Society in Focus

William E. Thompson is professor of sociology at Texas A&M University -Commerce.Joseph V. Hickey is professor emeritus of sociology at Emporia State University.Mica L. Thompson is an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University - Commerce.

• PrefaceAbout the AuthorsPart 1 Sociological PerspectiveChapter 1 Discovering SociologyLearning OutcomesWhat Is Sociology?The Sociological ImaginationUnderstanding Life in a Global SocietyRecognizing DiversityThings Are Not What They Seem: Sociology and Critical ThinkingSociological Focus 1.1 Critical Thinking and Sociology: Common Sense versus Common NonsenseTaking a Closer Look at Media and TechnologyThe Development of SociologyThe Changing Social Climate: The Industrial RevolutionThe Changing Intellectual Climate: The Rise of ScienceEarly European SociologySociology Crosses the AtlanticContemporary SociologyThe Symbolic Interactionist PerspectiveThe Structural Functionalist PerspectiveThe Conflict PerspectiveFeminist Theory Which Perspective Is Best?Thinking Sociologically: Taking an Integrated ApproachLooking to the FutureSociological Focus 1.2 Sociology in the “Real World”: What Sociologists DoSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 2 Doing SociologyLearning OutcomesGlobalization, Diversity, and Types of KnowledgeExperienceCultural TraditionFaithAuthorityScienceSociology and Scientific KnowledgeSociology as a ScienceThe Theory-Building ProcessThe Scientific MethodEthical Issues in Sociological ResearchTypes of Research and Research DesignsTypes of ResearchSociological Focus 2.1 The Sociologist as VoyeurQuantitative Research DesignsQualitative Research DesignsCombining Research MethodsThe Relationship between Theory and MethodsThe Interactionist PerspectiveThe Functionalist PerspectiveThe Conflict PerspectiveFeminist Theory Social Research and the MediaInfotainment: Information and EntertainmentPseudoscientific Polling versus Survey ResearchTechnology and ResearchSociological Focus 2.2 Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: Reporting Facts or Creating Virtual Truth?Looking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentPart 2 Social FrameworkChapter 3 Society and CultureLearning OutcomesWhat Is Society?Types of SocietiesMedia, Technology, and Postindustrial SocietiesSociological Focus 3.1: Virtual SocietiesWhat Is Culture?Material and Nonmaterial CultureThe Origin of CultureComponents of CultureSymbolsLanguageBeliefsValuesNormsSanctionsEthnocentrism and Cultural RelativismCulture ShockEthnocentrismSociological Focus 3.2 The NaciremaCultural RelativismThe Relativist FallacyGlobalization and Cultural DiversitySubculturesCounterculturesMulticulturalismFrom Modern to Postmodern CultureCulture, Class, and the MediaIdeal and Real CultureSociological Approaches to Society and CultureSociety, Culture, and FunctionalismSociety and Culture from the Conflict PerspectiveSymbolic Interactionism, Society, and CultureA Feminist View of Society and CultureLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 4 SocializationLearning OutcomesThe Socialization ProcessNature and NurtureSociobiology and the Importance of Heredity and EnvironmentThe Effects of Social IsolationDeveloping a Social SelfMajor Agents of Socialization: A Global ViewThe FamilyThe SchoolReligionPeersThe WorkplaceMedia and TechnologySociological Focus 4.1 Technology and Toddlers: Socialization in the Age of ComputersSocialization and the Life CourseSocialization in Childhood and AdolescenceAdult SocializationSociological Focus 4.2 Looking for a Few Good (Wo)Men: Resocialization in a Marine Corps Boot CampDesocialization and ResocializationUnderstanding SocializationBecoming Human: A Symbolic Interactionist ApproachPerpetuating Society and Culture: A Structural Functionalist ViewpointMaintaining Existing Inequalities: The Conflict PerspectiveUnderstanding the Gender Dimension: A Feminist PerspectiveLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 5 Social Interaction in Everyday