Understanding Society: An Introductory Reader (with InfoTrac)

This reader was developed as an accompaniment to Andersen/Taylor's SOCIOLOGY: THE ESSENTIALS. This reader can also be used with any Wadsworth text or any competitor's text as well as a sole text for the course. The emphasis of the collection is on articles that students will both understand and find intriguing. The collection is less rigid than the other readers now on the market and includes articles with a variety of styles and perspectives-a global perspective is apparent throughout. Like the text, the reader has a strong focus on diversity. The book also features more current research than the competitors. And, the book presents a balance of classic and contemporary readings that professors teaching the course find important. Five themes have been developed: 1. Classical sociological theory, 2. Contemporary research, 3. Diversity, 4. Globalization, 5. The application of the sociological perspective.

Margaret Andersen is professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at the University of Delaware. She is the author of THINKING ABOUT WOMEN: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SEX AND GENDER; SOCIOLOGY: UNDERSTANDING A DIVERSE SOCIETY (with Howard F. Taylor); SOCIOLOGY: THE ESSENTIALS (with Howard F. Taylor); UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY: READINGS IN SOCIOLOGY (with Kim A. Logio and Howard F. Taylor); and SOCIAL PROBLEMS (with Frank R. Scarpitti and Laura L. O'Toole). She is the former president of the Eastern Sociological Society and has served as the editor of Gender and Society. She is the recipient of the University of Delaware's Excellence in Teaching Award and is one of three faculty members who recently received a grant from the Hewlett Foundation to transform undergraduate education through the development of new introductory level courses across the curriculum. She has recently served as Dean of the College of Arts and Science at the University of Delaware, where she is also the former Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. She currently serves as Acting Chair of the National Advisory Board for the Stanford University Center for Comparative Study in Race and Ethnicity.