Students rely heavily on repetition to understand them in my experience. But, the rest of the text is clear and consistent. It's very nice how the book is subdivided into sections and even includes different background colors from some text boxes. It would be very simple to reorder or reorganize the way that students work through the book because the segments are a good length and chapters minus the first one, of course do not overly reference prior material.
Since I typically tear apart a text and reorder it based on a particular theme for the course, this is very beneficial. I appreciate that there are more modules than many instructors may have a chance to get to because that does not force hard choices.
For example, the book contains modules on aging, demography, global inequality, media, and work. I find that most texts only include two of those at most. The flow of each chapter within the text is clear and easy to work through.
The interface is clean and easy to use. There were no problems with navigation or confusing displays. If I had one suggestion, it would be that I wish photo captions were larger. Those can be a little hard to read. Spelling, grammar, and jargon were all correct. The level of writing was appropriate for introductory students. The text does a good job of including numerous examples from various groups throughout. In particular, I appreciate how many global examples are provided both in the text and in the images.
That's something many introductory students don't get enough information about and should be embedded throughout the curriculum. While I appreciate the inclusion of student tools, such as key terms and quizzes, virtually all quiz questions are at the level of "recall" and wouldn't actually be good exam preparation for my students. I wish more questions were included at the "application" or "analysis" level.
This text covers everything and more in an introductory sociology class. It covers material that is not always introduced due to not enough time in a semester. The only downfall may be that not all the information would be able to be thoroughly The only downfall may be that not all the information would be able to be thoroughly covered due to this.
However, with the comprehensiveness comes a chance for people that might not have thought sociology was a subject of interest, to realize the variety the subject offers, possibly leading more students to major in this area.
It has a slew of interesting, and appropriate examples. The very nice thing about OER resources is that there is a way to highlight, just like in a hardback. There is also a way if I chose to do so, for me to change out chapters with another book if I thought one was more appropriate than the other. Options are available with these teaching resources which I like.
This was also very easy to use, and written clearly. I also liked that at each end of the chapter were just not multiple choice, but also short answer. Beyond that, there were even links at the end to click on if you wanted to learn more about a topic. In a hardback, even if that is given, it is unlikely one will look it up unless they need to. Here, you just click on a link and I think that will be far more used due to the immediacy, and the easy access it promotes.
Content all seemed accurate and relevant. With information, examples were pertinent to points and kept my interest while I was reading. With our society continually changing, the OER resources allows us to be able to keep literature up to date.
Also, I saw very few grammatical errors. Information also came across as unbiased. Once again, the one thing with OER is that information can be kept up to date, if a professor chooses they need to update an area. That is always a plus, especially since the professor can even choose what examples they wanted added and where. If they do not feel like a chapter examples is relevant, they can choose to replace or add a chapter.
However, the examples given in this book we all pretty much up to date. They were interesting and went along to enforce the previous information. The text is arranged in an easy way to navigate whatever section you may be looking for. The text is written in a very clear way. The information is adequate and easy interpreted. It is also supported by many examples, placing a meaning to the term. The terminology also is accurate, and laid out in a way that one term adds on to another, making it easily connected.
The book is consistent through its chapters. No chapters are excessive long or short. Each chapter holds an amount of three to five subsections in each chapter. They are consistently distributed. Also, each chapter has a multiple choice, a short answer, and an extended reference section that are all very nice to help the student understand the information, and emphasize and apply information given.
Each chapter holds three to five subsections. Each section under the chapter is titled due to what is specifically talked about, along with the multiple choice, the short answer and the reference section. Each chapter has a different expertise, and information in each chapter is pertinent to the chapter. It would be very easy to assign reading material for any section of any chapter, because the layout makes it very clear what you are clicking on. Each section is cut off appropriately, making an easy transition into the next chapter.
The text was presented in a clear cut way. Each chapter is lined out in a clear fashion, making it very easy to navigate. I had no problems going through each chapter, or looking ahead if I chose. The organization of the outline is very clear and takes you exactly where it says it is taking you.
