Understanding Contemporary Society


Book Description

Understanding Contemporary Society: Theories of the Present is a comprehensive textbook to guide students through the complexities of social theory today. Over 30 chapters, written by an international team of contributors, demonstrate clearly the practical applications of social theory in making sense of the modern world. Students are both introduced to the most significant theories and guided through the major social developments which shape our lives. Key features of the book are: clearly structured and readable prose; bullet pointed summaries and annotated further reading for each topic; makes complex issues accessible to undergraduates; focuses on relevance and practicality; chapter lay-out which is ideal for t




Advertising in Contemporary Society


Book Description

Why are critics upset about advertising? And why are its practitioners so defensive? Revised and extensively updated, this edition of the classic Advertising in Contemporary Society offers unique perspectives that will help the reader understand how and why the controversial American phenomenon of advertising generates so much heat and--though much of it is passive--so much acceptance.




Understanding Contemporary Society


Book Description

This is a practical guide to the application of social theory in understanding the complex modern world. A global perspective of the issues is provided by the contributors who cut through the confusion and upheavals in current thought and practice.




Industrializing America


Book Description

Taking the risk it will scare students off, Elwell (sociology, Murray State U.) nevertheless begins with a chapter on social theory, and only tries to make it succinct and clear enough to get through. He then uses the theory to analyze industrial systems, particularly the advanced systems of the US. His topics include structures of authority, economic rationalization, the erosion of commitment, and factual regularities. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.




Understanding Contemporary China


Book Description

Understanding Contemporary China offers undergraduates a coherent assessment of the most crucial issues affecting China today. Designed as a core text for Introduction to Asia or Introduction to China courses, it can also be used in a wide variety of discipline-oriented curriculums.




Understanding Contemporary Brazil


Book Description

Understanding Contemporary Brazil is the perfect introduction to Brazil, and to its ongoing social, political, economic, and cultural complexities. Covering a range of issues this interdisciplinary book equips readers with the contextual understanding and critical insight to explore this fascinating country.




Contemporary Society


Book Description

This best-selling text emphasizes that social and cultural changes are the pervasive realities of our era. One of the main themes of Contemporary Society is that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in the modern world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose and often invites conflict and disunity. At the same time, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability, some shelter in the storm. Finally, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, a fact that propels separate groups of people into a global entity.




Young Masculinities


Book Description

This text centres on a study in which boys talked openly about such issues as their relationships with parents and friends, hardness, homophobia and football, and the importance of youth style, race and ethnicity.




Gender and Sexuality


Book Description

This new introduction to the sociology of gender and sexuality provides fresh insight into our rapidly changing attitudes towards sex and our understanding of masculine and feminine identities, relating the study of gender and sexuality to recent research and theory, and wider social concerns throughout the world.