Introducing Sociology a Critical Approach, 5e

Designed to stimulate systematic and critical thought, this unique introductory text presents the basic theories and language of sociology in a concise, accessible manner, while providing a critical overview of the development of sociological theory.

Divided into three parts, the text begins with a survey of the sociological concepts used to understand human beings and their behaviour. Part II provides a critical overview of key developments in sociological theory, focusing in particular on how recent feminist critiques have placed earlier theoretical work in question. Part III illustrates the nature of sociological analysis by describing sociological research methods and by using concepts and theories from earlier in the book to introduce a number of the ways that sociologists look at issues such as inequality, health, deviance, ethnic and race relations, familial relations, and globalization.

Murray Knuttila is provost and vice-president academic at Brock University. Before joining Brock, Dr. Knuttila spent more than 30 years with the University of Regina. In addition to Oxford Canada, Dr. Knuttila has published books with McClelland and Stewart, Garamond Press, Fernwood Publishing, Zed Books, and the Canadian Plains Research Center, as well as contributing chapters and articles to numerous journals and edited collections.

Andre Magnan is an assistant professor in the department of sociology and social studies at the University of Regina. His research and teaching interests include the sociology of agrifood relations, globalization and development, environmental sociology, and sociological theory.