I had no navigation problems, in fact it was very easily navigated. All pictures and charts were clear and pertinent to the information at hand. The images, and charts specifically, allowed application to the information allowing students to see first and application of information.
There was no confusing examples to me. Once again, with OER resources, if I felt that an example needed to be changed, or a chapter for that matter, depending on the license of that book, I would have options to do so. Where each teacher has a different style, and way to teach, if the overall book is acceptable for them, they always have options to change what personally they feel needs needed. I think that is wonderful for personalized teaching techniques.
I did not see many grammatical errors. Once again with OER resources, there was a place to submit any grammatical issues with the book. The book can forever be changed to remain relevant in examples and pertinent to the time we live in. I saw examples of all ethnicity and backgrounds. Some may have seemed somewhat redundant, but none were offensive or insensitive in any way.
I personally like a text book I can hold and read in my hands. I also like to highlight and write in them. I tend to lose focus when on the computer for long periods when having to read a long drawn out article.
However, this OER kept my attention, allowed me to highlight and mark places I felt needed, and was easily navigated. I had never considered this as an option before, but may now.
The book covers all the main topics that are needed for introduction to Sociology. It even goes beyond the "usual" material and presents some points that are internationally relevant because of globalization. From culture to political changes, the From culture to political changes, the book present real examples through the boxes of applicability of the themes.
The books also allows to review the chapter by providing not only the main points but also the definitions of the those points in a way that the learner does not have to go through the book to find answers. Convenient in the age of instant gratification! Some things, such as definitions and concepts and research methods, do not change but the manner they are presented makes the difference.
The book kept the tradition of being accurate about everything for it is for the sake of the discipline. The book covers topic such as food security as well as network connections. It also brings forth cases that prove a point such as public sociology. Pictures are current and students could have seen them which could increase connectivity with the material at hand.
Easy to read! Short sentences and no jargon unless unavoidable like with definitions and concepts. I like that the book uses same font and color to present identical material at the end of each chapter. Example is the revision and definitions at the end of the chapter. Some chapters such religion, education, and politics could be rearranged to form one big chapter. The ordering of the parts in chapters is possible for whoever had some chapters organized and would like the book to match prepared lessons.
I like how the topic covered in boxes or bold are current. Presentation is helpful to understand which topic is connected to which. Interface is colorful and attention is drawn to points that deserve attention.
The same colors have been used for the same purpose. That consistency is good and useful. Nothing is perfect. Errors in the book are really minimal and cannot distract the reader.
No two people write alike either: what someone might find grammatically wrong here could be nuances that are based on personal preferences on how to use some styles. The book is for American audience and has nothing that would be offensive in my opinion. Examples that go beyond the American average perception are safe and present facts in a culturally sensitive manner.
Examples are indeed inclusive of all backgrounds. The book is really up to date with what a student in an introductory could should know and it is written in a style that catches attention. The book present main topics that are relevant to the current world with real examples and pictures that are reliable and on point. Highly recommend the book to anyone who would like to engage students in a traditional way with non-traditional fashion.
I am adopting the book!!! The book covers more subject areas than the typical introduction textbook for example, there are more chapters dedicated to different institutions than usual. It also includes some topics that are often not included such as sexuality. There is There is an index with links back to the specific sections of the chapters and each chapter includes a glossary.
The main downside that I see is that some of the topics covered are done so somewhat superficially. There is no such thing as a completely unbiases textbook. One thing I appreciated about this textbook is that it didn't really candy-coat the problems in the U. Other textbooks often give too much credence to the "American Dream" even when the evidence suggests otherwise; I didn't see that bias here.
Other areas where this book is more accurate than the textbook I've been using is that it doesn't fall into what I call the "but Native American's have casinos" trap when discussing Native Americans or the "but the things are so much better for women now" trap when talking about gender and families. I did have a problem with Ch. First, the title: why inequality instead of inequities or stratification? Stratification was explicit about stratification.
Also, it seemed to be framed in a" the U. Society moves at such a quick pace at this time that textbooks about society are practically obsolete at publication. Obviously, the sections of the book on pandemics and epidemics and globalization need to be updated now. That being said, I don't think the need for updates takes away from this book; it'll be easy enough to supplement. The book is clear, concise, well organized, and defines all jargon that I noticed.