LifeLearning OutcomesSocial StructureStatusesRolesSociological Focus 5.1 Prisoners and Guards in a Mock PrisonSocial NetworksSocial InstitutionsSocial InteractionPatterns of Social InteractionSocial Perception and StereotypesSocial ActsSociological Focus 5.2 Interacting with Santa Claus at the MallPersonal Space and Nonverbal CommunicationDefining Social SituationsDramaturgy: Presentation of Self and Impression ManagementEthnomethodology: The “Taken-for-Granted” Aspects of InteractionSocial Interaction, Media, and TechnologySociological Approaches to Interaction in Everyday LifeThe Structural Functionalist ApproachThe Conflict PerspectiveThe Symbolic Interactionist ApproachA Feminist ViewpointLooking to the FutureSummary - Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 6 Social Groups, Organizations, and BureaucraciesLearning OutcomesSocial GroupsPrimary and Secondary GroupsIn-Groups and Out-GroupsReference GroupsSmall Group DynamicsSociological Focus 6.1 CybergroupsFormal OrganizationsTypes of OrganizationsContemporary OrganizationsBureaucraciesBureaucracies: The Ideal TypeContemporary Bureaucracies: The RealitySociological Approaches to Groups, Organizations, and BureaucraciesThe Structural Functionalist ApproachThe Conflict PerspectiveA Feminist ViewSymbolic InteractionismMedia Organizations, Technology, and ChangeMedia OrganizationsTechnology, Globalization, and Social DiversityLooking to the FutureSociological Focus 6.2 Bowling Alone in America?Summary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentPart 3 Social Differentiation and InequalityChapter 7 Deviance and ConformityLearning OutcomesDefining Deviance and Conformity: A Global ViewNorms and a Range of ToleranceImportance of Time, Place, Situation, and CultureSignificance of Actors, Audience, and the MediaThe Difference between Deviance and CrimeDistinguishing between Diversity and DevianceDeviance and StigmaPopular Explanations for DevianceDeviants Are Different: From Demonology to BiologyThe Medical Model: Equating Deviance with IllnessBlame It on the Media and TechnologySociological Focus 7.1 Does Media Violence Cause Aggressive Behavior?Sociological Analysis of Deviance and ConformityThe Structural Functionalist PerspectiveConflict Theories of DevianceInteractionist ExplanationsSociological Focus 7.2 Topless Dancers: Managing Stigma in a Deviant OccupationFeminist TheoriesDeviance, Conformity, and Social ControlSocial Control and DeterrenceVoluntary (or Internalized) Social ControlInformal Social ControlFormal Social Control: Crime and the Criminal Justice SystemTechnology: Social Control or Out of Control?Technology and Social ControlTechnology Out of Control?Looking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 8 Social Stratification and the U.S. Class SystemLearning OutcomesUnderstanding Social StratificationSystems of StratificationSlaveryCastesEstatesSocial ClassesDetermining Social Class RankingWealthPowerPrestigeSocioeconomic StatusSocial Classes in the United StatesWealth and IncomeAmerican Social ClassesSociological Focus 8.1 Monopoly Revisited: The Sociological VersionPoverty: Media Images and RealityWho Are the Poor? Media ImagesPoverty: The RealityHomelessness and the Poorest of the PoorSocial Class in the United States: Myth and RealityLife Chances and Social ClassSocial Mobility in the United StatesSociological Focus 8.2 Ain’t No Makin’ It: Social Immobility in the Land of OpportunityPerspectives on Social StratificationThe Functionalist PerspectiveThe Interactionist PerspectiveThe Feminist PerspectiveThe Conflict PerspectiveLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 9 Global StratificationLearning OutcomesGlobalization and Economic DevelopmentThe Language of DevelopmentHigh-Income NationsMiddle-Income NationsLow-Income NationsGlobal Stratification and Quality of LifeThe Global “Haves” and “Have-Nots”National Class Systems and PovertyPopulation Growth and PovertyThe Poorest of the Poor: Women and ChildrenExplaining Global StratificationModernization