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

by Jack Levin

Overview

When it comes to Sociology, "seeing" is indeed believing. In Sociological Snapshots 4: Seeing Social Structure and Change in Everyday Life, Jack Levin bridges the gap between sociological theorizing and everyday experiences by developing students' ability to "see" sociology via "snapshots" of culture and social structure. Unlike other basic readers, this book contains a set of informal essays with topics ranging from elevator culture to domestic terrorism, from fads to the Washington, D.C., snipers. In a simple and entertaining style, this book continues to link everyday experiences to foundational concepts and concerns and analyze data about social reality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761988182
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/29/2004
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (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
PREFACE
THE SOCIOLOGICAL EYE
Just How Powerful is a Role?
Better Late Than Never
Heartburn and Modern Times
Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About Social Structure
PART ONE Culture
INTRODUCTION
The Immaculate Americans
Baby Boomers
The Demise of Bystander Apathy
Elevator Culture
Making Monsters into Celebrities
FOCUS: Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About Culture
PART TWO Socialization
INTRODUCTION
Confessions of a Soap Opera Addict
Sticks and Stones May Break...
Violence in City Schools
Adult Socialization Can Be Murder
Teaching Students They are Not at the Center of the Universe
FOCUS: Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About Socialization
PART THREE The Group Experience
INTRODUCTION
College Fraternities: A Counteracting Force on Campus
The Appeal of Cults
Reunion, American Style
The Consequences of Coalitions
Children of the Organization Men
FOCUS: Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About the Group Experience
PART FOUR Institutions
INTRODUCTION
Who's Minding the Kids?
Let the System Do It
Americans are Moving to the Margins
Dirty Work
FOCUS: Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About Institutions
PART FIVE Deviance
INTRODUCTION
Fat Chance in a Slim World
You Must Get Ill First; Then You Recover
Is the Death Penalty Only a Vehicle for Revenge?
Animal Cruelty and Human Violence
Terror American Style
America's Youngsters are Responsible for Church Burnings
FOCUS: Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About Deviance
PART SIX Social Inequality
INTRODUCTION
The Economic Escalator
An Apple Pie and an Open Mind
Profiling Terrorists
Gender Inequality Across Cultures
The Functions of Immigrant Bashing
The Stigma of Aging
FOCUS: Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About Social Inequality
PART SEVEN Social Change
INTRODUCTION
The Boomerang Effect in Planning Social Change
Fads
Riding the Rumor Mill
Highway to Hell?
Enquiring Times
FOCUS: Suggestions for Further Reading
DEVELOPING IDEAS: About Social Change
INTO THE FUTURE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

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