That being said, I feel conflicted about it's writing; it's really basic and, I would argue, somewhat "dumbed down. Each chapter is formated similarly and each contains global and U. Most of the chapters can be removed or put in a different order without students being confused; most of the chapters do not rely on information from previous chapters to make their points. Some chapters that would usually go together in introductory textbooks are separated out which makes them more modular.
For example, many books have one chapter on "Politics and Economics. Looking at the PDF and online versions, neither showed distortions and both were very easy to navigate and had easy to use and useful features like highlighting. Overall, it wasn't bad. Like I said, I appreciated the more honest look at Native Americans in the chapter on race.
I also appreciated that Arab Americans were included in that chapter and that gender variation cross-culturally was brought up. On the negative side, I thought the repeated discussion of female genital cutting was overdone and I was a bit disappointed that different types of racism were mentioned as existing with no additional explanation or discussion.
I was also unclear about why racism was framed as a form of prejudice rather than a form of prejudice and discrimination. Additionally, as mentioned previously, the chapter on Global Inequality came across as framed to make the U.
I thought it was kind of boring. While I don't want it to lose any of its organization, consistency, or other attributes, I would like for it to be more visually engaging. Each "page" is basically a few squares of text and a picture and maybe a textbox telling a "real world" story. It wasn't until close to halfway through that there was even a chart for visual interest.
The textbook covers all the usual topics in an introductory text for Sociology. The order of coverage is also pretty standard, beginning with how sociology developed as a discipline, the founding fathers, the three major theories, and topics of The order of coverage is also pretty standard, beginning with how sociology developed as a discipline, the founding fathers, the three major theories, and topics of concern in society.
Each chapter is complete with a chapter summary and key terms, which allows students in an introductory class to become better acquainted with the chapter materials. The text is written in such a manner to make it easy to understand for those in an introductory course. I feel the content is as accurate as possible, error-free, and unbiased. Content is relevant for today's student. Any updates can easily be added to the content or changed with the instructor's input with the implementation of class lecture material.
The text is very clear in its terminology and language and appropriate for an Introductory Sociology text. Each of the chapters have quizzes to test the student on their working knowledge of the chapter content.
The text offers further research for students to explore the section topic as well as other related research topics to explore. The text is consistent in terminology as well as the framework of the chapters. Each chapter is constructed in pretty much the same fashion throughout the entire text. The text is written in such a fashion that with the subheadings, chapters can easily be divided into smaller reading segments without causing confusion to the reader. The text is organized in such a manner that the material flows easily from Chapter 1-Chapter 21 making the transition from chapter to chapter logical.
The organizational structure follows the same pattern of most introductory texts in Sociology. The interface allows for smooth navigation.
OpenStax makes this text available in two formats either PDF or Online which adds to the ease of accessibility. There were no distortions in images, charts, or any other display features. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. I found in reviewing the text that it is a very well written introductory text and representative of most introductory texts for Sociology.
I find that it being offered free for students will make the possibility of mastering the course material less a burden financially for those who otherwise could not afford to buy the text. The textbook hits almost all the major topics an introduction to sociology text should.
But be aware that it is more comprehensive in its breadth of topics than in its depth of discussion. Many sections felt short compared with other intro Many sections felt short compared with other intro. While some students might welcome the lighter reading, I worry that they may miss out on important knowledge unless the professor is very deliberate about filling the gaps and digging deeper in lecture.
There are a few specific oversights I noticed. It instead focuses a great deal on new social movement theory in addition to resource mobilization and framing, as it should , which is relatively marginal in the study of social movements compared to these two that are not even mentioned.
Another gap I noticed in the book overall is that there was no discussion of social networks. I found no major inaccuracies. However, as a social movements scholar, I found the typology of social movements offered in For example, I have seen MADD cited as an example of an alternative movement elsewhere, but here it is cited as a reform movement.
