Sociology: Pop Culture to Social Structure

More than ever before, this book makes sociology relevant by applying sociological concepts and theories in a fun, hip way, using pop culture as the vehicle for relating to students. The new title, SOCIOLOGY: POP CULTURE TO SOCIAL STRUCTURE, underscores this approach by reflecting the book's stronger trio of themes, which 1) use pop culture to apply sociological concepts to everyday phenomena, 2) illustrate how technological change drives social change through examples that are familiar to students, and 3) engage students in thinking critically by asking them where they fit in to the larger context of social patterns in the world, and challenging them to apply sociological ideas when thinking about governmental or institutional policies. Streamlined by 15 percent in this edition, the text teaches students how to think sociologically, not just what to think, and emphasizes the importance of diversity and a global perspective. Movie reviews in the popular Sociology at the Movies boxes explore the sociological messages in recent movies such as The Social Network, Avatar, Milk, and many others. Up-to-date discussions of topics such as race, poverty, and religious practices are accompanied by exploration of contemporary issues related to our increasingly digital world, including examinations of how technological change shortens attention span, the Internet as an atomizing and a community-building force, and electronic surveillance and social control.
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