Sociology
Sociology brings concepts to life for today’s students by balancing traditional coverage with a fresh perspective on the relevance of sociology for achieving social change. This customized edition of Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World, Brief Edition, v. 2.0 by Steven E. Barkan (Flat World Knowledge, 2017) includes hundreds of formative questions to guide students through the material.
Steady encouragement
After each new topic is presented, students answer a few questions about the main ideas. This keeps students focused, actively processing the information, and constructing new knowledge.
Presentation and exploration
Each chapter offers concise presentation of key concepts. Central Ideas at the beginning of each chapter preview the key learning outcomes.
Study questions
Questions throughout the text encourage close reading and guide students to key information.
Everything you need
Sociology provides everything you need for an online course. And we can tailor the webtext to match your program’s emphasis, term length, student expectations, and assignment types.
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Sociology and the Sociological Perspective
- Central Ideas
- Social Influences
- The Sociological Perspective
- Seeing Society
- Seeing Society: Social Structures
- Seeing Society: Social Reform
- Critical Thinking in Sociology
- Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
- Theoretical Perspectives: Functionalism
- Theoretical Perspectives: Conflict Theory
- Theoretical Perspectives: Symbolic Interactionism
- Theoretical Perspectives: Rational Choice Theory
- Theoretical Perspectives: Comparing Approaches
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Eye on Society: Doing Sociological Research
- Central Ideas
- Sociology as a Social Science
- Sociology as a Social Science: Social Reality
- Sociology as a Social Science: The Scientific Method
- Stages of the Research Process: Choose a Topic
- Stages of the Research Process: Review the Literature
- Stages of the Research Process: State the Hypothesis
- Stages of the Research Process: Begin Research
- Stages of the Research Process: Research Methods
- Stages of the Research Process: Collect Data
- Stages of the Research Process: Analyze Data
- Ethical Issues in Sociological Research
- Sociological Research in the Service of Society
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Culture
- Central Ideas
- Culture and the Sociological Perspective
- Elements of Culture: Symbols
- Elements of Culture: Language
- Elements of Culture: Norms and Rituals
- Elements of Culture: Changing Norms and Beliefs
- Elements of Culture: Values
- Elements of Culture: Artifacts
- Cultural Diversity
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Socialization
- Central Ideas
- The Importance of Socialization
- Explaining Socialization
- Sociological Explanations
- Social-Psychological Explanations
- Agents of Socialization: Family
- Agents of Socialization: Schools and Peers
- Agents of Socialization: Media and Religion
- Socialization Through the Life Course: Childhood and Adolescence
- Socialization Through the Life Course: Adulthood and Old Age
- Resocialization and Total Institutions
- Socialization Practices and Improving Society
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Social Structure and Social Interaction
- Central Ideas
- Social Structure
- Social Structure: Statuses
- Social Structure: Roles
- Social Structure: Social Networks, Groups, and Organizations
- Social Structure: Social Institutions
- Types of Societies
- Types of Societies: Traditional
- Types of Societies: Industrial and Postindustrial
- Social Interaction
- Social Interaction: Role Conflict
- Social Interaction: Impression Management
- Social Interaction: Emotions and Communication
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Groups and Organizations
- Central Ideas
- Social Groups
- Social Groups: Primary and Secondary Groups
- Social Groups: Reference Groups
- Social Networks
- Group Dynamics and Behavior
- Group Dynamics and Behavior: Leadership and Decision Making
- Group Dynamics and Behavior: Roles and Conformity
- Group Dynamics and Behavior: Conformity and Groupthink
- Formal Organizations
- Formal Organizations: Bureaucracies
- Formal Organizations: Disadvantages of Bureaucracies
- Formal Organizations: Gender and Race Dynamics
- Groups, Organizations, and Social Change
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Deviance, Crime, and Social Control
- Central Ideas
- Social Control and the Relativity of Deviance
- Explaining Deviance
- Explaining Deviance: Social Ecology and Strain Theory
- Explaining Deviance: Subcultures and Social Control Theory
- Explaining Deviance: Conflict and Feminist Theories
- Explaining Deviance: Symbolic Interactionism
- Aspects of Crime
- Aspects of Crime: Counting Crime
- Aspects of Crime: Conventional Crime
- Aspects of Crime: White-Collar and Victimless Crimes
- The Get-Tough Approach: Boon or Bust?
