Society, Institutions, and Individuals

While standard sociology textbooks often provide only brief overviews of the field of sociology, the anthology Society, Institutions, and Individuals: An Introduction to the Sociological Imagination allows professors and students alike to spend more time addressing institutional and systemic inequalities, most notably issues of race, class, and gender. The book also examines globalization and its sociological effects. After an introduction to the nature of sociology, the sections of the book address the ways in which sociologists view the world, the ways culture impacts perspective, persistent social inequalities, and the sociology of development and globalization. The final section presents suggestions and solutions that can be used in dealing with systemic inequality. In this second edition, a new section on research methods highlights how sociologists produce knowledge. The text exposes students to both classic sociological works, and the freshest contemporary research on topics ranging from media to education to the prison industrial complex through peer-reviewed research articles by notable scholars in the field. Society, Institutions, and Individuals is an ideal supplemental reader for introductory sociology courses, as well as classes focusing on social problems and inequality. It can also be used as a stand-alone textbook.David G. Embrick earned his Ph.D at Texas A&M University in 2006. He is an associate professor of sociology at Loyola University and the current Vice-President of the Southwestern Sociological Association. Dr. Embrick's professional writings have appeared in numerous journals including Sociological Forum and the Journal of Symbolic Interaction. He is the author of the books Globalization and America: Race, Human Rights & Inequality, Utopic Dreams and Apocalyptic Fantasies: Critical Approaches to Researching Video Game Play, and Critical Social Policy and Video Game Play: Social Exclusion, Power & Liberating Fantasy.Bhoomi K. Thakore is an assistant professor of sociology and the director of the Sociology Program at Elmhurst College. She earned her Ph.D. at Loyola University Chicago. Her research interests include social inequality and race, ethnicity, and gender in the media. Dr. Thakore teaches undergraduate courses in research methods, sociological theory, mass media, race and ethnicity, and introduction to sociology.