Key Ideas in Sociology

Key Ideas in Sociology, 3rd Edition, is the only undergraduate text to link today's issues to the ideas and individuals of the era of classical sociological thought. This book provides an overview of how sociological theories have helped sociologists understand modern societies and human relations. It also describes the continual evolution of these theories in response to social change.

Utilizing readings from primary sources, this valuable text presents theories as interpretive tools, useful for understanding a multifaceted; ever-shifting social world. Emphasis is given to the working world, to the roles and responsibilities of citizenship, and to social relationships. A concluding chapter addresses globalization and its challenges.

Key Features

Connects social theorists and their ideas over time, analyzing different historical circumstances and how theorists have added to and refined each other's thinking

Offers a genuinely integrated view of the history of social thought and links classical theory to today's thinking about modern life

Provides a brief overview of key theorists and their theories, making it a useful supplement for theory and introductory sociology courses

Includes the most current scholarship in this area, with new studies of the classics and the newest theories today

Intended Audience

Key Ideas in Sociology is an ideal supplement for undergraduate introduction to Sociology, Principles of Sociology, and Sociological Theory courses, particularly when these courses are writing-intensive or are focused on theoretical ideas or history.

Kivisto (sociology, Augustana College) follows the course of key concepts that have shaped sociological discourse from the founding period in the 19th century to the present, and examines four key ideas that have played a central role: industrial society, democracy, individualism, and modernity. These concepts are connected to the pioneering figures of sociological theory. This second edition includes a new concluding chapter on globalization, a new timeline, and more coverage of theoretical ideas and contributions from women and minorities. Chapter summaries and review questions are also new. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Peter Kivisto, PhD (New School for Social Research), is the Richard Swanson Professor of Social Thought and chair of sociology at Augustana College. Among his recent books are Citizenship: Discourse, Theory, and Transnational Prospects (2007, with Thomas Faist), Intersecting Inequalities (2007, with Elizabeth Hartung), Incorporating Diversity: Rethinking Assimilation in a Multicultural Age (2005), Key Ideas in Sociology (2nd ed., 2004), Multiculturalism in a Global Society (2002), and Social Theory: Roots and Branches (2nd ed., 2002). His primary scholarly and teaching interests revolve around social theory and ethnic and immigration studies. He has served as secretary-treasurer of the American Sociological Association's Theory and International Migration Sections and is currently serving as Editor of The Sociological Quarterly.