This comprehensive yet brief text provides students with a clear presentation of the four key theoretical perspectives, and then applies those perspectives to the real world with a variety of examples and exercises, in order to bring sociology home for students.The fifth edition of this text maintains the well-balanced approach and accessible writing style that popularized the previous editions, and now features an enhanced focus on Globalization.It is also accompanied by MySocLab, a fully updated, popular online supplement that now also includes peerScholar, an e-learning tool designed to help students develop strong thinking and communication skills through course assignments.