Synopses & Reviews
This comprehensive, thought-provoking text is the only one on the market that truly emphasizes global and cross-cultural issues as its core strength throughout each chapter. What better way to introduce your students to sociological concepts and applications than by invoking and instilling global issues. This text is the leader in the global perspective segment of the introduction to sociology market. Eleven of the sixteen chapters incorporate an example highlighting important and long-standing interconnections between the United States and some other country or countries. Five chapters highlight interconnections across national borders but in a more general way. Such extended examples mean that the core sociological concepts and theories are not presented in an encyclopedia-like way. Rather, the example becomes the vehicle for weaving together and applying key concepts and theories to issues confronting the United States and the world.
Review
"Adopting a book like Ferrante is a clear indication that our department is serious about making our general education courses international and comparative. I particularly like the way each chapter focuses on a country. In this way Ferrante is able to go beyond merely mentioning other countries and give students all sorts of current events and historical materials in addition to the sociological perspective."
Review
"One of the reasons I love this text is because it is so unbiased. Overall, she does an excellent job of being unbiased, and presenting students with several viewpoints. She does have student voices in her text--it works!"
Review
"I like her style of talking with students and then researching their discussions. When she writes about what students have told her, this is encouraging to students because they see that their voice is valid. I use this effectively as I encourage my students to share their own ideas with the class and me"
Review
"The examples are provided from both male and female perspectives, which make the book more relevant for understanding women's issues and problems of racial and ethnic inequalities in the world. I support this effort wholeheartedly"
Review
"I like Ferrante's inclusion of student voices and periodically I use these items to initiate discourse among my own students"
Synopsis
This text is the leader in the global perspective segment of the introduction to sociology market. Eleven of the 16 chapters incorporate an example highlighting important and long-standing interconnections between the United States and some other country or countries. Five chapters highlight interconnections across national borders but in a more general way. Such extended examples mean that the core sociological concepts and theories are not presented in an encyclopedia-like way. Rather, the example becomes the vehicle for weaving together and applying key concepts and theories to issues confronting the United States and the world.
About the Author
Joan Ferrante, Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Cincinnati, is a professor of sociology at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). After receiving her doctorate she served as managing editor of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Since then, she has spent more than 30 years working to find examples and ways of teaching sociology that engage students. SOCIOLOGY: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE and SEEING SOCIOLOGY reflect her efforts. Joan has also focused on presenting sociology as a tool for making a difference in the world. With the support of the Mayerson Family Foundations, she designed the curriculum for a student philanthropy project at NKU in which students, as part of their course work, decide how to use $4,000 to address a community need. The program has been adopted by dozens of universities across the United States. Joan also supports a study abroad scholarship at NKU that awards each of 10 to 15 students up to $1,000 every year. Finally, for several years Joan has used proceeds from her royalties to support the position of academic advisor to NKU sociology majors.
Table of Contents
1. The Sociological Imagination. 2. Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Social Research (With Emphasis on Mexico). 3. Culture (With Emphasis on North and South Korea). 4. Socialization (With Emphasis on Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza). 5. Social Interaction and the Social Construction of Reality (With Emphasis on the Democratic Republicof the Congo). 6. Social Organizations (With Emphasis on McDonald's, a U.S.-Based Multinational Corporation with Operations in 119 Countries). 7. Deviance, Conformity, and Social Control (With Emphasis on the Peoples Republic of China). 8. Social Stratification (With Emphasis on the Worlds Richest and Poorest Peoples). 9. Race and Ethnic Classification (With Emphasis on the Peopling of the United States (A Global Story). 10. Gender (With Emphasis on American Samoa). 11. Economics and Politics (With Emphasis on Iraq). 12. Family and Aging (With Emphasis on Japan). 13. Population and Urbanization (With Emphasis on India). 14. Education (With Emphasis on the European Union). 15. Religion (With Emphasis on the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan). 16. Social Change (With Emphasis on Global Interdependence).