Sociological Snapshots 4: Seeing Social Structure and Change in Everyday Life / Edition 4

by Jack Levin

Overview

From describing his own addiction to soap operas as a way of demonstrating the role of mass media in socialization to explaining how people's reluctance to take coupons for free food in an elevator in front of others is explained by unspoken, unwritten rules of "elevator culture," Levin (sociology and criminology, Northeastern U.) provides 39 short essays demonstrating different pieces of sociological understanding. Written for use in introductory sociology courses, the pieces cover issues of sociological methodology, the nature of culture, socialization, the sociology of groups and institutions, deviance, social inequality, and social change. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900761988181
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/29/2004
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Jack Levin is the Brudnick Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at Northeastern University, where he co-directs its Center on Violence and Conflict. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 books, most recently The Violence of Hate and Hate Crime: A Global Perspective. Dr. Levin has also published more than 250 articles and columns in professional journals, books, magazines, and newspapers, such as The New York Times, London Sunday Times, Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and USA Today. Dr. Levin was honored by the Massachusetts Council for Advancement and Support of Education as its “Professor of the Year” and by the American Sociological Association for his contributions to the public understanding of sociology. He has also received awards from the Eastern Sociological Society, New England Sociological Association, Association of Clinical and Applied Sociology, and Society for the Study of Social Problems. Moreover, he has spoken to a wide variety of community, academic, and professional groups, including the White House Conference on Hate Crimes, the Department of Justice, OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (a membership of 59 countries), and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Table of Contents

	About the Author	ix
	Preface	xi
	The Sociological Eye	1
	Just How Powerful Is a Role?	8
	Better Late Than Never	10
	Heartburn and Modern Times	14
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	17
	Developing Ideas: About Social Structure	18
Part 1	Culture	21
	Introduction	21
	The Immaculate Americans	25
	Baby Boomers	28
	The Demise of Bystander Apathy	32
	Elevator Culture	37
	Making Monsters into Celebrities (with James Alan Fox)	39
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	44
	Developing Ideas: About Culture	46
Part 2	Socialization	49
	Introduction	49
	Teaching Students They Are Not at the Center of the Universe (with Wilfred Holton)	53
	Confessions of a Soap Opera Addict	57
	Violence in City Schools (with Heather Beth Johnson)	61
	Sticks and Stones May Break ...	64
	Adult Socialization Can Be Murder	67
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	70
	Developing Ideas: About Socialization	73
Part 3	The Group Experience	75
	Introduction	75
	College Fraternities: A Counteracting Force on Campus	78
	The Appeal of Cults	80
	Reunion, American Style	84
	The Consequences of Coalitions	87
	Children of the Organization Men	89
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	92
	Developing Ideas: About the Group Experience	93
Part 4	Institutions	95
	Introduction	95
	Who's Minding the Kids?	98
	Let the System Do It!	101
	Americans Are Moving to the Margins of Society	103
	Dirty Work	106
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	109
	Developing Ideas: About Institutions	110
Part 5	Deviance	113
	Introduction	113
	Fat Chance in a Slim World	117
	You Must Get Ill First; Then You Recover	121
	Is the Death Penalty Only a Vehicle for Revenge?	123
	Animal Cruelty and Human Violence (with Arnold Arluke)	127
	America's Youngsters Are Responsible for Church Burnings	130
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	132
	Developing Ideas: About Deviance	134
Part 6	Social Inequality	137
	Introduction	137
	The Economic Escalator	140
	An Apple Pie and an Open Mind	143
	Profiling Terrorists (with Deborah Ramirez)	146
	Gender Inequality Across Cultures	149
	The Functions of Immigrant Bashing	153
	The Stigma of Aging	158
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	162
	Developing Ideas: About Social Inequality	165
Part 7	Social Change	167
	Introduction	167
	The Boomerang Effect in Planning Social Change	172
	Fads	176
	Riding the Rumor Mill	179
	Highway to Hell?	183
	Enquiring Times	187
	Terror American Style	191
	Focus: Suggestions for Further Reading	194
	Developing Ideas: About Social Change	197
	Into the Future	199
	References	205
	Index	211

Editorial Reviews

An excellent book for the marginally interested, poorly prepared student that also does not turn off the better students - and that is quite an achievement.

Steve Beach

Overall this is a very strong reader. The essays are general enough to be moved around providing the instructor with the flexibility to build the course the way s/he desires. The text is very readable and the essays are interesting to students– also the essays within are relatively brief. All helps avoid the 'textbook dread' that some students bring to an Introductory course. The strong application of ideas within the readings helps illustrate the points made in lecture and the relatively low cost of the text makes it even more ‘student friendly’.

Robert Carrothers

The major strength of Levin’s Sociological Snapshots is its readability for college students. This comes from the fact that it is well-written in more of a journalistic style, and from the very engaging content of the essays. I think that by including reference to classic and relevant sociological research, the book also really does justice to the contributions made by the discipline. As an alternative to information-dense, but sometimes boring standard textbooks, it is really great to have it available. I have used previous editions on several occasions and always have had positive student response to the text.

Joel See