Theory: A Functionalist ApproachSociological Focus 9.1 Globalization and a “World on Fire”Conflict Approaches to Global InequalityInteractionism and Global StratificationFeminism and Global InequalityTransnational Corporations: The Making of New “Haves” and “Have-Nots”Corporations and the New Global Assembly LineMedia, Corporations, and InequalitySociological Focus 9.2 Poverty and the Internet: Efforts to Narrow the Digital DivideCorporations, Diversity, and a World on the MoveLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 10 Race and EthnicityLearning OutcomesUnderstanding Race and Ethnicity in a Global SocietyRaceSociological Focus 10.1 Life on the Color LineEthnicityMinority GroupsPrejudice and DiscriminationRacismEthnocentrismTypes of DiscriminationAffirmative ActionRace and Ethnicity, Media, and TechnologyDominant–Minority Group RelationsCultural PluralismAssimilationSegregationGenocideRace and Ethnic Diversity in the United StatesPerspectives on Race and EthnicityA Functionalist ApproachThe Conflict PerspectiveSymbolic InteractionismA Feminist ViewLooking to the FutureSociological Focus 10.2 Beyond “Black” and “White”?Summary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 11 Sex and GenderLearning OutcomesSex and Gender in a Global SocietySex: Biological DifferentiationGender: Social and Cultural DifferentiationSociological Focus 11.1 The Social Costs of Violating Gender NormsExplaining Gender DifferencesSocialization and Gender Identity: An Interactionist ApproachGender Complementarity: The Functionalist ViewGender Stratification: A Conflict PerspectiveStandpoint Theory: A Feminist ViewSexism: Inequality Based on Sex and GenderIn the FamilyIn ReligionIn EducationIn the WorkplaceSociological Focus 11.2 Sexual Misconduct, “Time’s Up,” and the “Me Too” MovementIn SportsIn Politics and GovernmentIn the MilitaryIn the MediaFeminism: The Struggle for Gender EqualityFeminist Movements in the United StatesGlobal FeminismResistance to FeminismSexual Orientation and DiversityHomosexuality and BisexualityHomophobiaLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 12 Age and the ElderlyLearning OutcomesGerontology: The Study of AgingPopulation Aging and the “Graying” of the GlobeBodily “Wear and Tear”: Biological and Physiological AgingFrom “Midlife Crisis” to “Senior Citizen”: Psychological AgingSociological Focus 12.1 The Fountain of Age: Redefining the Meaning of Growing Old“Act Your Age”: The Social Dimensions of AgingAging and Diversity: A Global PerspectiveGrowing Old in Traditional Preindustrial SocietiesThe Elderly in Industrial SocietiesAging in Contemporary Postindustrial SocietiesGrowing Old in American SocietyAgeismMass-Media StereotypesRetirement, Fixed Incomes, and PovertySocial IsolationElder AbuseHealth MaintenanceDeath and DyingSociological Focus 12.2 The Euthanasia Debate: Merciful Death? Or Murder?Sociological Explanations of the Aging ProcessSocial Disengagement Theory: A Functionalist PerspectiveSymbolic Interactionism: Activity Theory of AgingAn Aged Subculture: The Conflict ApproachIntersectionality of Age and Gender: A Feminist PerspectiveExchange Theory: Combining Perspectives on AgingLooking to the FutureSummary- Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentPart 4 Social InstitutionsChapter 13 FamiliesLearning OutcomesWhat Is a Family?Family Diversity: A Global PortraitDescent PatternsFamily PatternsDating and Mate Selection, Marriage, and Divorce PatternsResidence and Authority PatternsSociological Approaches to the FamilyFunctionalism and the FamilyThe Family from the Conflict and Feminist PerspectivesSocial Exchange and Symbolic InteractionU.S. Families: In the Life CourseDating and Mate SelectionSociological Focus 13.1 Swipe Right or Swipe Left: Love on the Internet Cohabitation: A New Dating and Mate-Selection Stage?SinglehoodMarriage and Divorce RatesFamilies in the Middle and Later Stages of LifeU.S. Families: A Portrait of Social DiversityFamilies of Myth and HistoryMedia Families: