Discovering Sociology - Softcover

A dazzling mixtape of Sociology’s classic theorists, biggest ideas, and enduring approaches. Count on it to teach―and learn―the rigorous skepticism needed to navigate the world of fake news. – Judith Treas, University of California-Irvine, USA

Discovering Sociology is a remarkable achievement and is bound to become a classic in the field. It promises to be transformative both for students new to the discipline and for those teaching introductory Sociology, and offers an engaged, warm and humane reassertion of Sociology’s continuing appeal. – Chamsy el-Ojeili, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Not just an introduction to Sociology, this book is an inspiring, passionate and lively reminder of what it means to have a sociological imagination. Thoughtful, entertaining and always informative, this is a book destined to inspire a new generation of sociologists. – Raelene Wilding, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

A terrific book which opens out Sociology to new students in exciting ways... a pitch-perfect introduction to the central ideas and animating themes of Sociology. – Daryl Martin, University of York, UK

Bravo! In this enticing and accessible textbook, four diverse sociologists offer an impressive array of research perspectives and provide a modern social science textbook for all concerned about the future of global democracy and survival. – Joe Feagin, Texas A&M University, USA

A lively, cutting edge and student-oriented introduction to sociology: explaining classical and contemporary theories and key concepts and recent debates in sociology whilst engaging students through a variety of mediums, from interviewing students and scholars in Vox Pops, invoking cognitive dissonance through Provocations, providing Good Sociology and Bad Sociology textboxes and offering Pauses for Reflection. An excellent textbook to help students discover their sociological imagination and the fun of doing sociology. – Travis Kong, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Hong Kong, China

Discovering Sociology makes a welcome contribution to studying sociology, taking a fresh and inspiring approach to the subject. Accessible and well written, this book provides an engaging and provocative entry point for the inquiring student. Perfect for the undergraduate with no or little prior knowledge of the discipline, it engages the reader with topical and contemporary examples highlighting the significance of theory and the continued relevance of the sociological imagination. – Mads P. Sørensen, Aarhus University, Denmark

Accessible and chock full of contemporary cases, Discovering Sociology is an exciting new introduction to the discipline. Rooted in the fundamentals of the sociological imagination, the textbook will engage students through its careful presentation of topics and intellectual debates. Sociology is a vibrant, dynamic discipline, and this textbook conveys its spirit with verve. – Amin Ghaziani, University of British Columbia, Canada

In a crowded field of introductory textbooks here is a text that breaks through with a sharp, engaging and fresh approach. In just 10 chapters, the authors of Discovering Sociology skilfully demonstrate the ways in which sociology is an exciting, inspiring and challenging field of study. A book that students will surely enjoy working through. – Karim Murji, University of West London, UK

This major new textbook uses lively prose and a series of carefully-crafted pedagogical features to both introduce Sociology as a discipline and to help students realize how deeply sociological issues impact on their own lives. Over the book’s ten chapters, students discover what Sociology is, alongside its historical development and emergent new concerns. They will be led through the theories that underpin the discipline and familiarized with what it takes to undertake good sociological research. Ultimately students will be led and inspired to develop their own sociological imagination – learning to question their own assumptions about the society, the culture and the world around them today.

Historically, the majority of introductory Sociology textbooks have run to many hundreds of pages, discouraging students from further reading. By contrast, Discovering Sociology has been carefully designed and developed as a true introduction, covering the key ideas and topics that first year undergraduate students need to engage with without sacrificing intellectual rigour.