Sociology: The Essentials Margaret Andersen

Sociology: The Essentials teaches students the basic concepts, theories, and insights of the sociological perspective. With each new edition come different challenges: new topics of study; new generations of students with different learning styles; increasing diversity among those who will read this book; and new formats for delivering course content to students. We know that how students learn and how they engage with their course material comes increasingly in the form of electronic and online learning resources.

Sociology: The Essentials, tenth edition, takes full advantage of these changes by having a fully electronic version of the book available, allowing for personalized, fully online digital learning. The platform of learning resources provided here engages students in an interactive mode, while also offering instructors the opportunity to make individualized configurations of course work. Those who want to enhance their curriculum through online resources will also be able to utilize MindTap Sociology in the way that best suits their course.

However the book is used, we have revised this edition to reflect the latest changes in society and new work in sociological scholarship. We are somewhat amazed, even as sociologists, to see how much change occurs, even in the relatively short period of time between editions. Our book adapts to these changes with each new edition. In this edition, we have maintained and strengthened the themes that have been the book’s hallmark from the start: a focus on diversity in society, attention to society as both enduring and changing, the significance of social context in explaining human behavior, the increasing impact of globalization on all aspects of society, and a focus on critical thinking and an analysis of society fostered through sociological research and theory.

Sociology: The Essentials, tenth edition, is accompanied by a wide array of supplements prepared to create the best learning environment inside as well as outside the classroom for both instructors and students. All the continuing supplements for Sociology: The Essentials, tenth edition, have been thoroughly revised and updated. We invite you to take full advantage of the teaching and learning tools available to you.

• Instructor's Resource Manual. This supplement offers instructors brief chapter outlines, student learning objectives, American Sociological Association recommendations, key terms and people, detailed chapter lecture outlines, lecture/discussion suggestions, student activities, chapter worksheets, video suggestions, video activities, and Internet exercises. The tenth edition also includes a syllabus to help instructors easily organize learning tools and create lesson plans.
• Cengage Learning Testing Powered by Cognero. This flexible, online system allows teachers to author, edit, and manage test bank content from multiple Cengage Learning solutions, create multiple-test versions in an instant, and deliver tests from your LMS, your classroom, or wherever you want.
• PowerPoint Slides. Preassembled Microsoft PowerPoint lecture slides with graphics from the text make it easy for you to assemble, edit, publish, and present custom lectures for your course.

Margaret L. Andersen (B.A., Georgia State University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst) is the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor Emerita at the University of Delaware. Her books have had a far-reaching impact and include "Moving From the Margins: Life Histories on Transforming the Study of Racism," co-edited with Maxine Baca Zinn; "Getting Smart About Race: An American Conversation"; "Race in Society: The Enduring American Dilemma," 2nd Edition; "Thinking About Women," 11th Edition; the best-selling anthology, "Race, Class and Gender," published in its 11th edition; "Living Art: This Life of African American Art Collector Paul R. Jones" and "On Land and On Sea: A Century of Women in the Rosenfeld Collection." Andersen is an emeritus member and former Chair of the National Advisory Board for Stanford University’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, past Vice President of the American Sociological Association, and past President of the Eastern Sociological Society. She served in several administrative positions at the University of Delaware, including as Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Diversity; Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; and as founding director of the President’s Diversity Initiative. She has received numerous awards, including two teaching awards from the University of Delaware, the Eastern Sociological Society Merit Award for career contributions, and the American Sociological Association’s Jessie Bernard Award, given for expanding the boundaries of sociology to include women. The University of Delaware granted her an honorary doctorate in recognition of her national prominence in scholarship, teaching, and service.

Howard F. Taylor (B.A., Hiram College; Ph.D., Yale University) taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and Princeton University, where he was Professor of Sociology. He published over 50 articles in sociology, education, social psychology, and race relations. His books include "The IQ Game" (Rutgers University Press), a critique of hereditarian accounts of intelligence, and "Balance in Small Groups" (Van Nostrand Reinhold), translated into Japanese. He served as past president of the Eastern Sociological Society and was a member of the American Sociological Association and the Sociological Research Association, an honorary society for distinguished research. He won the DuBois-Johnson-Frazier Award, given by the American Sociological Association for distinguished research in race and ethnic relations, and the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton University.