Compounding the Myths?Families in the United States: The RealityFamily Transitions and Family ProblemsDomestic ViolenceSociological Focus 13.2 Parental Discipline? Or Family Violence?Balancing Family and WorkLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 14 EducationLearning OutcomesEducation in a Global SocietyA Proper British EducationKanri Kyoiku in JapanEducation in the United StatesThe Role of Education: A Functionalist PerspectiveCultural TransmissionAnticipatory SocializationSocial and Cultural IntegrationSociological Focus 14.1 Learning the Student Role: Kindergarten as Academic Boot CampInnovation and Cultural ChangeLatent Functions of EducationEducation and Social Stratification: Conflict and Feminist PerspectivesUnequal Access to Schooling and Educational InequalityEducational Credentials: Schools as a Screening DeviceEducation and Occupational Opportunities in the United StatesEducation and Everyday Life: An Interactionist ViewSocialization: Personal and Social DevelopmentLabeling Students: The Self-Fulfilling ProphecySchools as Bureaucracy: Dehumanization of EducationContemporary Trends in American EducationPreschool and Early Childhood EducationStandardized TestingYear-Round EducationCharter Schools and School VouchersHomeschoolingDiversity, Multicultural Education, and GlobalizationExpanding Role of Community CollegesChallenges for EducationSociological Focus 14.2 School Violence and School SafetyMedia, Computers, and TechnologyLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 15 ReligionLearning OutcomesDefining ReligionThe Sacred and the ProfaneReligious Symbols, Beliefs, and RitualsSociological Focus 15.1 Sociological Thinking and Extraordinary PhenomenaThe Difference between Religion and MagicReligion and Ultimate MeaningGlobal Religious DiversityAnimatismAnimismTheismEthical ReligionsThe Social Organization of ReligionEcclesiaDenomination or ChurchSectNew Religious MovementSociological Perspectives on ReligionReligion and FunctionalismReligion from the Conflict PerspectiveReligion, Interactionism, and Social ChangeReligion and FeminismReligious Movements in FocusEarly Revivals and Religious MovementsThe Holiness and Pentecostal MovementsEvangelical and Fundamentalist MovementsSociological Focus 15.2 End of the World Movements and Social ChangeReligious Movements in a Global ContextReligious Movements in a “New Age”Religion, Media and TechnologyEvangelical MediaTechnology and ReligionReligious Diversity in the United StatesSocial Correlates of ReligionReligion and Race: African American Religious OrganizationsLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 16 Politics and WarLearning OutcomesGovernment and Personal FreedomPower, Politics, and AuthorityTraditional AuthorityLegal-Rational AuthorityCharismatic AuthorityExpertisePolitics and InfluencePropaganda, Censorship, and IdeologyPolitics, Influence, and the MediaTechnology, Influence, and Contemporary PoliticsSociological Focus 16.1 Campaigning Online and “Fake News” in CyberspaceGlobalization and Political SystemsAuthoritarian SystemsDemocratic SystemsDemocracy: American StylePolitical Participation and the American VoterInterest GroupsPolitical PartiesSociological Approaches to Politics and GovernmentThe Functionalist ApproachConflict ApproachesThe Symbolic Interactionist PerspectiveFeminist Views on Government and PowerWar, Nuclear War, and SocietyPerspectives on WarThe Development of WarTechnology and “Infowar”Nuclear War and SocietySociological Focus 16.2 Cyberterrorism and Cyberwars: The Future of War?The United Nations and the Search for PeaceLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 17 The Economy and WorkLearning OutcomesSociology and the Study of the EconomyProductionDistribution of Goods and ServicesConsumptionThe Economic SystemThe Global EconomyCapitalismSocialismMixed EconomiesTransnational Corporations and the Global EconomyThe American Economy and WorkFrom an Agrarian to an Industrial EconomyAdvertising and the MediaPostindustrialism