Sociology matters / Richard T. Schaefer.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The sociological view -- Culture and socialization -- Social interaction, groups, and social structure -- Deviance and social control -- Stratification in the United States and global inequality -- Inequality by race and ethnicity -- Inequality by gender -- Social institutions: family and religion -- Social institutions: education, government, and the economy -- Population, community, health, and the environment -- Social movements, social change, and technology.

"Sociology has been my life's work for several decades. In the classroom and in the pages of my textbooks, I have tried to spark students' interest in the discipline by showing them its real-life implications. My aim has been to convince students that sociology is more than just another academic pursuit, an exercise in scholarship for the sake of scholarship. Sociology illuminates the world around us-our families, schools, neighborhoods, and other familiar institutions we have lived with all our lives. It puts into larger perspective our culture and our socialization-the way we come to be the way we are. Sociology makes us think deeply about the divide between ourselves and those of different races, classes, and ethnicities. It forces us to recognize the effects of power, technological advances, electronic media, and the increasingly rapid process of social change on our own lives."