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<p>Notes on Contributors viii</p> <p>Introduction 1</p> <p>George Ritzer</p> <p><b>PART I INTRODUCTION 7</b></p> <p>1 Philosophy and Sociology 9<br /><i>Stephen Turner</i></p> <p>2 A Selective History of Sociology 25<br /><i>Alan Sica</i></p> <p>3 Quantitative Methods 55<br /><i>Russell K. Schutt</i></p> <p>4 Qualitative Methods 73<br /><i>Mitchell Duneier</i></p> <p>5 Classical Sociological Theory 82<br /><i>Alan Sica</i></p> <p>6 Contemporary Sociological Theory 98<br /><i>George Ritzer and William Yagatich</i></p> <p><b>PART II BASIC TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY 119</b></p> <p>7 Action, Interaction, and Groups 121<br /><i>Kimberly B. Rogers and Lynn Smith-Lovin</i></p> <p>8 Groups and Institutions, Structures and Processes 139<br /><i>Murray Webster, Jr. and Jane Sell</i></p> <p>9 The Sociology of Organizations 164<br /><i>Stewart R. Clegg</i></p> <p>10 Cultural Analysis 182<br /><i>John Tomlinson</i></p> <p>11 The Changing Life Course 197<br /><i>Angela M. O’Rand</i></p> <p>12 Deviance: A Sociology of Unconventionalities 212<br /><i>Nachman Ben-Yehuda</i></p> <p>13 Criminology 229<br /><i>Charles F. Wellford</i></p> <p>14 Critical Sexualities Studies 243<br /><i>Ken Plummer</i></p> <p>15 Feeling Class: Affect and Culture in the Making of Class Relations 269<br /><i>Beverley Skeggs</i></p> <p>16 Racial and Ethnic Issues: Critical Race Approaches in the United States 287<br /><i>Brittany Chevon Slatton and Joe R. Feagin</i></p> <p>17 Genders and Sexualities in Global Context: An Intersectional Assessment of Contemporary Scholarship 304<br /><i>Nancy A. Naples and Barbara Gurr</i></p> <p>18 Changing Families: Fluidity, Partnership, and Family Structure 333<br /><i>Graham Allan and Emma Head</i></p> <p>19 Sociology of Education 348<br /><i>Maureen T. Hallinan and Ge Liu</i></p> <p>20 Sociology of Religion 367<br /><i>Christian Smith and Robert D. Woodberry</i></p> <p>21 Current Directions in Medical Sociology 385<br /><i>William C. Cockerham</i></p> <p>22 Media and Communications 402<br /><i>John Durham Peters and Jefferson D. Pooley</i></p> <p>23 Work and Employment 418<br /><i>Steven P. Vallas</i></p> <p>24 The Sociology of Consumption 444<br /><i>P. J. Rey and George Ritzer</i></p> <p>25 Population 470<br /><i>Suzanne M. Bianchi and Vanessa Wight</i></p> <p>26 Urbanization 488<br /><i>Kevin Fox Gotham</i></p> <p>27 Environmental Sociology 504<br /><i>Richard York and Riley E. Dunlap</i></p> <p>28 Social Movements 522<br /><i>Remy Cross and David A. Snow</i></p> <p>29 Globalization 545<br /><i>Paul Dean and George Ritzer</i></p> <p><b>PART III CUTTING EDGE ISSUES IN SOCIOLOGY 565</b></p> <p>30 After Neoliberalism: Whither Capitalism? 567<br /><i>Robert J. Antonio</i></p> <p>31 Organized Coercion and Political Authority: Armed Conflict in a World of States 588<br /><i>Meyer Kestnbaum</i></p> <p>32 Science and Technology: Now and in the Future 609<br /><i>Mark Erickson and Frank Webster</i></p> <p>33 The Internet, Web 2.0, and Beyond 626<br /><i>Nathan Jurgenson and George Ritzer</i></p> <p>Index 649</p>

<p>“This book therefore gives us an excellent representation of the current state of academic sociology in the Western world . . . This one can be recommended as a sound, comprehensive outline of the main fields of sociological study to those libraries that do not feel that they already have an adequate stock of recent books on the topic.”  (<i>Reference Reviews</i>, 1 December 2012)</p> <p>“Graduate students will find this to be an excellent preparation for qualifying examination, and they and young faculty will find numerous ideas for research projects.  Summing Up: Highly recommended.  For universities and libraries of sociology graduate departments.”  (<i>Choice</i>, 1 August 2012)</p> <p> </p>

<p><strong>George Ritzer </strong>is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. He was awarded the 2000 Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association and he has authored many refereed articles and more than 25 books, including monographs, reference works, and textbooks. He has been a major contributor to the literature on sociology as an author and editor, especially <em>The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology</em> (11 vols., 2007; 2nd ed. forthcoming); <em>Introduction to Sociology</em> (3rd ed, 2016), <em>The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization</em> (5 vols., 2012), <em>Globalization: A Basic Text</em> (2nd edition,? 2015 with Paul Dean), <em>The McDonaldization of Society</em> (8th editions, last in 2015), <em>Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society</em> (1995) and <em>The Globalization of Nothing</em> (2nd edition 2007). In the last decade his work has focused on the issue of prosumption.

<p><i>The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Sociology</i> presents a comprehensive and balanced overview of the major topics and emerging trends in the discipline of sociology today. Original chapters – carefully compiled and edited by award-winning sociology professor George Ritzer – represent the most cutting-edge work by leading sociological thinkers and bright emerging scholars from around the globe. After providing insights into research methods and theoretical foundations of classic and contemporary sociology, a variety of established sociological issues are explored – ranging from culture and crime to sexuality and politics. A final section of chapters features some of the latest sociological considerations, including the future of capitalism, terrorism, and emerging technologies. Reflecting the most innovative ideas and trends shaping the contemporary state of the discipline, <i>The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Sociology</i> boldly paves the way for the future of sociological thought.</p>

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