And the term resistance movement is, as I am aware, never used by scholars of social movements the way the text is using it—these would be referred to as conservative or regressive movements, or sometimes countermovements, but not resistance movements. The text could be improved with the updating of some facts I noticed a table on page displaying data from , for example , but in general it was presented in a way that makes the material relevant for students.
I think it could be broken up easily, however having a more in0depth standalone theory chapter, as opposed to a very general theory chapter and then theory sprinkled throughout the rest, would improve modularity.
I think the flow and order of topics are logical and intuitive. The chapter organization works well, although I would prefer if they were also organized into units. It looked good and worked well, whether reading it online or downloading the PDF.
The hyperlinked table of contents on the PDF is very helpful. Hyperlinking the index would a really nice touch as well. The textbook does a good job of covering diverse perspectives and experiences with sensitivity. It also includes an international perspective on many of the topics, which is not true of many U. Overall, I think this is a very good introductory text that would work well for many introduction to sociology courses.
I only reviewed the textbook itself, but I am happy to see there is a test bank, powerpoint slides, and other instructor resources as well. I will definitely consider adopting this instead of my current non-open source textbook. The book does a good job on topical material i. The text is short and sweet in each section and does not feel overburdened. For those of us who go into detail in lecture, this text For those of us who go into detail in lecture, this text is great to expose students to the topic we'll be covering.
This book has a solid footing in the topics covered. When discussing a topic in a prof's area of interest, it can feel a little light. For example, I found the health and sexuality chapters to be missing some things I would have liked. Approaching this text with a generalist's eye is probably a good idea. This is a strength of the book.
The topics covered will be enduring in their importance, but the to-the-point nature of the writing makes necessary updates easier. The writing in this book is very appealing for a generation of students who are used to communicating in Instagram posts. Short, sweet, and to-the-point is the description I would use. It lends itself to be useful for professors who deliver a lot of additional detail in either lecture or in-class activities.
I particularly enjoy the way the authors bring each topic back to the "Big Three" theories while including other relevant theoretical families where appropriate e. Queer Theory in the Gender, Sex, Sexuality chapter.
Each chapter is divided into easily digestible chunks. One can easily read a section then come back. At the same time, the book does effortlessly flow from topic to topic throughout the chapter. This allows the chapters to be taken in as short bursts, or as a bigger chunk that's clearly divided into relevant and understandable sections.
Needing to click between sections reinforces may help reinforce the idea that "we're moving on to another topic" in a way that traditional book headings do not. Honestly, pretty standard Sociology text organization here. Nothing new or earth-shattering. Just solid. My only issue is that I wish the sidebar used indentations to help denote what is grouped together.
It's not the prettiest navigation pane. I loved the "Next" button that allowed me to simply move from section to section. Each section also maintains all download options in case a student needs to download a single reading rather than the whole book.
I wish the CreativeCommons block at the bottom was either collapsible or smaller read: less visually intrusive. As is common with introductory texts, I wish this text spent more time including sexual and gender minority individuals. Discussions of how intersectionality impact each of the topics covered is no MORE necessary with this text than with any other text I've used though.
I've used Giddens and Carr for several years now. The quality of this text, along with its availability, make me seriously consider moving to an open text. The text is thorough in its coverage of the introductory aspects of sociology for a contemporary undergraduate audience. It seems equivalent to other introductory texts that I have encountered.
The text overall is accurate in terms of content, although as others have noted, there is some variation by chapter the characterization of Simmel in Chapter 1, as well as the omission of Talcot Parsons in the section of Chapter 1 pertaining to Structural Functionalism. However, such omissions or contentious points of emphasis could be easily addressed by supplementary material from an instructor. The text is written in an easy-to-read, fluent style that is always a welcome sight in any sociology textbook.
The text generally avoids unnecessary deep dives or tangents into theory, methods, or history; it strikes a good balance between readability and technical content coverage, excellent traits for an undergraduate introductory text. The text is fairly consistent in terms of prose style, definitions, and formatting.
