Sociology [antikvár]

Dppfarp _ _I V___ _r The purposes of a first course in a discipline usually are several— to introduce an area of study, to communicate its unique perspective or way of looking at the world, and to offer the promise of secrets yet to be discovered—all in the hope that interested stu3ents will come back for more (maybe even thirty units more). That there are many different views of the best way to achieve these ambitions is apparent in sociology from some of the introductory textbooks available. Many books provide an encyclopedic analysis of what a discipline is and does—all its tools, techniques, and substantive areas. I have decided not to try to do that in this book. It seems to me that a feeling for an area of study and its unique perspective may be gained by sampling the concepts of that field. Concepts are the building blocks—the language—of most disciplines. Once one has this language, the rest comes more easily and makes more sense. This book approaches the task of helping students develop a general understanding of the sociological perspective by focusing on the basic concepts of sociology. Through examining several substantive areas and the research coimected with them, students can begin to see how the concepts contribute to sociological analysis. At the end of most of the chapters I have included readings to further illustrate the chapter's concepts. These readings are drawn from a variety of sources. Included are descriptions of research and excerpts from novels, autobiographies, and nonfiction works. Some of the selections were written by professional social scientists; some were not. For example, writings of both Helen Keller and Malcolm X are used to illustrate socialization and development of self. In addition, there are selections by David Halber-stam on the workings of power, Alvin Toffler on social change, Stanley Milgram on the conditions of obedience to authority. Dee Brown on the