Sociological Snapshots 5

A collection of short, informal and contemporary essays that start students on the road to thinking sociologically.

The Fifth Edition of the best-selling Sociological Snapshots continues to provide a solid foundation for students as it introduces them to the world of sociological analysis. Combining abstract sociological concepts with interesting and grounded essays ("snapshots") on issues of contemporary interest, this book helps students discover relevant connections and encourages them to develop a sociological eye. By linking everyday life experiences to foundational concepts and concerns, it serves as an effective springboard from the student’s familiar and concrete world to the more abstract realm of sociological theory and the sociological perspective. Student-friendly introductions preceding each section of the text provide rich context and tie the readings to the central concepts of sociological thought, while writing, observation, and data-collecting exercises following each section encourage students to practice what they are learning. New to the Fifth Edition Features updated topics and research within each essay Includes five new snapshots on current issues: immigrants from Latin American countries; celebratory rioting by college students; hate as a mental illness; sex offenders; and violence on the national mall in Washington, D.C. Provides an updated annotated reading list at the end of each section, connecting the informal essays to the more formal research literature of the discipline Intended Audience Using accessible language and an entertaining writing style, this book is a valuable supplementary text for Introductory Sociology, Social Change, or Modernization courses. Contributor to the SAGE Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award

This textbook helps introductory sociology students 'see' abstract, but nonetheless basic sociological concepts. Each essay relates some abstract sociological concept. Each section offers three to five snapshots and shows how sociological concepts emerge from the overlapping themes.

Over the past twenty-five years, photography has moved to centre-stage in the study of visual culture and has established itself in numerous disciplines. This trend has brought with it a diversification in approaches to the study of the photographic image. Photography: Theoretical Snapshots offers exciting perspectives on photography theory today from some of the world’s leading critics and theorists. It introduces new means of looking at photographs, with topics including: a community-based understanding of Spencer Tunick’s controversial installations the tactile and auditory dimensions of photographic viewing snapshot photography the use of photography in human rights discourse. Photography: Theoretical Snapshots also addresses the question of photography history, revisiting the work of some of the most influential theorists such as Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin, and the October group, re-evaluating the neglected genre of the carte-de-visite photograph, and addressing photography’s wider role within the ideologies of modernity. The collection opens with an introduction by the editors, analyzing the trajectory of photography studies and theory over the past three decades and the ways in which the discipline has been constituted. Ranging from the most personal to the most dehumanized uses of photography, from the nineteenth century to the present day, from Latin America to Northern Europe, Photography: Theoretical Snapshots will be of value to all those interested in photography, visual culture, and cultural history.

Over the decades, the lines separating young- middle-aged-, and older adults have blurred, as indicated by a broadening of the appropriate years for making life decisions. Not only are many people marrying later, but some are marrying earlier than ever. Overall, women giving birth later, but some are having children earlier in their lives. Older people are retiring later, but some are retiring at a younger age. The spread or variability (standard deviation) of age-based decisions has increased substantially, giving adults greater freedom from the traditional constraints of age. With these relaxed age norms has come a host of related social problems. The relaxation of age norms for adult decision-making has inadvertently blurred the boundaries between adults and teenagers, between teenagers and children. This generalization of the phenomenon throughout the life cycle is responsible for the adultification of childhood. Eight year old girls are, to an increasing extent, being treated as sexual objects; bullying peaks in the 6th grade; larger numbers of girls are having oral sex or sexual intercourse by the age of 15; the pregnancy rate for girls 13-15 is on the rise; we are in the process of dismantling the juvenile justice system in favor of adult forms of punishment; and more and more children are left without adult supervision in the afternoons, as though they were miniature adults who are capable of raising themselves. Jack Levin is the American Sociological Association’s 2009 Winner of the “Public Understanding of Sociology” Award. This short book communicates the power and importance of sociological thinking to major, worldwide social trends. Ideal for use in undergraduate courses such as introductory sociology, social problems, and social change as well as more advanced courses in population, or sociology of aging.

The aim of this introductory text in sociology is to hook students' interest and get them to read, see and think sociologically. The book includes `snapshots' (journalistic accounts) and `portraits' (empirical sociological studies). Each part is introduced with an essay which ties the snapshots and portraits together and explains where and who the big ideas of the discipline came from, their context, and how they continue to be applicable to our thinking about society today. Each part ends with a section called `Developing Your Own Snapshots' which encourages students to learn by doing their own sociological thinking. There are photo essays at the beginning of each part which serve to capture the students' interest.

Develop sociological imaginations

Measurements, Indicators, and Research Methods for Sustainability presents a thorough and accessible overview of the ways in which sustainability is charted worldwide. Some articles introduce basic concepts, such as quantitative versus qualitative data or the weak versus strong sustainability debate; others examine how indicators in specific areas (climate change and soil conservation, agriculture, and mining) have been applied (or not) to different regions. Research analysts explain the modes and media through which these measurements are broadcast, stressing the importance of developing methods that can be understood by both experts and ordinary citizens. They also examine the process of monitoring, itself a controversial topic affecting national or international policy, law, rules, and regulations.