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Cover of Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World, Comprehensive Edition v1.0
Published: 
February 2011
Page Count: 
496
ISBN (Digital): 
978-1-4533-2721-0

Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World, Comprehensive Edition

Version 1.0
By Steven E. Barkan

Included Supplements

Key Features

Teaching Introduction to Sociology? Flat World gives faculty the open license and tools to easily personalize textbooks online. Change words, move chapters -- now a textbook by expert authors precisely fits your syllabus, all at a fair price for your students.
Steve Barkan’s Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social Worldpresents a sociological understanding of society but also a sociological perspective on how to change society, while maintaining the structure and contents of the best mainstream texts.

Pedagogical features related to the theme

        • Social Issues in the News: Almost every chapter starts with a story from recent media coverage that recounts an event related to the chapter’s topic and proceeds with thought-provoking discussion about the social issue related to the event. Additional discussion elsewhere in the chapter helps students understand the basis for this issue and related issues. This dual treatment of the news story will help students appreciate the relevance of sociology for newsworthy issues.

        • Sociology Making a Difference: Discusses a social issue related to the chapter’s topic and shows how sociological insights and findings have been used, or could be used, to address the issue and achieve social reform.

        • Learning from Other Societies: Discusses the experience in another nation(s) on a social issue related to the chapter; this box helps students appreciate what has worked and not worked in other nations and thus better understand how social reform might be achieved in the United States.

        • What Sociology Suggests: Summarizes social policies grounded in sociological theory and research that hold strong potential for addressing issues discussed in the chapter.

        • Theory Snapshots: Many chapters contain these tables that provide a quick reference tool for students to understand the varying theoretical approaches to the sociological topic in the chapter.

        • Using Sociology: Almost every chapter ends with a vignette that presents a hypothetical scenario concerning an issue or topic from the chapter and asks students to use the chapter’s material in a decision-making role involving social change. These vignettes help students connect the chapter’s discussion with real-life situations and, in turn, to better appreciate the relevance of sociological knowledge for social reform.

        • A brief and unique final chapter, Conclusion: Understanding and Changing the Social World sums up what students have learned about society and themselves and reviews the relevance of sociology for achieving social change.


    Steve Barkan’s Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World makes sociology relevant for today’s students by balancing traditional coverage with a fresh approach that ironically takes them back to sociology’s American roots in the use of sociological knowledge for social reform.
Instructor’s Manual

Instructor’s Manual

The Instructor’s Manual guides you through the main concepts of each chapter and important elements such as learning objectives, key terms, and key takeaways. Can include answers to chapter exercises, group activity suggestions, and discussion questions.

Instructor’s Manual

PowerPoint Lecture Notes

PowerPoint Lecture Notes

A PowerPoint presentation highlighting key learning objectives and the main concepts for each chapter are available for you to use in your classroom. You can either cut and paste sections or use the presentation as a whole.

PowerPoint Lecture Notes

Test Generator

Test Generator

Prefer printable tests? Download our test generator and start creating printable tests today! We offer a test generator for both PC and Mac users.

Test Bank Files for Import to Learning Management Systems

Test Bank Files for Import to Learning Management Systems

For your convenience, we've packaged our test items for easy import into Learning Management Systems like Blackboard, Brightspace/D2L, Canvas, Moodle, or Respondus.

Test Item File

Test Item File

Need assistance in supplementing your quizzes and tests? Our test-item files (in Word format) contain many multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer questions.

At FlatWorld, we take pride in providing a range of high-quality supplements alongside our titles, to help instructors teach effectively. Supplements are available for instructors who have registered their adoption with us. If you need to review or preview something specific, please contact us.


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Steven E. Barkan University of Maine

Steven E. Barkan (PhD State University of New York at Stony Brook) is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Maine. He is the author of four FlatWorld titles (Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World comprehensive and brief versions, Fundamentals of Criminal Justice, and Social Problems). Steve has also authored more than 35 journal articles and book chapters in publications such as the American Sociological Review; Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion; Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency; Justice Quarterly; Mobilization; Review of Religious Research; Social Forces; Social Problems; Social Science Quarterly; and Sociological Forum. Steve is past president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems; served on the council of Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honor society; and is past president of the Textbook and Academic Authors Association (TAA). Steve also received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Maine and, from TAA, two Textbook Excellence Awards, the President’s Award, the Pynn-Silverman Award for Lifetime Achievement, and induction into its Council of Fellows. Steve sincerely hopes that faculty and students enjoy reading his books in the formats of their choice and welcomes comments at barkan@maine.edu.

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