Sociology (4th Edition)

Author: Anthony Giddens [UK], Zhao Xudong, et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: The tone of this book treats sociology as a discipline playing a core role in modern intellectual culture and occupying a central position in the social sciences. After many years of teaching various levels of sociology, I deeply felt the need to organize and summarize the current frontiers and developments of this discipline, writing a foundational textbook in this field. My goal is to create a textbook that combines originality with the analysis of all fundamental issues of interest to contemporary sociologists. This book does not attempt to introduce overly formed concepts; instead, it includes cutting-edge ideas and research findings in sociology from beginning to end. I hope this is not a biased approach, as I have tried to be fair but not indiscriminate in covering important sociological propositions. This book strives to maintain a balance between theoretical thinking and empirical research. In sociological research, like in other disciplines, theory is clearly crucial. This book teaches students classic theoretical research methods while also addressing new theoretical approaches. The revision of the fourth edition of Sociology is more comprehensive than any of the previous editions of this book. All empirical data in the book have been thoroughly revised and updated. Like the previous three editions, the authors have strived to make the book both readable and engaging while staying at the forefront of the discipline. The book extensively uses the results of academic research and professional journals as sources of research material. To make the textbook as up-to-date as possible, some newspapers and magazines have also been selected as new sources. Many new sections have been added. By combining the new content with the reliable and tested sections, the book has maintained its reputation as an authoritative introduction to sociology. The first edition of this book was published in 1989 and opened up new fields from several perspectives. The innovation of the fourth edition lies in its thorough research on how other changes related to the internet and information technology have altered our lives. These issues are, in fact, addressed throughout every chapter. The period of great transformation also brings new risks, and risk is a continuous theme explored in this textbook.