Preface xi
1. The Discipline of Sociology
What Is Sociology?
Sociology is an Academic Discipline: Socioloty is a Perspective
Sociology Examines the “Social World”
Sociology Asks Three Questions
Sociology Focuses on Five Ideas
Sociology Is a Scientific Discipline
The Meaning of Sociology: A Summary
The Beginnings of Sociology
Science Was an Inspiration…
And So Were Problems of Industrialization…
And the Need to Understand Revolution…
As Well as Experiences with Other Peoples and Societies…
And a New Culture for New Ideas
The Development of Sociology
Conclusion and Summary
Afterword:Is Sociology a Science?
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
2. Sociology as a Perspective: How Sociologists Think
Humans are Social Beings
Humans Exist Within Social Patterns
Humans are Socialized
Summary: Three Ideas
Durkheim: The Study of Suicide
Durkheim’s Theory
Durkheim’s Evidence
Extending His Theory
Durkheim’s Influence
Sociology: A Summary
Afterword: How Is Sociology Different from Psychology?
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
3. Humans Are Embedded in Social Organization
Organization Begins with Social Action
Mutual Social Action is Social Interaction
Social Interaction is Patterned Social Interaction
The Forms of Social Organizations
Dyads Are Twos
Groups Are Three and More
Formal Organizations Have Explicit Social Patterns
Communities Are Self-Sufficient Units of Organization
Societies Are the Most Inclusive Form of Organization
Social Oranizations Seem to Sit Right On Top of the Individual
Afterword
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
4. Social Structure
We All Fill Positions in Social Structure
Roles are Attached to Positions
Roles Are Not as Simple as a Script in a Play
Status Positions Form Our Identities
Positions Are Unequal
Unequal Power
Unequal Prestige
Unequal Privileges
Our Positions Also Give us our Perspectives
Summary: The Meaning and Importance of Structure
Afterword: Max Weber and Bureaucracy
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
5. Inequality in Society
Income and Wealth in the United States
Income Inequality
Wealth and Inequality
The Meaning of Social Class
Gender and Race
Class, Race, and Gender Structures are Special Social Structures
The Origin of Social Stratification Systems
Social Mobility
Structural Change
Marx’s View of Social Stratification
Summary
Afterword A Theory of “Dis-Accumulation” of Opportunity
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
6 Culture
Culture is a Shared Perspective
Culture is Learned
Culture is a Social Inheritance
Culture is a Body of “Truth”
Culture is a Set of Values
Values are Reflected in Action
There is an American Value System, But it is Complex and Often Inconsistent
Culture is a Set of Goals
Culture is a Set of Norms
Culture, Subculture, and Counterculture
Culture is Important
The Real Significance of Culture: The Social Construction of Reality
Afterword: Georg Simmel and the Metropolis
Summary
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
7. Social Institutions
Institutions are Social Patterns
Institutions are the Most Central Grooves in Society
Institutions are the Central Ways A Society Functions and Solves Its
Ongoing Problems
Institutions are Widely Accepted and Deeply Entrenched
Institutions are Real Forces Working on Actors
The Meaning of Institutions: A Summary
Institutions are Important
Institutionalization and Deinstitutionalization
The Rejection of Social Institutions
Summary
Afterword: Total Institutions: Mental Patients and Other Inmates
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
8. Organizations, Societies, and Globalization
Social Organizations are Networks
Society in the World Order
Karl Marx: A Future Worldwide Capitalist Order
Globalization in the Twenty-First Century: Economic, Political,
and Cultural
Economic Globalization
Cultural Globalization
Conclusion and Summary
Cultural Globalization
Political Globalization
Social Organizations are Networks
Society in the World Order
The Criticisms of Globalization
Afterword: Core Societies, Semi-Peripheral Societies, and Peripheral
Societies
Core Societies
Semi-Periphery
Periphery
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
9. Social Order, Social Control, and Social Deviance
Social Order is Established Through Structure and Culture
Social Order Depends on Socialization
Loyalty to the Organization is the Fourth Foundation for Social Order
Social Controls Contribute to Social Order
Social Order Depends on Working Institutions
Social Deviance
Summary
Afterword: Cultural Relativism and Values: Harriet Martineau
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
10. Social Power
The Meaning of Social Power
Three Definitions of Power
Resources and Social Power
Control, Influence, and Powerlessness
Three Types of Authority
Power Structure: Michels, Weber, and Marx
Organizations Are the Source of Resources
Theories of Power: Pluralism, Power Elite, and Corporations
Pluralism
The Power Elite
The Corporate Elite
Summary
Afterword: C. Wright Mills’ Research on “The Power Elite”
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
11 . Symbols, Self, and Mind: Our Active Nature
Individuality and Freedom
How Can We Explain Individuality?