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Social Stratification
- Central Ideas
- Systems of Stratification: Slavery
- Systems of Stratification: Estate and Caste Systems
- Systems of Stratification: Class Systems and Classless Societies
- Explaining Stratification: The Functionalist View
- Explaining Stratification: The Conflict View
- Explaining Stratification: Symbolic Interactionism
- Social Class: Objective and Subjective Measures
- Social Class: The American Class Structure
- Social Class: Social Mobility
- Economic Inequality in the United States
- Economic Inequality: Poverty
- Economic Inequality: The Distribution of Poverty
- Economic Inequality: Explaining Poverty and the Effects of Poverty
- Reducing U.S. Poverty: What Sociology Suggests
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Global Stratification
- Central Ideas
- The Nature and Extent of Global Stratification
- The Nature and Extent of Global Stratification: Classifying Global Stratification
- The Nature and Extent of Global Stratification: The Wealth of Nations
- The Nature and Extent of Global Stratification: Global Poverty
- The Nature and Extent of Global Stratification: Poverty Indexes
- The Nature and Extent of Global Stratification: Global Inequality
- The Impact of Global Poverty
- The Impact of Global Poverty: Health and Literacy
- The Impact of Global Poverty: The Status of Women
- The Impact of Global Poverty: The Status of Children
- Explaining Global Stratification
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Race and Ethnicity
- Central Ideas
- The Meaning of Race
- Racial and Ethnic Relations
- The Social Construction of Race
- The Meaning of Ethnicity
- Explaining Prejudice
- The Role of the Mass Media
- Aspects of Prejudice
- Discrimination
- Discrimination: Institutional Discrimination
- Discrimination: Housing Discrimination
- Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the United States
- Explaining Racial and Ethnic Inequality
- Race and Ethnicity in the 21st Century
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Gender and Gender Inequality
- Central Ideas
- Sex and Gender
- Sex and Gender: The Development of Gender Differences
- Sex and Gender: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Sex and Gender: Culture and Gender
- Sex and Gender: Socialization and Gender
- Feminism and Sexism
- Aspects of Feminism
- Gender Inequality
- Gender Inequality: Sexual Harassment and Household Inequality
- Gender Inequality: Race and Ethnicity
- Violence Against Women
- Violence Against Women: Explaining Rape
- The Benefits and Costs of Being Male
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Aging and the Elderly
- Central Ideas
- Gerontology and the Concept of Aging
- Sociological Perspectives on Aging
- Life Expectancy, Aging, and the Graying of Society
- Life Expectancy in the United States
- Biological and Psychological Aspects of Aging
- The Elderly in the United States
- Problems Facing the Elderly
- Problems Facing the Elderly: Financial Security and Employment
- Problems Facing the Elderly: Isolation and Abuse
- Older Americans as a Political Force
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Work and the Economy
- Central Ideas
- Economic Development in Historical Perspective
- Economic Development: Types of Societies
- Types of Economic Systems
- Economic Systems: Comparing Capitalism and Socialism
- Corporations
- Work and Labor in the United States
- Work and Labor: Recent Trends in Jobs and Wages
- Work and Labor: The U.S. Labor Force
- Work and Labor: Race, Ethnicity, and Employment
- Work and Labor: Job Satisfaction and Alienation
- Work and Labor: Crime in the Workplace
- The Military-Industrial Complex
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Politics and Government
- Central Ideas
- Power and Authority
- Authority: Traditional and Rational-Legal Authority
- Authority: Charismatic Authority
- Political Systems: Democracy
- Political Systems: Monarchy
- Political Systems: Authoritarianism
- Theories of Power: Pluralist Theory
- Theories of Power: Elite Theories
- Politics in the United States: Ideology
- Politics in the United States: Parties
- Politics in the United States: Participation
- Increasing Voter Turnout
- War
- Terrorism
- Explaining Terrorism
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The Family
- Central Ideas
- The Family in Cross-Cultural and Historical Perspectives
- The Family in Cross-Cultural and Historical Perspectives: Before Industrialization
- The Family in Cross-Cultural and Historical Perspectives: During and After Industrialization
- Sociological Perspectives on the Family
- Family Patterns in the United States Today
- Changes and Issues Affecting American Families
- Changes and Issues Affecting American Families: Divorce
- Changes and Issues Affecting American Families: Effects of Divorce
- Changes and Issues Affecting American Families: Working Mothers and Day Care
- Changes and Issues Affecting American Families: Children in Poverty
- Changes and Issues Affecting American Families: Marriage and Well-Being
- Children and Parental Discipline
- Family and Intimate Violence
- Family and Intimate Violence: Child Abuse
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Education
- Central Ideas
- A Brief History of Education in the United States
- Sociological Perspectives on Education: Functionalism