and Service WorkBlue-Collar, White-Collar, and Pink-Collar OccupationsPrimary and Secondary Labor Markets and the Rise of ProfessionsSociological Focus 17.1 Handling the Stigma of Handling the DeadSelf-EmploymentUnemployment and UnderemploymentAmerica’s Hidden EconomyWork as a Social PhenomenonWork as a Social RoleWork and the Social StructureSociological Focus 17.2 Working on an Assembly LineWork and IdentityWorker SatisfactionTaking a Closer Look at the Economy and WorkA Functionalist ViewThe Conflict PerspectiveAn Interactionist ApproachA Feminist ViewpointLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 18 Health and MedicineLearning OutcomesHealth and Sickness: A Global ViewHealth and Sickness in Poor NationsHealth and Sickness in Wealthy NationsHealth and Sickness in the United StatesEpidemiology: The Social Dimensions of HealthSocial Attitudes toward Health and IllnessDisease and Stigma: AIDS and EbolaHealth, Disability, and Social IdentitySociological Focus 18.1 New Diseases, Social Panic, and Cultural ChangeMedicine and Health Care: A Cross-Cultural ViewJapan: Scientific Medicine and KampoSweden and Norway: Prenatal to Postmortem Health CareGreat Britain: Socialized Medicine in a Capitalist SocietyMedicine and Health Care in the United StatesThe Development of Modern MedicineThe Age of SpecializationSociological Focus 18.2 Medical Technology and Ethical IssuesMedia, Technology, and the Medicalization of American SocietyThe Health-Care Crisis: A Functionalist ViewpointThe Health-Care Crisis from the Conflict PerspectiveThe Health-Care Crisis from a Feminist PerspectiveIs There a Health-Care Crisis? An Interactionist ApproachIntegrative Medicine and Alternatives to Conventional Health CareLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentPart 5 Social ChangeChapter 19 Population, Urbanization, and EcologyLearning OutcomesDemography and Global PopulationFertility, Mortality, and MigrationPopulation Composition and DensityPopulation GrowthGrowth Rates and Doubling TimeMalthusian TheoryThe Population Bomb: Malthusian Theory RevivedThe Theory of Demographic TransitionPopulation Growth in the United StatesThe Growth of Cities and UrbanizationThe Rise of CitiesUrbanizationSociological Focus 19.1 The Pursuit of Loneliness: The Fallacy of “Escaping It All”The Metropolis, the Megalopolis, and the SuburbsProblems in American Cities and SuburbsSociological Focus 19.2 The Suburbanization of America: Progress? Or Social Decline?Urban Sociology and Human EcologyToennies’ Gemeinschaft and GesellschaftDurkheim’s Mechanical and Organic SolidarityRedfield’s Folk and Urban SocietiesThe Chicago School and Ecological StudiesThe Concentric Zone ModelThe Sector ModelThe Multiple-Nuclei ModelHuman Ecology and the EnvironmentOverpopulationDepletion of Natural ResourcesPollution: Water, Air, and LandThe Media, Technology and Environmental ConcernsSociological Analyses of Population, Urbanization, and the EnvironmentA Functionalist ApproachThe Conflict PerspectiveSymbolic InteractionA Feminist ViewLooking to the FutureSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentChapter 20 Social Change, Collective Behavior, and the FutureLearning OutcomesWhat Is Social Change?Macro-changeMicro-changeSources of Social ChangeSociological Focus 20.1 Technology and a Surveillance Society?Sociological Approaches to Social ChangeFunctionalist TheoriesConflict ApproachesInteractionist, Feminist, and Other Contemporary Perspectives on ChangeCollective BehaviorInterpreting Collective BehaviorCrowds, Masses, and Collective BehaviorSocial MovementsPerspectives on Social MovementsSocial Movement OrganizationsThe Life Course of Social MovementsSociological Focus 20.2 ”Enough is Enough!” and the “Never Again” MovementFactors Related to Movement SuccessSocial Movements and ChangeLooking to the FutureMedia Visions of the FutureTechnology and the FutureSocial Trends: The Next 10-25 YearsSummary – Key Terms – Outcomes AssessmentGlossaryReferencesName IndexSubject IndexCredits