Cities and Urban Life (6th Edition)

A comprehensive introduction to urban sociology

Cities and Urban Life, written by two of the best-known authors in the field, provides a comprehensive introduction to urban sociology, urban anthropology and urban studies.

The focus of the text is sociological, but it also incorporates research and theory from other disciplines.

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers will be able to:

• Understand how cities and urban life vary according to time and place
• Understand how cities reflect society and culture
• Use a global perspective to explore urban sociology
• Explore how cities reflect the human condition

MySearchLab with eText does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MySearchLab, please visit:

www.mysearchlab.com or you can purchase a valuepack of the text + MySearchLab (at no additional cost): ValuePack ISBN-10:

0205902588 / ValuePack ISBN-13: 9780205902583

John J. Macionis was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.

John Macionis' publications are wide-ranging, focusing on community life in the United States, interpersonal intimacy in families, effective teaching, humor, new information technology, and the importance of global education.

In addition, John Macionis and Nijole V. Benokraitis have edited the best-selling anthology Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology. Macionis and Vincent Parrillo have written the leading urban studies text, Cities and Urban Life (Pearson). Macionis’ most recent textbook is Social Problems (Pearson).

John Macionis is Professor and Distinguished Scholar of Sociology at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he has taught for almost thirty years. During that time, he has chaired the Sociology Department, directed the college’s multidisciplinary program in humane studies, presided over the campus senate and the college’s faculty, and taught sociology to thousands of students.

In 2002, the American Sociological Association presented Macionis with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching, citing his innovative use of global material as well as the introduction of new teaching technology in his textbooks.

Professor Macionis has been active in academic programs in other countries, having traveled to some fifty nations. He writes, “I am an ambitious traveler, eager to learn and, through the texts, to share much of what I discover with students, many of whom know little about the rest of the world. For me, traveling and writing are all dimensions of teaching. First, and foremost, I am a teacher―a passion for teaching animates everything I do.”

The Macionis family lives on a farm in rural Ohio. Macionis is an environmental activist in New York’s Lake George region, working with a number of organizations, including the Lake George Land Conservancy, where he serves as president of the board of trustees. 

Vincent N. Parrillo was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. He received his B.S. degree from Seton Hall University, his M.A. from Montclair State University, and his doctorate from Rutgers University.

More recent books include: a historical novel, Guardians of the Gate (2011); Strangersto These Shores 10th ed. (2011); Diversity in America 4th ed. (2012); Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations 4th ed. (2012); Contemporary Social Problems 6th ed. (2005); and Millennium Haze (2000). He is General Editor of the two-volume interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Social Problems (Sage, 2008). Some of his writings have been published in eight languages.

He is the executive producer and writer of two award- winning PBS television documentaries: Smokestacks and Steeples: A Portrait of Paterson (1992) and Ellis Island: Gateway to America (1991). His latest documentary, The Sculptor Laureate of Paterson, is in production and scheduled for release in late 2012.

Vince Parrillo is a Fulbright Scholar and Senior Fulbright Specialist. A visiting professor at the University of Liege and University of Pisa, he has also given dozens of presentations in Asia, Canada, and Europe, under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of State. A keynote speaker at international conferences in Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, and South Korea, he has also conferred with national leaders in Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Sweden on issues relating to immigration. He has also conducted numerous diversity training sessions for NCOs and senior officers at various military bases at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Defense.

A past vice president of the Eastern Sociological Society (2009), he was its Robin M. Williams, Jr. Distinguished Lecturer in 2006. Recipient of an award from William Paterson University for Excellence in Scholarship (2004), Prof. Parrillo is also co-lyricist of Hamlet: The Rock Opera, which has been performed in New York City, Prague, and Seoul.