- Sociological Perspectives on Education: Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism
- Education in the United States
- Education in the United States: Effects on Income and Attitudes
- Issues and Problems in Education
- Issues and Problems in Education: School Segregation
- Issues and Problems in Education: School Choice and Vouchers
- Issues and Problems in Education: Single-Sex Schools and Classes
- Issues and Problems in Education: School Violence
- Issues in Higher Education
- Issues in Higher Education: Race, Class, and Graduation Rates
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Religion
- Central Ideas
- Religion as a Social Institution
- Explaining Religion: Functionalism
- Explaining Religion: Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism
- Religion in Historical and Cross-Cultural Perspectives
- Religious Organizations: Churches
- Religious Organizations: Sects and New Religious Movements
- Religion in the United States: Affiliation
- Religion in the United States: Religiosity
- Religion in the United States: Knowledge and Education
- Trends: Secularization and Religious Conservatism
- Addressing Religious Issues: What Sociology Suggests
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Health and Medicine
- Central Ideas
- Understanding Health, Medicine, and Society
- Sociological Perspectives on Health and Medicine: Functionalism
- Sociological Perspectives of Health and Medicine: Conflict Theory
- Sociological Perspectives on Health and Medicine: Symbolic Interactionism
- Health and Medicine in International Perspective
- Health and Illness in the United States
- Health and Illness in the United States: Social Class
- Health and Illness in the United States: Race and Ethnicity
- Health and Illness in the United States: Gender
- Health and Illness in the United States: Mental Health and Mental Illness
- Medicine and Health Care in Historical Perspective
- The U.S. Health Care Model
- Issues in U.S. Health Care
- Quality of Care, Medical Ethics, and Medical Fraud
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Population and Urbanization
- Central Ideas
- Population: Birth Rates, Death Rates, and Migration
- Population: Growth and Decline
- Views of Population Growth
- Urbanization
- Urbanization: Global Trends
- Urbanization: Life in U.S. Cities
- Urbanization: Problems of City Life
- Urbanization: Additional Problems of City Life
- Rural Life
- Rural Life: Poverty and Domestic Violence
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Social Change and the Environment
- Central Ideas
- Understanding Social Change: Modernization
- Understanding Social Change: Sociological Perspectives
- Sources of Social Change
- Sources of Social Change: Cultural Lag
- Sources of Social Change: Environment, War, and Protest
- Society and the Environment
- Society and the Environment: Pollution
- Society and the Environment: Human Decisions and Activities
- Environmental Inequality
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Collective Behavior and Social Movements
- Central Ideas
- Types of Collective Behavior: Crowds
- Types of Collective Behavior: Riots, Social Movements, and Disaster Behavior
- Types of Collective Behavior: Rumors, Mass Hysteria, and Moral Panics
- Explaining Collective Behavior
- Social Movements: Types
- Social Movements: Origins
- Social Movements: Development
- Social Movements: The Life Cycle of a Movement
- How Social Movements Make a Difference
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Understanding and Changing the Social World
- Understanding and Changing the Social World
- Public Sociology and Improving Society: Reducing Social Inequality
- Public Sociology and Improving Society: Additional Goals
- A Final Word
Interactive content
Study questions
Multiple-choice questions at the bottom of every page guide students to critical information by providing immediate feedback. These low-risk opportunities allow students to reset answers to try again or study for tests.
Response boards
Students engage each other through discussion boards that only allow students to see the responses of their peers after they’ve posted their own comment.
Polls
Polls allow students to share their opinions and then view a live pie chart displaying the responses of all class members.
Study tools
Webtext Reader app
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Reading tools
Reading tools allow students to click on vocabulary terms for definitions and mark up their own webtext by highlighting and adding notes in the margins.
Read to Me
Our text-to-speech feature instantly creates an audio version of the webtext page to extend the reach of online content.
My Progress
Students can keep track of their own work inside My Progress, which records their scores, time spent, and completion.
The following materials are available for this course:
- Testbank
- Lecture Slides
- Release Notes
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Reviewer & Contributor
Kendra Murphy, MA
University of Memphis
Publisher
David Lindrum
Executive Editor
Mary Jane Lindrum
Development Editor
Jennifer Westrick
Senior Editor
Jacob Caselli
Production Editors
Stephen Clark
Kristen LaMier
Rachel Garzarelli
Georgia Mason
Laura Traister
Natalie Welch
Nancy Woods
Images & Permissions Manager
Zara Elizabeth Crockett
Illustrations & UI Design
Sam Korthof
Clint McFarlin