Sociology matters / Richard T. Schaefer.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 281-308) and index.

1. The sociological view -- What is sociology? -- What is sociological theory? -- The development of sociology -- Major theoretical perspectives -- What is the scientific method? -- Major research designs -- Ethics of research -- Applied and clinical sociology -- 2. Culture and socialization -- Culture and society -- Development of culture around the world -- Elements of culture -- Culture and the dominant ideology -- Cultural variation -- The role of socialization -- The self and socialization -- Socialization and the life course -- Agents of socialization -- 3. Social structure, groups, and organizations -- Defining and reconstructing reality -- Elements of social structure -- Social structure in global perspective -- Understanding organizations -- Technology's impact on the workplace -- 4. Deviance and social control -- Social control -- Deviance -- Crime -- 5. Stratification in the United States and worldwide -- Understanding stratification -- Stratification by social class -- Social mobility -- Stratification in the world system -- 6. Inequality by race and ethnicity -- The privileges of the dominant -- The social construction of race and ethnicity -- Race, ethnicity, and minority groups -- Immigration and new ethnic groups -- Explaining inequality by race and ethnicity -- Patterns of prejudice and discrimination -- 7. Inequality by gender -- The social construction of gender -- Explaining inequality by gender -- Women : the oppressed majority -- The double jeopardy of minority women -- 8. Social institutions -- Studying social institutions -- The family : a global view -- Religion as a social institution -- Education : schools as formal organizations -- Government : power and authority -- The economy : today and tomorrow -- 9. Population, community, health, and the environment -- Demography : the study of population -- How did communities originate? -- Urbanization and its consequences -- Health and illness : sociological perspectives -- Social epidemiology -- The environment : the world and our place i

Like the brief fifth edition of Sociology, this volume includes comprehensive, balanced coverage of the major theoretical perspectives.