Examining the role of mass media and information technology in contemporary society, Society In Focus, Eight Edition, emphasizes the increasing diversity and globalization of societies everywhere. It is designed to help students think clearly and critically about sociological issues, concepts, and methods. Questioning is at the heart of this approach, and as students read this book they are encouraged to become part of the sociological enterprise-rather than remain passive observers. Every element of the text is designed to challenge students to evaluate social issues and, guided by the sociological imagination, to clearly formulate their own positions. By asking questions that demand sociological and creative thought, students are reminded that their conclusions and decisions, as well as their non-decisions and inaction, may have important social consequences.
New to this edition:
* New coauthor Mica Thompson, an experienced teacher of introduction to sociology, brings a fresh new perspective as well as a wide array of different life experiences to this edition of Society in Focus.
* An expanded critical analysis in Chapter 1 introduces all forms of media and technology, and every chapter examines an aspect of their powerful social influence.
* Chapters 9, 16, and 17 have been updated to include the most recent worldwide financial and economic developments, to help explain globalization and cultural diversity.
* Expanded application of feminist theory in every chapter to help students recognize the importance of gender diversity and the contributions of that theoretical perspective in sociology.
* Updated and brand new boxes throughout encourage students to take a closer look at society and selected social issues.
This book is accompanied by a learning package designed to enhance the experience of both instructors and students:
Instructor's Manual.* For each chapter in the text, this valuable resource provides a lecture outline, student learning objectives, key terms with definitions, discussion questions, and web resources.
Test Bank.* The Test Bank includes multiple choice questions marked with difficulty and skill levels and referenced by section. The true-false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and essay questions are all referenced by section.
PowerPoint (R) Presentation.* The PowerPoint (R) slides provide lecture outlines as well as the tables, maps, and figures from the text.
Learning Management System (LMS) Cartridge. Available for most learning management systems, this cartridge contains the test questions and Companion Website material that accompany Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology, Eighth Edition. This cartridge allows for better integration of the materials with your course and makes it easy for student test results and graded assignments to flow into instructor gradebooks.
*The Instructor's Manual, Test Bank, PowerPoint (R) Presentation, and the Learning Management System Cartridge are available to adopters for download. Please contact textbooks@rowman.com to gain access.
Enhanced eText. The Enhanced eText allows students to access their textbook anytime and anywhere they want. The eText for Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology, Eighth Edition, features direct links to flash cards, self-quizzes, and additional activities designed to enhance the concepts in each chapter. The Enhanced eText can be purchased at www.rowman.com or any other retailer of online texts.
Companion Website. Accompanying the text is an open-access Companion Website designed to reinforce the main topics. For each chapter, flash cards, self-quizzes, and additional activities help students master the information they learn in the classroom. Students can access the Companion Website from their computer or mobile device at textbooks.rowman.com/thompson8e.
Respondus 4.0 (c). Respondus 4.0 (c) is a powerful tool for creating and managing exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to the most popular learning management systems. Exams can be created offline or moved from one LMS to another. Respondus LE is available for free and can be used to automate the process of creating print tests. Respondus 3.5, available for purchase or via a school site license, prepares tests to be uploaded to an LMS. Click here: http://www.respondus.com/products/testbank/search.php to submit your request.
Respondus StudyMate (c). Respondus StudyMate (c) helps students master the basics of course material through learning activities, self-assessments, and games. A dozen activities - such as flash cards, crosswords and quizzes - engage students with course content in an individualized way. Students can access StudyMate activities using computers, smartphones and tablets. StudyMate also integrates seamlessly with the most popular learning management systems.
Author Biography:
William E. Thompson received his bachelor's degree from Northeastern State University, a master's degree from Missouri State University, and a PhD from Oklahoma State University. Professor Thompson has authored and coauthored more than 40 articles in professional journals, including several reprinted in sociology textbooks and readers. He has coauthored a textbook on juvenile delinquency that is in its ninth edition, and has coedited an anthology on juvenile delinquency. Thompson also is the author of The Glass House, a nonfiction account of his mother's two year battle with cancer and the lessons about life and living learned from her death and dying, and in 2012 authored Hogs, Blogs, Leathers, and Lattes: The Sociology of Modern American Motorcycling.
Joseph V. Hickey received his bachelor's and master's degrees from George Washington University and his PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of New Mexico. A native New Yorker and Midwest transplant, Professor Hickey has won both writing and film awards. He has authored and coauthored two dozen articles and has written and produced numerous videotapes on such diverse subjects as popular culture, racial and ethnic communities, and cross-cultural studies. Joseph Hickey is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology- Anthropology at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, where for more than two decades he taught introductory courses in sociology and cultural anthropology to undergraduates.
Mica L. Thompson earned her bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University and her master's degree in sociology from Texas A & M University-Commerce. She has over twelve years of public school teaching experience and teaches introduction to sociology at the university level. Her research interests include qualitative methods, feminist theory, education, and popular culture. In addition to having collaborated on articles published in professional journals, Mica has helped proofread and made significant contributions to previous editions of Society in Focus.
