Key concepts and terms are introduced but only in the service of a larger focus on the sociological imagination. The text is both personal and global. It speaks to sociology as a science as well as addresses public or applied aspects of sociology. It has a theme that provides integration of topics as it introduces the discipline. This text is an analytical essay, not a disconnected encyclopedia.
As one of our reviewers noted,
Unlike most textbooks I have read, the breadth and depth of coverage in this one is very impressive. It challenges the student with college-level reading. Too many textbooks seem to write on a high school level and give only passing treatment to most of the topics, writing in nugget-sized blocks. More than a single definition and a few sentences of support, the text forces the student deep into the topics covered and challenges them to see interconnections.
Normally, the global perspective angle within textbooks, which seemed to grow in popularity in the past two decades, was implemented by using brief and exotic examples to show differences between societies—a purely comparative approach rather than a globalization treatment. They gave, and still give to a large extent, a token nod to diversity. This textbook, however, forces students to take a broader look at similarities and differences in social institutions around the world and structures and processes operating in all cultures and societies.
So, our focus in this book is on deep learning, especially expansion of students’ ability to role-take or “perspective-take.” Deep learning goes beyond the content of concepts and terms and cultivates the habits of thinking that allow one to think critically. Being able to see things from the perspective of others is essential to doing sociology, but it is also indispensable to seeing weaknesses in theories or recognizing blind spots in a point of view. Using the sociological imagination is one dimension of role-taking because it requires a step back from the typical micro-level understanding of life’s events and fosters a new comprehension of how meso- and macro-level forces—even global ones—can shape the individual’s life. Enhancement of perspective-taking ability is at the core of this book because it is a prerequisite for deep learning in sociology, and it is the core competency needed to do sociology. One cannot do sociology unless one can see things from various positions on the social landscape.
This may sound daunting for some student audiences, but we have found that instructors at every kind of institution have had great success with the book because of the writing style and instructional tools used throughout. We have made some strategic decisions based on these principles of learning and teaching. We have focused much of the book on higher-order thinking skills rather than memorization and regurgitation. We want students to learn to think sociologically: to apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and comprehend the interconnections of the world through a globally informed sociological imagination. However, we think it is also essential to do this with an understanding of how students learn.
Many introductory-level books offer several theories and then provide critiques of the theories. The idea is to teach critical thinking. We have purposefully refrained from extensive critique of theory (although some does occur) for several reasons. First, providing critique to beginning-level students does not really teach critical thinking. It trains them to memorize someone else’s critique. Furthermore, it simply confuses many of them, leaving students with the feeling that sociology is just contradictory ideas, and the discipline really does not have anything firm to offer. Teaching critical thinking needs to be done in stages, and it needs to take into account the building steps that occur before effective critique is possible. That is why we focus on the concept of deep learning. We are working toward building the foundations necessary for sophisticated critical thought at upper levels in the curriculum.
Therefore, in this beginning-level text, we have attempted to focus on a central higher order or deep learning skill—synthesis. Undergraduate students need to grasp this before they can fully engage in evaluation. Deep learning involves understanding of complexity, and some aspects of complexity need to be taught at advanced levels. Although students at the introductory level are often capable of synthesis, complex evaluation requires some foundational skills. Thus, we offer contrasting theories in this text, and, rather than telling what is wrong with each one, we encourage students through Thinking Sociologically features to analyze the use of each and to focus on honing synthesis and comparison skills.
Finally, research tells us that learning becomes embedded in memory and becomes long-lasting only if it is related to something that learners already know. If they memorize terms but have no unifying framework to which they can attach those ideas, the memory will not last until the end of the course, let alone until the next higher-level course. In this text, each chapter is tied to the social world model that is core to sociological thinking. At the end of a course using this book, we believe that students will be able to explain coherently what sociology is and construct an effective essay about what they have learned from the course as a whole. Learning to develop and defend a thesis, with supporting logic and evidence, is another component of deep learning. In short, this text provides instructors with the tools to teach sociology in a way that will have a long-term impact on students.
Organization and Coverage
Reminiscent of some packaged international tours, in which the travelers figure that “it is Day 7, so this must be Paris,” many introductory courses seem to operate on the principle that it is Week 5, so this must be deviance week. Students do not sense any integration, and at the end of the course, they have trouble remembering specific topics. This book is different. A major goal of the book is to show the integration between topics in sociology and between parts of the social world. The idea is for students to grasp the concept of the interrelated world. A change in one part of the social world affects all others, sometimes in ways that are mutually supportive and sometimes in ways that create intense conflict.
Although the topics are familiar, the textbook is organized around levels of analysis, explained through the social world model. This perspective leads naturally to an integrated discussion in which all topics fit clearly into an overall view, a comparative approach, and discussions of diversity and inequality. It hangs together!
As seen in the table of contents, the book includes 16 chapters plus additional online materials, written to fit into a semester or quarter system. It allows instructors to use the chapters in order, or to alter the order, because each chapter is tied into others through the social world model. We strongly recommend that Chapter 1 be used early in the course because it introduces the integrating model and explains the theme. Also, if any chapters on institutions are used, the section opener Institutions may be useful to include as well. Otherwise, the book has been designed for flexible use.
Instructors may also want to supplement the core book with other materials, such as those suggested on the Instructor Teaching Site. While covering all the key topics in introductory sociology, the cost and size of a midsized book allows for this flexibility. Indeed, for a colorful introductory-level text, the cost of this book is remarkably low—roughly half the cost of most other popular introductory texts.
A Unique Program Supporting Teaching of Sociology
There is one more way in which Our Social World has been unique among introductory sociology textbooks. In 2007, the original authors (Ballantine and Roberts) teamed with SAGE to start a new program to benefit the entire discipline. Using royalties from Our Social World, we helped establish the SAGE Teaching Innovations & Professional Development Award (now the SAGE Publishing Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award), designed to prepare a new generation of scholars within the teaching movement in sociology. People in their early career stages (graduate students, assistant professors, newer PhDs) can be reimbursed $600 each for expenses entailed while attending the day-long American Sociological Association (ASA) Section on Teaching and Learning’s preconference workshop. The workshop is on the day before ASA meetings. In 2007, 13 young
