Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology, Ninth Edition,emphasizes how society and socialforces affect everything from globalizationand international policies to day-to-dayactivities in our personal lives. In thisedition, the authors go beyond the merequestioning of issues to take a closer lookat the social world in which we live. Theyprovide an integrated approach that usessociological thinking to help studentsanalyze and understand key concepts. Tofocus increased attention on sociologicalthinking and research methods, theyhave chosen four key themes: media andtechnology, globalization, cultural diversity,and trends for the future. Because sociologyis about all of us and our daily lives, it is aneminently practical and useful discipline forunderstanding our social world. This Ninth Edition Includes: . specific student outcomes for each chapter as well as assessment items linked to those outcomes . new chapter-opening vignettes that give real-life examples illustrating important terms, concepts, and theories included in that chapter . updated data, statistics, maps, charts, boxes, and tables citing the latest research available . examples of the powerful impact of media and technology on society, especially the role social media play in helping to shape and define our daily social lives . new photos and cartoons accompanied by critical-thinking questions that reinforce and illustrate important sociological terms, concepts, and theories

By William E. Thompson; Joseph V. Hickey and Mica L. Thompson

Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology, Ninth Edition, emphasizes how society and social forces affect everything from globalization and international policies to day-to-day activities in our personal lives. In this edition, the authors go beyond the mere questioning of issues to take a closer look at the social world in which we live. They provide an integrated approach that uses sociological thinking to help students analyze and understand key concepts. To focus increased attention on sociological thinking and research methods, they have chosen four key themes: media and technology, globalization, cultural diversity, and trends for the future. Because sociology is about all of us and our daily lives, it is an eminently practical and useful discipline for understanding our social world.


This Ninth Edition Includes:

• specific student outcomes for each chapter as well as assessment items linked to those outcomes

• new chapter-opening vignettes that give real-life examples illustrating important terms, concepts, and theories included in that chapter

• updated data, statistics, maps, charts, boxes, and tables citing the latest research available

• examples of the powerful impact of media and technology on society, especially the role social media play in helping to shape and define our daily social lives

• new photos and cartoons accompanied by critical-thinking questions that reinforce and illustrate important sociological terms, concepts, and theories

Preface
About the Authors

Part 1 Sociological Perspective

Chapter 1 Discovering Sociology
Learning Outcomes
What Is Sociology?
The Sociological Imagination
Understanding Life in a Global Society
Recognizing Diversity
Things Are Not What They Seem: Sociology and Critical Thinking
Sociological Focus 1.1 Critical Thinking and Sociology: Common Sense versus Common Nonsense
Taking a Closer Look at Media and Technology
The Development of Sociology
The Changing Social Climate: The Industrial Revolution
The Changing Intellectual Climate: The Rise of Science
Early European Sociology
Sociology Crosses the Atlantic
Contemporary Sociology
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
The Structural Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
Feminist Theory
Which Perspective Is Best?
Thinking Sociologically: Taking an Integrated Approach
Looking to the Future
Sociological Focus 1.2 Sociology in the "Real World": What Sociologists Do
Summary - Key Terms - Outcomes Assessment

Chapter 2 Doing Sociology
Learning Outcomes
Globalization, Diversity, and Types of Knowledge
Experience
Cultural Tradition
Faith
Authority
Science
Sociology and Scientific Knowledge
Sociology as a Science
The Theory-Building Process
The Scientific Method
Ethical Issues in Sociological Research
Types of Research and Research Designs
Types of Research
Sociological Focus 2.1 The Sociologist as Voyeur
Quantitative Research Designs
Qualitative Research Designs
Combining Research Methods
The Relationship between Theory and Methods
The Interactionist Perspective
The Functionalist Perspective
The Conflict Perspective
Feminist Theory
Social Research and the Media
Infotainment: Information and Entertainment
Pseudoscientific Polling versus Survey Research
Technology and Research
Sociological Focus 2.2 Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: Reporting Facts or Creating Virtual Truth?
Looking to the Future
Summary - Key Terms - Outcomes Assessment

Part 2 Social Framework

Chapter 3 Society and Culture
Learning Outcomes
What Is Society?
Types of Societies
Media, Technology, and Postindustrial Societies
Sociological Focus 3.1: Virtual Societies
What Is Culture?
Material and Nonmaterial Culture
The Origin of Culture
Components of Culture
Symbols
Language
Beliefs
Values
Norms
Sanctions
Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
Culture Shock
Ethnocentrism
Sociological Focus 3.2 The Nacirema
Cultural Relativism
The Relativist Fallacy
Globalization and Cultural Diversity
Subcultures
Countercultures
Multiculturalism
From Modern to Postmodern Culture
Culture, Class, and the Media
Ideal and Real Culture
Sociological Approaches to Society and Culture
Society, Culture, and Functionalism
Society and Culture from the Conflict Perspective
Symbolic Interactionism, Society, and Culture
A Feminist View of Society and Culture
Looking to the Future
Summary - Key Terms - Outcomes Assessment

Chapter 4 Socialization
Learning Outcomes
The Socialization Process
Nature and Nurture
Sociobiology and the Importance of Heredity and Environment
The Effects of Social Isolation
Developing a Social Self
Major Agents of Socialization: A Global View
The Family
The School
Religion
Peers
The Workplace
Media and Technology
Sociological Focus 4.1 Technology and Toddlers: Socialization in the Age of Computers
Socialization and the Life Course
Socialization in Childhood and Adolescence
Adult Socialization
Sociological Focus 4.2 Looking for a Few Good (Wo)Men: Resocialization in a Marine Corps Boot Camp
Desocialization and Resocialization
Understanding Socialization
Becoming Human: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach
Perpetuating Society and Culture: A Structural Functionalist Viewpoint
Maintaining Existing Inequalities: The Conflict Perspective
Understanding the Gender Dimension: A Feminist Perspective
Looking to the Future
Summary - Key Terms - Outcomes Assessment

Chapter 5 Social Interaction in Everyday Life
Learning Outcomes
Social Structure
Statuses
Roles
Sociological Focus 5.1 Prisoners and Guards in a Mock Prison
Social Networks
Social Institutions
Social Interaction
Patterns of Social Interaction
Social Perception and Stereotypes
Social Acts
Sociological Focus 5.2 Interacting with Santa Claus at the Mall
Personal Space and Nonverbal CommunicationDefining Social Situations
Dramaturgy: Presentation of Self and Impression Management
Ethnomethodology: The "Taken-for-Granted" Asp…