Introduction
to Sociology
Third Edition
by Steven
L. Nock, Lewis A. Coser, Patricia A. Steffan, and Daphne Spain
Sociology,
the study of human beings in society, is a relatively young discipline - only
about two-hundred years old. The first sociologists sought to explain abrupt
changes in the human condition that accompanied the industrial revolution, the
growth of large organizations, and the decline of rural life. Today, with vast
social changes again taking place, sociologists offer valuable insights into
the upheavals of our own time - the shift to a service economy, the rapid changes
in relationships between men and women, and the startling demands for political
and economic freedom in the long-stagnent societies of Central Europe. This
textbook is based on the belief that sociological understanding of our society
is as critical now as an understanding of the industrial society was at the
dawn of the modern era.
Despite its
short history, sociology can boast a body of knowledge comparable to that of
much older disciplines. Sociology claims such seminal scholars as Karl Marx,
Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim, whose works have had a profound impact
on the way we think about social phenomena. Contemporary sociology utilizes
an impressive collection of data accumulated over more than a century of systematic
inquiry into the social world. This book introduces beginning students to the
rich heritage of sociology - both its theoretical perspectives and its body
of scientific knowledge.
More books
by Steven L. Nock
Marriage
in Men's Lives
Measuring
Social Judgements: The Factorial Survey Approach
The Costs
of Privacy-Surveillance & Reputation in America
The Sociology of Public Issues
Sociology of the Family
- Second Edition
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