Sociology in a Changing World - Softcover

Kornblum, William; Smith, Carolyn D.

3.62

34 ratings by Goodreads

9780155032903: Sociology in a Changing World

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0155032909 ISBN 13: 9780155032903

Publisher: Harcourt College Pub, 1996

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A study of sociology. This fifth edition seeks to bring a more cohesive thematic approach - focusing on social/global change - to the introductory course and should give students a better understanding of sociology as it is applied to the real world. It emphasizes the reality of social change and its impact on individuals, groups and societies throughout the world. The text carefully balances contemporary and classic theory and research, with special attention to the works of female and minority social scientists and cross-cultural studies. William Kornblum applies all the major perspectives of sociology without giving undue emphasis to any single approach.

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About the Author:

William Kornblum is a professor of sociology at the Graduate School of the City University of New York, where he helps train future instructors and researchers in the social sciences. He also teaches undergraduates at various campuses of the City University, including Queens College, Hunter College, and City College. A specialist in urban and community studies, Kornblum began his teaching career with the Peace Corps in the early 1960s, where he taught physics and chemistry in French-speaking West Africa. He received his Doctorate in Sociology from the University of Chicago in 1971. He also taught at the University of Washington at Seattle and worked as a research sociologist for the U.S. Department of the Interior. At the CUNY Graduate School, he directs research on environmental issues and on urban policy. With his longtime research partner, Terry Williams, he recently co-authored THE UPTOWN KIDS, a sociological portrait of teenagers and young adults growing up in high-rise public housing projects. He was also the principal investigator of Project TELL, a longitudinal study of the ways in which home computers can improve the life chances of young people at risk of dropping out of school. In 2005, Kornblum was awarded the Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology from the American Sociological Association.

Review:

"Overall, the book is well organized and well written. The selection and sequence of the chapters correspond quite well to the way I teach my course. Worthy of note are the discussions of global social change throughout the text. Also, theories are explained well. For example, Wallerstein's world system theory is expalined clearly and then, elaborated on well in the markets and world economic system. Further, the "Then and Now" sections portray images that contrast the past with the present and allow for the studnets to exercise their sociological imaginations. For instance, the cigarette smoking "Then and Now" is a good example to indicate how outside social forces (changed norms and values of the group) influence individual behavior and perspectives concerning the behavior."

"Global Social Change (chapter 10) is an excellent topic on which to close out the general survey of sociology. It allows the author to reiterate the per of change and to summarize several of the more important effects of change in molding the contemporary world."

"Chapter 5 reads well and is logical (in organization), the students like it, and are interested in the material. I like the presentation and the use of illustrations."

"The organization of material in this breif chapter (Chapter 4 on Societies and Nations) is logical and consistent. I appreciate a text that really treats the concept of social structure with the detail presented in Kornblum. I was also very much impressed with Kornblum's discussion of societal evolution. Kornblum takes the difficult and abstract concepts of social structure and organization and makes them more concrete for the introductory student."

"The Study Charts were excellent tools. I can easily see them as an overhead/Powerpoint presentation and being able to lecture and discuss many point offered in them."

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