However, a few sections depending on Chapter are more thoroughly fleshed out or investigated then others for example, the Chapter 1 sections on Functionalism vs Conflict Theory, where the latter as several paragraphs dedicated to different theorists in said tradition. In addition, in a few places, the prose is a bit choppy and it is obvious to the reader that the work was most likely written in chunks by several authors, even within sections and Chapters. The aforementioned concise nature of the text's chapters and sections, as well as its granular and hyperlinked Table of Contents, makes it a fairly modular tool for instruction.
It would be easy to divide the text's chapters into shorter assigned readings using the Chapter hyperlinks. The text was organized in a manner congruent with other introductory texts in Sociology. Although theory is discussed in a small section in Chapter 1 and sporadically via sociological topic, the text lacks a dedicated and comprehensive section or chapter on full breadth of the sociological tradition.
In my experiences reading the text via web browser and as a desktop PDF file, I encountered no interface or usability issues. I encountered occasional typos and missing words, more than in a standard textbook but within acceptable limits for a collaborative, CC-licensed educational resource. I found the text to be, overall, very inclusive, perhaps more so than many sociology textbooks I have encountered.
For example, Chapter 1 mentions several historical female sociologists that I had never seen featured in a introductory text before. However, it also seemed like many of the "Making Connections" boxes were United States-centric; it would be great if more of these featured global examples. The text provides an excellent introduction to sociology. It includes the usual topics that are covered in all basic introductory texts for a one semester course. I found the glossary and summaries at the end of each chapter very helpful.
A few definitions were different than other sociological but overall would be considered a reliable text. The presentation of ideas and examples were very relevant to today's students. I liked that a whole chapter is devoted to media and technology but it would be up to the individual professor to update some of these issues as this topics changes so fast. This is not unique to this text but a very common challenge. This text is very easy to read and should keep students engaged.
The explanations of concepts are clear and concise. The reviews at the end of each chapter would be very helpful to students. The text was extremely consistent in presenting ideas.
Throughout the text the sociological perspectives are discussed which reinforces them. The text follows a typical progression throughout the course of an introductory class building on skills previously covered. There format is logical and has a natural progression. The text is fine in the pdf format. I downloaded it in my Kindle and some names i.
Emile Durkheim and numbers did not show up accurately. Not sure if it is just my tablet or a general problem. This text contains the standard chapters found in virtually all textbooks.
I detected no errors in matters of fact. I did detect a major error in describing Georg Simmel He is described as a "German art critic". He was first and foremost a philosopher, but also a pioneer of a distinct method and theory for understanding sociological phenomena. Art, aesthetics, culture, certainly were subjects of his interest, but his vast scholarship in sociology and other subjects are not captured by that description. But I feel overall, without question, the general thrust of the text is scholarly.
It should be easy to update as necessary factual developments. It is far less dated than some texts in their 14th editions that still use sources and notes from the s and s.
The text is well written, and is lucid. Jargon is defined. I would say that perhaps the writing is pitched at a higher level of language capacity than the typical student with whom I deal. But it is lively, and it can be complimented by instructor elaboration. Modularity is an asset here. Supposing rearrangement of material is possible when necessary, it will work well.
I am impressed with this text. It compares extremely favorably with any text I have reviewed. I will strongly consider this text for my course. This book presents as your standard sociology textbook in terms of content and organization, starting with an introduction and then chapters on theory and research, and then content areas. If I were to use a textbook, I think this would be If I were to use a textbook, I think this would be comparable to any of the for-profit published texts.
The I find the three theoretical model outdated but so constraining as this framework structures every chapter. In the Chapter on Sex, Gender, and Sexuality, for example, feminist theory is given one small paragraph and theories on gender or intersectionality are not even offered.
While this particular chapter has a decent discussion of the difference between sex, gender and sexuality, I probably would not even assign the section on theoretical perspectives. Also missing in this chapter is any discussion of women and work, a topic I did not find in related chapters.
In the chapter on population and the environment, coverage of climate change gets one section, as does environmental racism. I know a textbook cannot include everything but I find these chapters to be rather thin. The text is clear and accessible. I do appreciate the short vignettes at the beginning of chapters or sections that introduce the main content. As with any intro textbook it would be easy to assign particular content chapters which could be integrated with the introduction, theory and research sections.
