Author Description

This introduction to sociology uses the three major theoretical perspectives - functionalist, conflict, and interactionist - as tools for examining the social world. The author shows how society works and how human behavior is shaped by cultural, structural, and institutional forces, using illuminating examples. As in previous editions, the Fifth Edition also integrates two other themes that reflect some contemporary trends in sociology. The first is a reemergence of interest in how sociological knowledge can be applied to social problems or to helping people improve their lives. The second is the recognition that societies and cultures are becoming increasingly diverse and interdependent. For anyone interested in sociology.