Discover Sociology

Product Description
What key social forces construct and transform our lives as individuals and as members of society? How does our social world shape us? How do we shape our world?
Discover Sociology answers these questions as it explores sociology as a discipline of curious and scientific minds. The text is structured around several themes, particularly the unequal distribution of power and authority in all aspects of social life. Going beyond theory and concepts, the authors also demonstrate how studying sociology produces more engaged citizens and opens up a diversity of career paths.
Also available as a digital option (courseware). Learn more about
Discover Sociology - Vantage Digital Option, Fifth Edition [ISBN: 978-1-0718-2143-5]
About the Author
Daina S. Eglitis is an associate professor of sociology and international affairs and director of the undergraduate program in the Department of Sociology at The George Washington University. Her research highlights sociological dimensions of change in the post-communist world, with a particular focus on stratification, poverty, and gender. She has been the recipient of Fulbright, IREX, and Open Society awards and is the author of several articles and a book on post-communist social change. She also writes for and about teaching in the undergraduate classroom and is the author of the article, “The Uses of Global Poverty: How Inequality Benefits the West,” and the Teaching Sociology article, “Performing Theory: Dramatic Learning in the Theory Classroom.”
William J. Chambliss, professor of sociology at The George Washington University, was a critical sociological theorist whose research has ranged broadly from studies of law creation and the legal system to participant observation studies of juvenile gangs, organized crime, policing, and the impact of social movements on political and economic change. He served as president of the American Society of Criminology and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. He has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the prestigious Edwin H. Sutherland Award from the American Society of Criminology, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Sociological Association, the Bruce Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sociology of Law Section of the American Sociological Association. He has authored and edited over 35 books in sociology, criminology and criminal justice and numerous articles in social science journals.
Susan L. Wortmann is a professor of sociology and gender studies at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Her scholarly interests include classical sociological theory, gender, religion, and health. She instructs classes in these subjects and introduction to sociology. She is the author of
Society: A User’s Guide, a collection of introductory sociology readings. She has published articles on meaning and religious participation, sociological theory, and project evaluation, and has contributed to Blackwell’s
Encyclopedia of Sociology and the
Encyclopedia of Consumer Culture. Dr. Wortmann also practices applied sociology in her community, using sociological methods, theories, and concepts in collaboration with community partners to address social issues. These include developing a survivor-centered response to campus sexual assault; increasing diabetes and mental health access for Karen, Yezidi, Sudanese, and Vietnamese refugees and immigrants; and creating and evaluating programming for at-risk youth.