Each chapter contains an overview and is divided into two or three specific topics. It is easy to follow. The text is easy to navigate and has good images and graphics. I wonder if it would be possible to embed videos and other activities to aid students in understanding the concepts.
This book covers the major subfields and concepts within sociology. Each chapter provides a solid overview, and covers major thinkers, concepts and vocabulary within the field. Overall all the book is reasonably accurate.
Inaccuracies tend to be primarily the result of the age of text. It is 4 years old, and some of policies, practices and statistics in the book are outdated. This is an issue in sections of the book the rely heavily on statistics or discuss public policy, for example the healthcare chapter.
Text is reasonably up to date, but needs revision in some sections to reflect changes in healthcare, politics, education etc in the last 4 years. I would say that it should be reasonably simple to update, though there are some areas that need to be rewritten. The writing style is clear and accessible. The organization is straightforward and the use of vocabulary is appropriate to the level. Very consistent.
I didn't notice any real variation in tone or framework from chapter to chapter. Overall yes, the text is broken up into subheadings, however many of the sections are interconnected, so within chapters, it might be a bit of a challenge to assign partial sections. This is a difficult one. By its very nature, sociology is a discipline that students may find challenging. For example, white students often find the idea that racial inequality exists to run counter to their beliefs.
Students who specific religious convictions may disagree strongly with the idea that non-heterosexuals should be viewed as a normal variation of human sexuality. Students who are from economically privileged backgrounds can feel like the poor are morally bad. Presenting information, even objective data that counters stereotypes is essential to the discipline but can be challenging.
In general, this text does this well. It err's a bit on the side of neutrality actually, and in doing so avoids some of the heavy lifting in challenging stereotypes and inequalities, which may mean the faculty member has to do a bit more.
Overall, this is well written and clearly organized. A good solid introductory textbook for sociology. It is perhaps a bit bland, as the authors focus on providing vocabulary, concepts and basic knowledge. The Making Connections features provide a bit more interest, and provide some venues for more robust discussion. The book provides an excellent overview of the sociological topic with clear objectives. Each chapter wraps up with key terms, a section summary and both multiple choice and short answer questions that will help students master the material.
The text provides several current "real world" examples along with references to further scholarship. Supplementing textbook with real time events would be straightforward.. Key terms, concepts and theoretical frameworks are clearly presented throughout the book with several relevant examples. The textbook chapters are consistent with clearly defined learning objectives at the beginning, and a comprehensive chapter review that includes key terms, sample exam questions and an extensive reference list.
Textbook is broken up into small easy to read sections with no more than a few paragraphs per topic. Chapters are fairly short and there are several graphics and captions that help students make clear connections to each concept.
There is a clear flow through each chapter building on previous concepts mastered in earlier sections o fetch text. The provided content examples and data is outdated. Updating chapter content examples and data is suggested. Student required assignments focused on current outside sources and data would compensate for content deficit.
The OER is well formatted and presented. The chapters are brief and to the point. Each chapter includes sociology terminology, theory and concepts, and a test bank for review. Get Introduction to Sociology 3e Books now!
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The second edition. Throngs of people cluster in tight bottlenecks until they burst through corridors and stairways and tunnels to reach the next stage of their journey. In some stations, walking against the crowd can be a tedious, nearly impossible process.
And cutting across a river of determined commuters can be almost dangerous. Things are fast, relentless, and necessary. It may seem surprising, but even with those numbers, strangers from across cities can synch up on the same schedules, use the same doors, take one leg of the trip together every day before separating into different directions.
After just a few months, faces can become familiar, and senses can be tuned. An experienced commuter can tell where another person is going according to their pace and whatever announcement just went out; they may slow up a bit to let the other person pass, or hold a door open just a bit longer than usual, certain that someone will grab the handle behind them.
And then the customs develop: Which side to walk on, how fast to go, where to stand, how much space to leave between people on the escalator. When you board early, which seat should you take? When you see someone running for the train, do you jam the closing door with your foot?
How does the crowd treat people who ask for food or money? Very few of these behaviors are taught.
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