Essentials of Sociology - Softcover

Drawing on up-to-the-minute examples, cutting-edge research, and the most current data, Essentials of Sociology powerfully illustrates how a sociological imagination can make us more thoughtful members of our social world, better citizens, and more effective future workers. (NEW) “Employing Your Sociological Imagination” features highlight the practical value of sociology to a wide range of careers. Extensive pedagogy and innovative media help students not only succeed in the course, but also develop the skills necessary for life beyond college.

Anthony Giddens, former director of the London School of Economics and a current member of the House of Lords, is a world-renowned social theorist who has written over forty books. He has written on just about every major topic in sociology but is best known for his work on modernization theory and globalization.

Mitchell Duneier is an award-winning urban ethnographer at Princeton University and the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is most famous for his book Sidewalk, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Duneier's research focuses on the urban poor and other groups in the margins of society.

Richard P. Appelbaum, the MacArthur chair of Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has won several awards for his teaching and works mainly on globalization and labor issues. Appelbaum is the coauthor of Behind the Label.

Deborah Carr is a demographer and an active teacher at Rutgers University, where she regularly teaches the intro course. Her work focuses on sociology of the life course, aging, social psychology, and gender. Carr's latest book, Worried Sick: How Stress Hurts Us and How to Bounce Back, looks at how stress gets under our skin, makes us sick, and how and why people cope with stress differently.