A text for undergraduates, covering major perspectives in sociology and key findings of contemporary American research. Overarching themes are the pace of social change and the globalizing of social life. Treatment takes a comparative stance and a historical approach, with coverage of gender issues, the micro and macro link, and relations between the social and the personal. Concepts are explained as they are introduced with concrete examples. Includes chapter summaries and concept review boxes. Giddens is affiliated with the London School of Economics. Duneier is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and the University of California-Santa Barbara. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR