can change the world. In this book, you will find applications of Sociology concepts that are relevant, current, and balanced.
This text is intended for a one-semester introductory course. As current events influence our social perspectives and the field of Sociology in general, OpenStax encourages instructors to keep this book fresh by sending in your up-to-date examples so students and instructors around the country can relate and engage in fruitful discussions.
Our Introduction to Sociology textbook adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical introductory sociology course. In addition to comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories, we have incorporated section reviews with engaging questions, discussions that help students apply the sociological imagination, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. Although this text can be modified and reorganized to suit your needs, the standard version is organized so that topics are introduced conceptually, with relevant, everyday experiences.
The following briefly describes the special features of this text.
The chapters are organized into subsections/modules that can be rearranged and modified to suit the needs of a particular professor or class.
Every module begins with a set of clear and concise learning objectives. These objectives are designed to help the instructor decide what content to include or assign, and to guide the student with respect to what he or she can expect to learn. After completing the module and end-of-module exercises, students should be able to demonstrate mastery of the learning objectives.
The following features show students the dynamic nature of Sociology:
Section summaries distill the information in each section for both students and instructors down to key, concise points addressed in the section.
Key terms are bold and are followed by a definition in context. Definitions of key terms are also listed in the Glossary, which appears at the end of the module.
Section quizzes provide opportunities to apply and test the information students learn throughout each section. Both multiple-choice and short-response questions feature a variety of question types and range of difficulty.
This feature helps students further explore the section topic and offers related research topics that could be explored.
Introduction to Sociology is based on the work of numerous professors, writers, editors, and reviewers who are able to bring topics to students in the most engaging way.
We would like to thank all those listed below as well as many others who have contributed their time and energy to review and provide feedback on the manuscript. Their input has been critical in maintaining the pedagogical integrity and accuracy of the text.
Nathan Keirns, Zane State College
Eric Strayer, Hartnell College
Heather Griffiths, Fayetteville State University
Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Georgia Perimeter College
Gail Scaramuzzo, Lackawanna College
Tommy Sadler, Union University
Sally Vyain, Ivy Tech Community College
Carol Jenkins, Glendale Community College
Lillian Marie Wallace, Pima Community College
J. Brandon Wallace, Middle Tennessee State University
Gerry R. Cox, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
David Hunt, Augusta State University
Jennifer L. Newman-Shoemake, Angelo State University, and Cisco College
Matthew Morrison, University of Virginia
Sue Greer-Pitt, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
Faye Jones, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Athena Smith, Hillsborough Community College
Kim Winford, Blinn College
Kevin Keating, Broward College
Russell Davis, University of West Alabama
Kimberly Boyd, Piedmont Virginia Community College
Lynn Newhart, Rockford College
Russell C. Ward, Maysville Community and Technical College
Xuemei Hu, Union County College
Margaret A. Choka, Pellissippi State Community College
Cindy Minton, Clark State Community College
Nili Kirschner, Woodland Community College
Shonda Whetstone, Blinn College
Elizabeth Arreaga, instructor emerita at Long Beach City College
Florencio R. Riguera, Catholic University of America
John B. Gannon, College of Southern Nevada
Gerald Titchener, Des Moines Area Community College
Rahime-Malik Howard, El Centro College, and Collin College
Jeff Bry, Minnesota State Community and Technical College at Moorhead
Cynthia Tooley, Metropolitan Community College at Blue River
Carol Sebilia, Diablo Valley College
Marian Moore, Owens Community College
John Bartkowski, University of Texas at San Antonio
Shelly Dutchin, Western Technical College
Accompanying the main text is an Instructor’s PowerPoint file, which includes all of the images and captions found throughout the text and an Instructor’s test bank.
All photos and images were under the CC BY license when placed in the book. CC BY license does not cover trademarks or logos in the photos. If you have questions about any of the photos or images, please contact us through www.openstaxcollege.org.
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This work is licensed by Rice University under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 3.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.
Last edited by Sociology Cap on May 3, 2012 9:33 pm -0500.
