In an era of human genome research, environmental challenges, new reproductive technologies, and more, students can benefit from introductory sociology text that is biologically informed. This innovative text integrates mainstream sociological research in all areas of sociology with a scientifically informed model of an evolved, biological human actor. This text allows students to better understand their emotional, social, and institutional worlds. It also illustrates how biological understanding naturally enhances the sociological approach.

This grounding of sociology in a biosocial conception of the individual actor is coupled with a comparative approach, as human biology is universal and often reveals itself as variations on themes across human cultures. Tables, figures, and photos, and the author's concise and remarkably lively style make this a truly enjoyable book to read and teach.

Rosemary L. Hopcroft is Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has published widely in the areas of comparative and historical sociology and evolution, biology, and society in journals that include the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and Social Forces. She is the author of Evolution and Gender: Why It Matters for Contemporary Life, which received the 2018 Award for Best Book by the Evolution, Biology, & Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association.

List of Photos
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Boxes
Preface for Students and Teachers
About the Author

Part I. Introduction to Sociology
Chapter 1. What Do Sociologists Do?
Part II. Fundamentals of Sociology
Chapter 2. One Human Nature
Chapter 3. Culture
Chapter 4. Culture and Subsistence Technology
Chapter 5. Social Groups and Networks
Chapter 6. Institutions
Chapter 7. Demography
Part III. Topics in Sociology
Chapter 8. Microsociology
Chapter 9. Sociology of the Family
Chapter 10. Social Stratification
Chapter 11. Global Inequality
Chapter 12. Contemporary Gender Inequality
Chapter 13. Race and Ethnicity
Chapter 14. Sociology of Religion
Chapter 15. Crime and Violence
Chapter 16. Biosociology of Health
Chapter 17. Economic Sociology
Chapter 18. Sociology of the Environment
Chapter 19. Political Sociology and Social Movements: Human Polities Throughout History

Name Index
Subject Index