The Origin of Human Freedom
Human Beings are Symbol Users
The Meaning of Symbols
The Importance of Symbols
Symbols and Freedom
We Posses Self and Mind
Summary
Afterword: Taking the Role of the Other
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
12. Social Change
Individual Change and Social Change
Individuals Change Organizations
Organizations Change Organizations
Social Conflict Changes Organizations
Environments Change Social Organizations
Technology Changes Social Organizations
Changes in Populations Change Social Organizations
Social Patterns Influences Other Social Patterns
Changing Institutions Influences Social Structure and Culture
Changing Culture Influences Structure and Institutions
Changing Structure Influence Institutions and Culture
Summary
Afterword: Are American Communities Weaker Today Than They Were In
Past Generations?
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
13. The Family in Society
The Importance of the Family to Sociology
Meaning of the Family
Is the Family Universal?
Why is Definition Difficult?
The Family: A Primary Group in a Household
The Family: The Socialization Function
The Family: Economic and Social Functions
The Family: The Social Class Placement Function
The Family: The Expressive Function
The Meaning of the Family: A Summary
Marriage as an Institution
The Changing Structure of Marriage
Marital Satisfaction
Children and Socialization in the Family
Individual Choice and the Changing Family
Summary
Afterword: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage
Research Methods
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
14. Religion, Society, and the Individual
The Industrial Revolution: Religion and the Beginning of Sociology
Auguste Compte (1798–1857): The Death of the Sacred
Ferdinand Toennies (1855–1936): Religion and Community
Karl Marx(1818–1883): Religion as the Opiate of the Masses
Emile Durkheim (1858–1917): Meaning and Function of Religion
Religion and the Creation of the Sacred
Religion is “Eminently Social”
Religion Creates and Upholds the Morality of Society
Religion Is Important for the Individual
The Future of Society
Max Weber (1864–1920): Religion, the Rationalization of Life, and
Social Change
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Rationalization of Life and the Future of Religion
Charismatic Authority and the Role of Religion in Social Change
Weber: A Summary
The Heritage of Sociology from the Early Sociologists: Conclusion
The Study of Religion in the Late-Modern World
Secularization: Is Religion Becoming Less Important Today?
The Role of Fundamentalism
Organized Religion and Individual Spirituality
Summary: The Sociology of Religion
Afterword: Sociological Research on Religious Identity
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
15. Education in Society
Education and Sociological Theory
Structural Functionalist Theories on Education
Social Conflict Theories on Education
Reproduction Theory: Symbolic Violence and Education
Symbolic Interactionism: Theory on Education
Functions of Education
Europe, the United States, and Decentralization: A Brief Look at an
Evolving System
Education and Inequality
Poverty and Education
Tracking and Inequality
School Segregation and Academic Achievement Gap
”Cultural Capital” and Inequality
Outcomes of Inequality
Education and Life Chances
Education and Global Competitiveness
Summary
Afterword: Emile Durkheim’s Views on Education and Moral
Socialization
Schools and Sex Education
Research on Sex Education
Questions to Consider
References
Recommended Reading
16. Epilogue: The Meaning and Uses of Sociology
The Uses of Sociology
Questions to Consider
Reference
Recommended Reading
Index
